For residents of the remote corners of Vetkovshchina, the arrival of a mobile grocery store is not just an opportunity to buy fresh produce, but a real event. For 13 years now, Snezhana Polykova has been working behind the counter of such a traveling shop, for whom the road and sincere care for people have become a true calling.

The echo of Chernobyl forced Snezhana Viktorovna's family to leave their hometown of Glibovka. For her mother, a Russian citizen, broad horizons opened up: she could return

The assortment in the mobile store is no less impressive than in a city store: dairy and meat products, groceries, fish preserves, vegetables, fruits, chilled pork, as well as household goods. The saleswoman has thoroughly studied the tastes of the villagers and brings exactly what they need.

The best way to describe how people wait for the mobile store on its route is to hear it from them directly.

"We don't just respect Snezhana Viktorovna, we adore her!" smiles Alla Antonenko from the village of Polyankovka. "I came today for eggs, sausage, and our favorite spread. Everything is always extremely fresh, and the selection is such that it surpasses even a city store. When she goes on vacation, it's a real test for us - the whole village misses her and counts the days until her return."

"It's impossible to feel anything but warmth towards her," agrees Lyubov Malyushina. "Snezhana Viktorovna doesn't just sell goods, she takes the time for each person: she advises, recommends, and listens. She's been one of us for a long time, like family."

This job has its share of romance and extreme situations. Two years ago, during a severe flood, Polyankovka was inundated, and trading had to be done literally from the water: together with the OSVOD rescuers, the saleswoman reached the residents by boat. The villagers would dictate their shopping lists over the phone in the morning, meet the rescue "flight" on the shore, and gratefully collect their goods.

When she has free time, our heroine swaps her counter for a dance floor. Her main hobby is themed discos in Zolotoy Rog, among which she loves 90s-style parties the most.

Today, Snezhana Polyakova knows for sure: her true calling is to be with people who have become truly dear to her. And no matter what lies ahead - new kilometers of dirt roads, weather caprices, and difficult weekdays - she won't trade this route for any other. Bringing products to remote villages, seeing the sincere smiles of her fellow villagers, and feeling needed - that's what true happiness is for her.

Ksenia Nesterovich