This gave him a little confidence, although the internal tension was still strong. Finally, after several days of waiting, Anton, with a heavy sigh, took his passport with the long-awaited visa in his hands, which said: "Canada". He felt like a weight had been lifted from his shoulders, and he could not hide the excitement from the realization that his dream of meeting Asia Vieira was finally becoming a reality. All that was left was to arrange the last details and go to Toronto.
He was heading to the exit of the consulate, when his phone suddenly vibrated in his pocket. Anton looked at the screen and saw a name: Andrey Anatolyevich. He stopped, picked up the phone and tried to be as calm as possible.
"Hello?" Anton tried to sound confident.
"Anton, where are you?" his father's voice was worried. "Why didn't you say you were going to get a visa? I've already heard that there were some problems there. Have you gotten yourself into trouble, by any chance?"
Anton took a sip, trying to calm down. He knew that talking to his father would not be easy.
"Dad, I've already done everything. I have the visa in hand, everything is fine".
"In hand?" his father doubted. "In that case, where are you going? Are you still hoping for something?"
Anton answered reservedly:
"I'm just going home. Everything is under control. Don't worry".
But before he could end the conversation, the phone vibrated again. This time it was Sergey Vlasov, his former philosophy teacher. Anton, irritated by the many calls, answered again.
"Good afternoon, Sergey Ivanovich".
"Anton, where are you?" Vlasov's voice was worried. "I just found out that you got your visa. Seriously? What do you mean? You said you were doing important things. It doesn't sound like something that can be solved so easily".
Anton sighed, feeling the pressure mounting from two calls at once.
"Sergey Ivanovich, everything is fine. I'm just filling out the last paperwork and then going home. Everything is fine".
"Fine?" Vlasov sounded skeptical. "I hope you understand that a trip to Canada is not just entertainment. There may be complications, and you may not be able to cope with what awaits you".
Anton tried to calm down, although his patience was wearing thin.
"I have everything planned out. Everything will be fine. I'm just going home to get ready".
"Get ready?" Vlasov did not calm down. "Questions at the border, possible difficulties, uncertainties... Are you sure you've worked it all out?"
At that moment, Anton noticed that the consulate exit was a few meters away. He decided to end the conversation.
"Yes, I've worked it all out. Thank you for your concern. I need to go".
He hung up, trying not to think about how worried his family and former teacher were. He walked out of the building and looked out onto the street. A new life lay ahead, and he had to do everything possible to make it work out the way he planned. Anton took a deep breath and headed for the metro. The way home seemed endless to him, but it was the path to his dream, to the opportunity to change his life. He knew that there would be many obstacles ahead, but now, with a visa in hand, he was ready to fight for his goal.
As soon as he entered the metro and boarded the train, he thought about the future again. He understood that every obstacle was a chance to grow, and every call and alarm was just part of the path he had chosen. He was ready to face any difficulties to realize his dream and prove to everyone that the impossible is possible.
Anton, dressed in a warm jacket, stood at the door of his one-room apartment with a small suitcase in his hands. He had long ago taken all the unnecessary things to the public trash container and was now checking if he had forgotten anything important. Looking at the empty apartment, he felt a little sad, but also a lot of determination. He had to go to Moscow, and from there to Toronto. Having seen off his home for the last time, he sighed and, turning on motivational music in his headphones, headed to the bus stop.
The trip to Moscow was ordinary, but for him it felt like a trip to a completely different world. All the details of his trip were carefully planned, but he still could not get rid of the feeling of excitement, which intensified with every kilometer that brought him closer to the capital. Arriving in Moscow, Anton first went to the travel agency office to pick up his ticket. He had everything planned out from getting his luggage to getting the last documentation. After he confirmed all the details, he went to a nearby cafe to grab a bite to eat and calm down a bit before the flight.
"A coffee and a sandwich, please", he said to the barista, pulling out his wallet.
The barista nodded, and while she prepared the order, Anton sat at a table by the window, watching the people passing by. It seemed to him that he was watching his old life recede into the past, leaving him in search of new horizons. Soon his order came. He quickly ate, checked his watch and headed to the airport. At the airport building, he went through check-in, got a boarding pass and dropped off his luggage. Once everything was settled, he headed to the waiting area. Here, among the many people, Anton felt that his dream was becoming more and more real. All these formalities and expectations reminded him of preparing for a space trip.
"I'm flying like an astronaut to another planet", he muttered under his breath, looking at the flight board.
While waiting for his flight, he looked at his ticket, checked his watch several times, and remembered how he had outlined his plan on paper: getting a visa, buying a ticket, traveling to Toronto. Now that he was so close to his goal, it all seemed almost unreal. When the boarding call for the Moscow-Toronto flight was announced, Anton stood up and headed for the gate. The walk to the plane was like a path to a new stage in his life, and, feeling like an explorer, he looked at his ticket again and smiled. A new life, new experiences, and perhaps a new love awaited him.
He walked down the steps, entered the plane, and settled into his seat by the window. Once the seat was adjusted and the seat belt fastened, Anton looked out the window and saw Moscow gradually disappearing over the horizon.
"Goodbye, homeland", he whispered, looking at the receding lights of the city. "Hello, new world".
His heart beat in the rhythm of excitement and anticipation. The plane gained altitude, and Anton felt like he was crossing the line between the familiar and the unknown. Now he was on his way to Toronto, where his dream of meeting Asia Vieira was about to become a reality. Anton Skovorodnikov looked out the window as the plane began to descend. Toronto spread out below him, a huge city that he had only seen on screens before. The sun was shining brightly on the skyscrapers and wide streets, and even through the glass he felt the energy of the city.
When the plane finally landed and the doors opened, Anton sighed, feeling his heart beat faster from excitement and fatigue. He walked out into the arrivals area and began to follow the signs to the baggage claim area. The noise of the airport, the constant announcements and the many people around him began to seem overwhelming. After receiving his suitcase and going through security, Anton walked out into the main hall of the airport. He looked around and felt lost. Giant advertising screens, endless streams of people and strange sounds that he couldn't immediately identify made it feel like he was in a completely different world.
Anton pulled on his jacket, trying to look confident, and headed for the exit. The fresh, slightly cool air awaited him outside, but it didn't help him figure out the intricacies of navigating the city. There were cars around that he didn't know how to cross properly, and people who spoke a language that he understood, but couldn't always understand coherently.
"Oh my God, this is so complicated", Anton muttered, looking at the map on his phone.
It showed that he needed to take a bus, but finding the bus itself was not that easy. Anton stood on the sidewalk, trying to figure out how to get to the area where he planned to stay. He asked a passerby for directions to the bus stop, but his accent made his answer unclear. He understood some of the words, but the overall picture remained unclear.
"Sorry, I didn't quite get it. Could you repeat that?" Anton tried again, feeling increasingly frustrated.
The man said something again, and Anton shook his head and tried to follow his directions. He eventually found a bus stop, but he didn't know which bus he needed. As he boarded the first bus he came across, he noticed that he couldn't figure out the route either.
"Where are we going?" he asked the driver, but the answer was too quick and confusing.
When the bus finally stopped, Anton noticed that he was far from his original destination. He got out and tried to find his way back, but only became more confused. He walked down several streets, but each one seemed the same to him. Stress and fatigue were making his brain fail, and all the surrounding buildings merged into one gray mass. By evening, in one of the lesser-known areas of Toronto, Anton felt that his patience had run out. He didn't know how to get to his temporary accommodation and decided to ask for help. Suddenly, he noticed a small cafe and thought that it might be a good place to rest a bit and maybe get some help from the locals. As he entered the cafe, he felt his tension ease a little. The warmth and coziness of the place was pleasant and he approached the counter.
"Good evening. Can you help me? I'm lost and need to find my way to the area"... he hesitated, trying to remember the name of the area.
The barista, a young guy with a kind smile, looked at him with understanding.
"Of course, I'll help. Where do you need to be?" he asked, ready to help.
Anton described what he was trying to find and the barista quickly drew him a route on paper. He felt the weight of tension gradually ease away. A small gesture of kindness made his day a little easier. Thanking the barista, Anton went out again, following the directions he had received. He was tired and disappointed, but ready to continue on his way. Every step, despite the difficulties, brought him closer to his goal, and this gave him strength. He knew that even greater challenges awaited him ahead, but he was ready to cope with them for the sake of his dream. Anton Skovorodnikov, completely tired after a long journey, finally reached his temporary home. He stayed in a small hostel in the center of Toronto, which looked quite cozy, despite its modest size. Throwing off his bag and sighing with relief, he decided that before resting, it was worth calling his parents and informing them of his arrival. Anton took out his phone and dialed his father's number. After a few beeps, Andrey Anatolyevich's voice was heard, clearly irritated.
"Anton, where have you been?", his father began immediately, without waiting for a greeting. "How are you doing there?"
"Everything is fine, Dad, I'm in Toronto. I just got here", Anton said, trying to speak calmly.
"Toronto?", Andrey Anatolyevich asked again. "And what are you going to do there? You said you just wanted to try something, not look for an actress. What nonsense? How are you even going to find her?"
"I'll just try. Maybe it will work out", Anton felt his irritation begin to build up.
"Do you understand how hard it will be? Money doesn't grow on trees, and you don't know how things work here", his father continued. "What are you going to do next?"
Anton, feeling his patience running out, replied:
"I'll do everything myself. I'll try not to interfere".
And without waiting for an answer, he turned off the phone. His anger and frustration resulted in a sudden movement as he threw his phone on the table and went to bed, thinking that he needed some rest. The next morning, after a restless sleep, Anton got up early to get ready for the new day. He went to a cafe he found online to have breakfast. Immediately feeling the culture shock of the high prices of food, he spent a significant part of his money on breakfast, not realizing that such an ordinary cafe in Toronto costs much more than in Ivanovo. After breakfast, he decided to do his business as planned. He remembered the address of a charity organization that promised to help him find a job. According to the plan, he was going to get a job there as a waiter, to start earning money and at the same time have the opportunity to explore the city. The address was not far away, and despite some difficulties in navigation, he found the building.
Upon entering the building, he immediately noticed that it was clean and cozy. On the ground floor, there was a spacious reception area. Anton approached the counter and spoke to the employee, who turned out to be friendly.
"Good morning. I would like to inquire about the possibility of getting a job with you. I was told that you have vacancies", Anton began, trying to look confident.
"Good morning. Yes, we have several vacancies", the employee answered. "We are looking for people to work as waiters and volunteers. You need to fill out an application".
Anton quickly filled out the necessary forms and left his contact information. The employee assured him that they would contact him if his candidacy was reviewed and approved. Leaving the organization, Anton felt that the first step was taken. He did not yet know how he would look for Asia Vieira, but at the moment his priority was to find a job and get his life together in this huge city. He decided to continue exploring Toronto and adapt to the new environment.