And so his days began to fill with new challenges: a strong wind relentlessly threw advertising papers from his hands, and passers-by seemed to be looking for a way to avoid his gaze. In an endless series of disgruntled faces and stormy gusts, he continued waving flyers with a smile, reminding himself:
"All for Asia", he grumbled through his teeth, trying to find motivation in his difficult work.
At the same time, Anton realized that knowing English would be key to his future in Canada. Without it, his dream of meeting Asia Vieira could become a real challenge. Immediately after realizing this, he downloaded several language learning apps and immersed himself in intensive training. Every free minute, be it on the bus, at lunch or before going to bed, he dedicated to learning new words and phrases. Anton muttered English expressions out loud, trying to catch the correct pronunciation and confidence in his accent.
"Excuse me, Miss Vieira, I came all the way from Russia to meet you", he repeated, mentally imagining how his words sounded in reality. "Of course, my tongue is still twisted, but it can be fixed".
Each repetition of phrases brought him a new feeling of confidence. He imagined how he would pronounce these words, how Asia would react to his accent and nervousness. In each lesson, he sought precision and confidence, imagining her smile in response to his attempts to speak her language. Anton knew that this was just the beginning, and that he still had a lot of work to do. But each lesson, each word he learned brought him closer to his dream of meeting Asia Vieira, and this gave him strength and motivation to continue.
With each passing day, Anton's determination only grew stronger. His desire to meet Asia Vieira became his main driver, forcing him to spend every free minute searching for ways to attract her attention. In between studying and work, he immersed himself in social networks, carefully studying each of her new photos and posts, trying to find an opportunity to leave a comment that would stand out. But, alas, no answers came, and with each unsuccessful attempt, he began to doubt whether he was lost in her world among millions of such enthusiastic fans.
"She probably already has a million people like me", he thought, but this thought only fueled his motivation.
Anton knew that simply commenting on her posts was not enough. He had to find a way to stand out, to prove himself, to be noticed among the crowd. Several weeks passed, and every day Anton saw how slowly but surely his savings began to accumulate. He carefully put aside every ruble, trying not to spend unnecessary things. This money was barely enough for a visa and a ticket to Toronto, but Anton was full of determination and faith in the best. He knew that when he finally got to Canada, everything would change for the better. The dream that had recently seemed distant and almost unrealistic was now becoming more and more tangible and real. One evening, sitting at the table and counting his savings in the dim light of a table lamp, he said out loud:
"There's only a little bit left. Soon I'll see her in real life".
With these words, he picked up his third can of energy drink, preparing to take an invigorating sip. But at that moment his phone vibrated, and Dmitry Vinogradov's number appeared on the screen. He was his best friend, known for his ridicule and teasing, especially when it came to Anton's hobbies, which seemed strange or absurd to him. Anton, smiling slightly, took the call, ready to listen to more jokes and sarcastic comments, but deep down he knew that Dmitry's support was also an important part of his path to his dream.
"Hey, Skovant, fat mutant, are you alive?" Dmitry's cheerful voice was heard.
This old nickname had not lost its popularity since his college days.
"Yes, I'm alive", Anton sighed. "What did you want?"
"Oh, just decided to call. I'm bored. What are you doing, Skovant? How is the great student from Ivanovo doing?"
Anton rolled his eyes, but suddenly realized that this moment could be a great opportunity to tell about his plan.
"Well, you know, here's the thing..". he began cautiously.
"Oh, come on, surprise me", Dmitry immediately felt something unusual in his friend's tone.
Anton decided not to drag it out:
"I fell in love".
There was silence on the other end of the line, and then a loud laugh was heard.
"Wait, wait... You fell in love? With whom? Someone from our city, someone I don't know?"
Anton gripped the phone tighter and, mustering up his courage, blurted out in one breath:
"The actress Asia Vieira from Canada".
In response, Dmitry laughed so hard that Anton thought he was going to fall off his chair. The laughter didn't subside for a few more seconds before Dmitry, catching his breath, asked:
"Wait, Skovant, are you serious? You fell in love with an actress? And from Canada, too? Have you been watching too many movies?"
"Yeah, I watched "The Fourth Omen", and she... Well, I decided I needed to meet her", Anton tried to sound confident, even though he knew how it sounded. "I'm saving up money, I want to go to Toronto, meet her".
"Are you kidding! This is crazy, Skovant! You really want to cross the ocean for some actress? She doesn't even know you exist!"
Anton was silent, expecting another wave of laughter, but instead Dmitry suddenly fell silent, lost in thought.
"Wait"... his tone suddenly changed. "Are you serious?"
"Quite. I'm already saving money and even learning English. But there's a problem: I don't know how to meet her. She's not sitting on a bench by the entrance. Eternal filming, closed events"...
Dmitry laughed again, but this time his laughter sounded different – more interested.
"You still manage to surprise me, Skovant. Okay, listen, you know that I'm married and have long perceived romance as something from the world of fantasy. But, you know, out of pure curiosity, I can help you. Do you want to know where this Vieira of yours hangs out?"
Anton perked up.
"What? You can do that?"
"Well, you do remember who I am, right? I can hack a couple of databases, find her event schedule. Find out where she'll be showing up, and you can just casually show up there. It'll take a while, though, and yeah, I'll be laughing at it the whole time. But I'm bored, so why not?"
Anton couldn't believe his ears.
"Dmitry, that would be awesome! Thank you!"
"You'll thank me when you get to Canada. Okay, Skovant, I'll call you tomorrow if I find anything. In the meantime, rest. Who knows, maybe you'll have to babble in English at that auction or premiere".
Anton wanted to add something, but Dmitry had already hung up. He sank down on the bed, thinking about everything that had just happened. Dmitry was really going to help him, even if he was laughing at his idea. But now it all seemed much more real.
The next morning, Anton woke up from a call that interrupted his restless sleep. Before he could grab the phone, he saw Dmitry's name on the screen. Calling early in the morning was not in his friend's nature. So, he really had found something.
"Hello?" Anton asked, rubbing his eyes.
"Skovant!" Dmitry's hoarse, clearly tired voice rang out. "Get up! I spent a sleepless night here on your stupid case, and, you know, I think I found something interesting".
Anton immediately sat up in bed, sleepiness gone.
"Did you find something? What? Tell me faster!"
"Calm down, don't get worked up. First, I wanted to tell you that you have no idea how many fans there are on the Internet. Your Vieira is not as simple as she seems. She is always surrounded by journalists, fans and other onlookers. But I got through all these layers, looked at some databases, and now, it seems, I have found something suitable".
Anton froze in anticipation.
"There will be a charity auction in Toronto in a week", Dmitry continued. "Vieira will definitely be there. It is some kind of event to support young actors. A very closed party. But I dug around and found several ways for you to get in".
Anton literally froze. His heart started beating faster.
"How? Are you serious? How will I get in there?"
"Well, listen, you can't get into such places from the street", Dmitry chuckled. "This event is for the rich. But I found one small loophole. You can try to get in there as a volunteer. Small roles like waiters or assistants. By the way, they take volunteers through a special company, and I have already filled out an application in your name. How do you like the idea? Would you like to become a waiter at a luxurious charity auction?"
Anton did not even know what to say.
"A waiter?" he muttered. "I... I can?"
"You can. But that's not all", Dmitry continued with a mysterious smile. "There will be guest lists where you can adjust some things. I will give you instructions. The main thing is not to screw up. You will be in the room where she will be. And then – your task".
Anton felt a little dizzy. All this was starting to take shape.
"Thank you, Dmitry. I don't know how to thank you".
"You'll have time to thank me when Vieira falls into your arms", Dmitry answered sarcastically. "But here's another thing: be prepared. This is a serious event, there will be important people there. If something goes wrong, you could get into trouble. Understand?"
Anton nodded, although Dmitry could not see it. He took a deep breath, realizing that it was too late to back out.
"I'll do everything. Everything will be as it should be".
"Okay, Skovant", Dmitry continued. "Now you need to brush up on your language, and look like an important person. And keep in mind, this is your only chance. If you fail, there will be no second one".
Anton listened to his friend, already imagining how he would end up in the same room with Asia Vieira, the very woman he had been dreaming about for the past few days. Thousands of thoughts appeared in his head about what and how he would say, how to approach, how to make an impression.
"Do you understand me?" Dmitry pulled him out of his thoughts.
"Got it. I'm ready".
"Then start getting ready. You don't want to end up there mumbling in your school English, do you?"
Anton just grinned. He knew that there was a lot of work ahead of him. But this was the first real chance. A week later, he was already standing in front of the glass doors of the consulate, feeling his heart beat in the rhythm of excitement and anxiety. In his hands was a folder with documents that he had carefully prepared over the past months. He sighed, straightened his tie and entered the building. The area inside was spacious, but despite this, a certain atmosphere of tension was felt. Several people were already waiting for their turn, and everyone looked focused. Anton found a free place in the corner and settled down to wait, glancing at the screen that showed the queue.
Finally, his number was called, and he stood up, straightening his hat and scratching the back of his head. Approaching the window for receiving documents, he noticed that two policemen sitting at the entrance were looking at him sideways. They were talking among themselves and throwing glances at him that seemed full of doubt. Anton walked up to the window where the clerk was sitting and placed his documents in front of her. The woman looked at him through her glasses, took the papers and began to check them.
"Hello", she said, not looking up from the documents. "Your documents look in order. Please wait a moment".
Anton nodded and, feeling the policemen's gaze on his back, tried hard to ignore their presence. He knew that they were curious about why a student from Ivanovo had suddenly decided to go to Canada at such a difficult time, and he couldn't help but feel awkward under their surveillance. A few minutes passed, and the clerk turned to Anton again.
"We will need to conduct an additional check of your application", she said, closing the folder and returning it to Anton. "We will contact you as soon as everything is ready. Can you leave your contact information?"
Anton, barely managing to control his excitement, left his contact information and nodded. He felt the tension rising and the police officers' tense gaze did not improve his mood. He took his documents and left the consulate, trying to calm down. Outside, he took a deep breath of fresh air and decided to sit in a nearby cafe to calm down. It seemed to him that every passerby was paying attention to him. Every person passing by seemed suspicious to him. He sat at a table by the window and ordered a cup of coffee, hoping that a hot drink would help him calm down. His internal dialogue with himself was filled with doubts:
"I hope everything will be fine. The main thing is not to give up".
After he drank the coffee and calmed down, he saw the flag fluttering over the consulate building again and thought that it was a symbol of his perseverance. He decided that despite the difficulties, he would act decisively. When, some time later, he approached the consulate again to check the status of his visa, he noticed that the police officers were no longer so attentive to him.