Oh, love...

-           - Go, go! Get in!

Mary banged the door of the wardrobe and nervously threw herself on the bed.  She closed her eyes and tried to take her breath. “It’s ok, everything will be fine…”, she was muttering while she was trying to suffocate the wave of adrenalin that had exploded into her veins.

That was him, she was sure. First of all she recognized the motor of his car – that old “Moskvich” that he treated like a living creature resounded into the neighborhood and provoked an aggressive expression of discontent among the pack of street dogs.  That was a sort of tradition – the motor was growing like a hungry wild animal, the dogs were raising and attacking the metal beast in their attempt to protect their territory and… Penka, the gossip neighbor, was shouting hysterically that he was a cruel man (she could have been right).

Clack! The door opened. Mary stayed still, horrified. Thudding.  Mary glanced the wardrobe, preoccupied. “Track!” – the door was closed and he called her name.

The very next moment the man rushed into her room and lifted her from the bed.

-          -  My god, I’m so happy to see you again, my love! I’ve been missing you so much! – he embraced her gently.

-           - Me too… - she moaned from within his iron hug. Her voice was rather hysterical, but he’d never pay attention to that; he was certain it was his return that was so emotional to her.

-           - You are so pail! Did you ever eat while I was away? Oh, god…

Mary faked a smile and tried to get away from his arms. Her tiny body thudded on the bed and for a second her eyes looked at the wardrobe. He was calm there, no sign of him until the very moment. If he could just stay still like that for only five minutes more… Just until he entered into the bathroom. Then she would be able to save him out of the house…

-           - Tell me now, how did the business trip went on? – she asked in a fakely cheerful voice.

-           - Oh, well… You know nothing special… - he answered. – That’s why I decided to get home earlier. I thought it was pointless to waste my time out there when my little princess was  staying home-alone, missing me. – he blinked at her and she smiled mischievously.

-           - You know what happened to Jack? – he went on, indignant. – He called his wife via skype to have a chat with her. However while she was smiling at him and telling him how much she was missing him, he detected a pair of jeans that did not belong to him on their bed along with the pants!

-          -  You don’t say!

-           - For god’s sake, it’s true. And that bloody creature, his wife, went mute, crying and muttering some stupid excuses. Jack went mad. Can you imagine what a situation that was?

Mary laughed out a little bit too loud than what she wanted. But of course she was imagining the situation, however the different context…

-           - Apart of this, everything went fine. – he concluded in a tired voice and sighed.

Puck!

-          -  Ah, that bloody bed! It’s creaking again! – Mary almost shouted hysterically.

-           - Oh, well… - he said absent-mindedly. -  I’ll fix it, don’t worry…

Creak!

-          -  Come on, stand up to take a look at it now…

Mary jumped on her feet as if she had been touched by an electric cable while he went down and thrusted himself under the bed. “Pras!”

-          -  Darling, are you ok? – he asked her and looked at her, worried.

Pras! Tras! Hras! Puck!

Tears were running down the face of the young woman. She dropped her eyes down guiltily and squalled in horror.

-           - Maria, what’s going on? – his voice was severe and calm.

Pras, hras, tras!! Those unpleasant noises were coming from the wardrobe. Mary was scared to death.

Confident, he stood up and went to the wardrobe.

-           - No, please! Please, don’t kill him! – Mary cried out in despair and threw herself over him in a fruitless attempt to stop him. – I love him, please!

Furious, he pushed her on the bed and opened the wardrobe. Mary was lying rolled in a ball, yelling and begging…

-           -  Dammit! – he shouted. – I’ll kill him!

-         -   Please don’t do that, I love him, daddy! Don’t kill him! – the face of the girl was covered with tears.

-          -  I’ll kill him! – he went on shouting in delirium and took him out of the wardrobe.

His eyes, unaccustomed to the daylight, were full of terror and were desperately looking for the ones of Mary. Squeezed by the iron hand of the father, he was unable to move and his cry had died into his throat, deafened.

-           - Dad, please. Leave him…

The man took a look at his daughter’s face. It seemed so innocently suffering. Then he moved on his look at the creature that was hanging on his hand. He hated it, detested it wholeheartedly! Yet again he loved his child… He closed his eyes and let it fall down.  

The very next moment the dog ran up to Mary and, scared, hugged into her arms. She embraced it and looked at her father unbelievingly.

-           - Make sure it won’t piss in my house! – he muttered and went out of the room.