At the end of June, a colleague from my previous job called me and suggested we meet up, chat, and go to the “Plan B” club. I had no plans for that day, so I agreed, not suspecting that this day would become a turning point in my life. The date—July 2—will forever remain in my memory, because from this moment my life was divided into “before” and “after.” And although that morning I didn’t realize the significance of the upcoming events, they left a deep mark that I can still feel to this day.
Getting ready to go to the club, I didn’t pay much attention to my appearance: I chose the simplest t-shirt and pants. When I arrived at the “Plan B” club on Dostoevskaya, a group of people was already gathered outside. Finding my friend, I started chatting with the guys outside, and then we all went inside together.
Inside, the atmosphere was festive: music, dancing, beer, conversations. My friend suggested I look for a pretty girl in the crowd. I glanced around, but nothing caught my eye. There were a lot of rockers in the club, and it seemed like none of the girls there were “my type.” But suddenly my gaze stopped at a girl in a green t-shirt, sitting by the wall. She immediately stood out among the others: her light hair and gentle facial features sharply contrasted with the dark atmosphere of the club. Her green t-shirt especially drew attention, like a flash of light among the shadows. I took note of her, but kept drinking my beer, trying not to give it too much importance.
After a while, feeling the need to step away, I asked one of the guys where the restroom was. He pointed me in the direction, and I headed there. Entering the restroom, I noticed that there were only girls around. At first, I didn’t pay attention, deciding it was a shared space. Having finished my business, I went to the sink, quickly washed my hands, and moved toward the dryer. At that moment, the same girl in the green t-shirt also approached the dryer. I politely let her go first—after all, I’m a gentleman. She gave me a surprised look, dried her hands, and left without a word.
I saw this as a chance to get to know her, so I went over to her. She was sitting with a friend, and as soon as she saw me, she exclaimed, “What were you doing in the women’s restroom?” I was genuinely surprised—I hadn’t even realized I’d accidentally gone into the wrong one, and I explained that it was a mistake. After that, I introduced myself, saying my name was Igor. She replied that her name was Nadya, and her friend’s name was Nastya. That’s how our conversation started, which soon moved on to other topics. I told them about my trip around Europe, memories of which came up thanks to a bus trip with Masha.
During the conversation in the club, I learned that Nadya really loved rock music. It was understandable—we’d met in a rock club. As for me, I said I preferred rap. This small contrast in our musical tastes didn’t get in the way of our conversation; on the contrary, it added interest.
I suggested moving to a quieter, cozier place to continue our conversation. The three of us—me, Nadya, and her friend Nastya—went to a small café on Prospekt Mira, which Alexander K., my former boss, had once shown me. We walked through the evening city, its lights shimmering, creating a magical atmosphere. The Central Academic Theatre of the Russian Army on Suvorov Square majestically passed by us, and then the Catherine Palace, whose exquisite architecture seemed to emphasize the magic of the evening. Despite Nastya’s presence, it felt like this entire walk was specially created for Nadya and me. We crossed Olimpiysky Prospekt, immersed in light conversation, and everything around us seemed to remind us that this evening was special. Every step, every glance exchanged felt like it meant something more than just a walk. The atmosphere of the city, her smile, her friend’s laughter—all of it formed a unique moment that stayed in my memory for a long time.
I didn’t like the club—it seemed like a real dump—so I decided a quieter and cozier setting would be better for continuing our conversation. When we came in, we were enveloped in soft light and a calm, relaxing atmosphere, which was a pleasant contrast to the evening city’s noise. We chose a cozy corner, ordered the café’s signature cherry beer, and dove back into conversation.
At that moment, I felt completely confident: behind me were six years of work as a programmer, experience in serious projects, but I decided not to talk about my job. Instead, our conversation smoothly moved to topics that seemed “cooler” to me at the time. I told her about my friends who “hung out” in various neighborhoods and had brought me into that world. At the time, it seemed perfectly normal to me—many people lived like that, and drugs were part of a certain subculture of our era. I myself had tried cocaine once at a birthday party, and, to be honest, at that moment it seemed quite innocent to me. It was a kind of symbol of belonging to a special group of people, and I saw more fun than seriousness in it.
But in reality, I was prouder of my knowledge and life experience than of those “adventures” I was describing. Nadya listened to me with interest, and gradually our conversation shifted to deeper topics. At some point, I touched on an important topic for me—faith. For me, this was especially meaningful, because for the last few years I had lived with faith in the best, and it helped me achieve a lot. Everything I accomplished, I attributed to this belief, and up to today, this faith continued to work for me. Nadya listened with interest, and I could see that she shared my thoughts—her eyes sparkled with understanding. At the time, I was also reading the book “The Master Key System” by Charles Haanel, which fueled my reflections on the topic, and Nadya agreed on the importance of faith in life.
At some point, Nastya joined the conversation, voicing her thoughts out loud and asking how she could find a boyfriend, as she’d been dreaming of a serious relationship for a long time. Nadya and I exchanged glances and, smiling, answered in unison: “You have to believe.” This simple yet powerful advice we gave Nastya seemed to reinforce our shared understanding of the importance of faith, uniting the three of us in that moment.
When Nadya briefly went to the ladies’ room, I was left alone with her friend Nastya. We started talking about various topics, and the conversation smoothly shifted to books. Nastya asked me what books I liked. Without hesitation, I answered that my favorite works were “The Master and Margarita” by Mikhail Bulgakov and “Crime and Punishment” by Fyodor Dostoevsky.
When Nadya returned, she heard Nastya ask the same question: “And what are your favorite books?” Without thinking, Nadya replied that her favorite books were also “The Master and Margarita” and “Crime and Punishment.” I casually quoted, “Never ask anyone for anything! Never and nothing, and especially not from those who are stronger than you.” Nadya immediately picked up: “They will offer and give everything themselves!” We both smiled, realizing we were quoting lines from Woland’s conversation with Margarita in “The Master and Margarita.”
I was surprised and at the same time delighted by how we both quoted our favorite book. This discovery instantly created even more mutual understanding between us, and I felt our connection grow much stronger. At that moment, I realized that there was something more here than just a coincidence.
It was getting very late, so I offered to give her and her friend a ride by taxi. First, we drove Nastya to Tekstilshchiki, and then Nadya and I went to Maryino, where we decided to take a walk in the park commemorating the 850th anniversary of Moscow. During the walk, we unexpectedly ran into her friends—Dasha, her best friend from school, and Maxim, Dasha’s boyfriend. They seemed interesting and pleasant people. Smiling, they asked, “Where did you two find each other?” Nadya exchanged a few words with them, but soon we said goodbye and continued our walk alone.
During our stroll, we reached the monument to student superstitions. At that time, Nadya was waiting for the results of the Unified State Exam, and to attract good luck, she decided to follow tradition—throw a coin over her shoulder. I supported her and also tossed a coin, hoping everything would work out. Maybe this was the reason she decided to go to the club that day—to celebrate finishing her exams and relax to the rhythms of her favorite rock music.
After that, we sat down on a bench near the monument, and under the starry sky, in the quiet of the night city, our conversation ended with our first kiss. This moment became special for both of us—a sign of the beginning of something new and important. It was then that I asked Nadya to date me, and she agreed. After that, I walked her to her building, where we couldn’t part for a long time, continuing to say goodbye. That evening was the beginning of our story.
