Make a Wish

“In front of me stood Veniamin Bogatyrev. Just Ven’ka. And for some reason I remembered that moment when we met for the first time. It was an ordinary September day: the wind was blowing, and I kept having to fix my hair. It got into my face, irritated me, and got in the way of chatting casually about nothing. ‘Meet my friend—Ven’ka,’ Egor said then, and added, ‘we live in the same courtyard.’ And I immediately noticed how different they were. One was sure of himself, and the other—quite the opposite…”