Natasha inwardly cringed when she saw her husband’s niece, Olesya.
The girl, avoiding eye contact and sniffing, handed over a folded sheet of grid paper and quickly ran away.
Natasha unfolded the paper, internally expecting something like this, so the written words were not a shock.
«Natasha, I am leaving, forgive me.
Yes, I am acting like a coward, but I am out of strength, I am tired, forgive me, I will not abandon the children, but I cannot live with you. I sold the house, here is your part. Go to your mother’s. There will be enough money there for the first time.
Natasha indifferently dropped her hands and stood quietly swaying, looking indifferently at the scattered papers.
«Natashenka…what is it?» Grandma Vera whispered, peering into Natasha’s eyes, «A telegram?»
«All is well…ba…go have tea, I need to take out the cookies…or they will burn.»
The room filled with the smell of vanillin and burnt dough.
She expected something like this; the house belonged to Victor, inherited from his grandmother. Recently, he often didn’t come home at night, claiming he was delayed at his brother’s, where they were building a pigsty.
He said it was necessary to finish before the frosts. Natasha heard vague rumors; Victor’s brother’s wife, Svetlana with wandering eyes, tried to tell her something, hinting, but Natasha either didn’t hear or didn’t want to hear.
«Mom,» ten-year-old Vanyushka peeked in from the street, «Mom, Uncle Petya, the neighbor, is asking for you.»
«Grandma, please watch Katyusha, I’ll be right back,» she said and throwing on a coat, stepped outside.
«So what, Natalya, hello, I came to inspect, what…I mean…»
«This is your house?»
He nodded.
«Don’t freak out, if not me, then someone else. But you…live as long as you need, until my Ksenia grows up, I’m doing this for her…well, as a neighborly gesture.»
«Give me three days and I’ll leave,» she said dryly and went back inside.
«Where are you going…Natasha…»
She silently slammed the door.
Vanyushka, blushing from the cold, ran in after her.
«Mom?»
«All is well, son.»
«Mom, where’s dad?»
She pulled him close, hugged his thin little body, kissed his sweaty crown, inhaled his familiar scent, and…cried softly, wiping away her tears.
«Mom, he left, didn’t he? He left?»
She nodded.
«I’ll kill him.»
«No, son, don’t. We are strong, we will manage.»
Katyushka started crying; she calmed her down and sat the children down for dinner. She entered Grandma Vera’s room. She sat by the window, quietly shivering with her thin shoulders.
«Natasha, help me get into a nursing home.»
«What? Are you out of your mind?»
Grandma Vera was the biological sister of her deceased grandmother Valya. Grandma Vera had two daughters, both well-off, a small village where Grandma Vera lived had been disbanded, the elderly were either taken by their children or sent to a nursing home.
Grandma Vera turned out to be unwanted; one daughter lived far beyond the Urals, in a city, the other in a small town, close to where Natasha lived with her husband and children.
The second daughter asked Natasha to shelter Grandma Vera for a while, claiming, «You have a big house, she’ll get fresh air, and she can help you with the child.»
The first cut off any contact as soon as the prospect of taking the mother loomed, so Grandma Vera stayed with Natasha, and now Katyushka was six years old.
«Don’t make things up, come with us.»
«Where, Natashenka.»
«I don’t know yet, we’ll see.»
Natasha didn’t think Victor was a scoundrel for leaving her without a home with children she always knew the house wasn’t hers, dreamed of building her own, theirs with Victor and the children, it wasn’t meant to be.
She called her mother.
She was outraged, threatened to sue her son-in-law, empathized in every way.
«What will you do? Go to that scoundrel, let him leave the house to you and the children, throw these vile money in his face.»
«No,» she said and hung up the phone.
She understood her mother; she had a different family, children. Her stepfather barely endured until Natasha finished school and kicked her out of the house.
Met Victor, dated for a year, then got married. Happy about how good…
Her mother called again.
«Natasha something broke the connection, but where will you put Grandma Vera?»
«Well, certainly not bringing her to you.»
«Why are you like this?»
«That’s it, I’m busy.»
She took an old notebook, found a number. Went outside, dialed.
«Hello, Aunt Natasha,» she said, named in her honor, «I split up with Victor, I’ll bring Grandma Vera to you?»
«No, what are you, I have high blood pressure. Stay there, what are you?»
«She’s your mother, you have three rooms.»
«And what? I have high blood pressure, my grandchildren come…»
«Understood.»
They traveled in a third-class train compartment.
A slim young woman, still a girl, with big sad eyes, a quiet, serious boy, a lively-eyed little girl, and a thin old woman quietly wiping away tears.
«Hello, father.»
«Natasha…kids? Oh, Grandma Valya?»
«Vera…»
«What?»
«It’s Grandma Vera.»
«Come in, come in.»
«Dad, we won’t be coming in, please give me the keys to my apartment, it’s still alive?»
«Who, daughter?»
«My apartment, which Grandma Masha, your mother, bequeathed to me.»
«Aaa, yes of course, but come in, Lyuda, Lucy…what happiness, daughter visiting with the grandchildren…Lucy and Grandma Vera, come in, come in.»
You see, people live there.
«Well, we’ll go to a hotel, dad, while people find new housing.»
«What hotel,» Lyudmila smiled widely, «are we strangers…»
Three days later, Natasha heard Lyudmila whisper about when the guests would move out?
«Dad, what’s with the people? When will they move out?»
Lyudmila dropped her spoon, the father choked on the soup that Natasha had made.
«You see daughter…there…»
«No, you have no apartment, and look at you puffing up your lips, father paid her alimony until she was eighteen…»
«Until sixteen.»
«What?»
«I say until sixteen, remember I came to visit you, and you dragged me to write a denial for alimony?»
Lyudmila pursed her lips.
«So what, dad? We need to decide, tired of living on bird’s rights.»
«Why are you silent? Tell her. There’s no apartment long gone, none.»
«What do you mean, dad?»
Doesn’t look in the eyes.
Your mother and I…we sold it, split the money…right away.
«How? It was for me…Grandma Masha to me…»
«And what? He’s a son, say thank you for some money…»
«I…give me three days…»
«Daughter…»
«Three days.»
«Mommy, where will we?»
«We’ll live here, son, we are strong, we’ll manage. This is my homeland. We can’t get soggy here, we have Grandma Vera and Katyushka.»
«Yes! Will I go to school here after the holidays?»
«Yes.»
«Sorry, we don’t rent to people with children.»
«Are you definitely solvent?»
«I need three months in advance.»
«Can we agree? Without a man?»
«Well, such a room, but there’s a toilet, others go outside. Water in the pipes in winter, hot, cold is available, shower at the neighbor’s, get to know her, she’s also a single…Advance for two months.»
«Do you have experience?»
«We don’t take without experience.»
«Small children?»
«Sorry, you’re not suitable…»
«No experience? Well, you’ll have to learn. My name is Boris, this is our friendly team. Young, will learn quickly. Girls, take her in…»
«Newbie, three days of training and then go ahead, work. Many apartments are rented, it seems like a good time to buy, you’ll sit on rent while you learn and start making deals…»
Again three days, thinks Natasha.
Grandma, kids, we’re moving.
«Where?» Vanyushka looks frightened.
«You’ll see!»
«Wow! Will we live here?»
«Yes. This is your and Kate’s room, and we with grandma in another.»
«And the third one, mom?»
«And in the third, we’ll host guests!»
«Wow, really…»
Grandma Vera cries.
«Am I a burden to you, child, you’ve been living alone for three years, is that normal? If it weren’t for me, maybe you would’ve found a man, you’re such a capable girl, put me…»
«What are you saying? We’re a family, understand! Family. We’re only needed by the kids, thank you for looking after them, for all the household being on you, you’re my helper, what would I do without you? Who am I without you?»
I wanted to ask, for advice. Boris Arkadievich offers to go study, he needs a good lawyer, the firm is growing.
«Go, my dear, I’ll help however I can, go my darling.»
«Mom, is it true that we’re buying an apartment?»
«Yes, Kate, did you overhear?»
«No, grandma secretly told.»
«Yes, son, just after I divorce your father.»
Vanyushka is already a teenager, the first time they talked about the father. The help he promised…And there was no help…
«Wow, mom, is this ours? All ours? So huge? And me, and Vanya will have our own rooms?»
«Yes and grandma, and me!»
«Wow, and we’ll host guests here?»
«Here…»
«Hello, Natasha, it’s mom’s birthday today.»
«Seriously?»
«Yeah,» in an annoyed tone, «don’t you know? June seventh.»
«Uh, only July.»
«Yeah?»
«Yeah. It’s been two years since grandma’s been gone, we’re orphaned…»
«How is that? You wretch? You hid from me that my mom’s gone?»
«I hid? Yes, I bombarded you with texts and calls, you hid from me, then your daughter told me to leave you alone, I left. Your sister by the way knows, asked to send mom’s savings to her, she needs it more.»
«What savings?»
«I don’t know, you probably thought she was living with me, carefully saving her pension for her beloved daughters.»
«So there are no savings?»
Natasha hung up the phone. Counted to three. Phew. Grandma’s memorial day, she’s right here. Told how Vanyushka finished school, found a good girl, Katerina graduated school, and there seemed to be changes in her life.
«Ba, remember Sergey,» Natasha whispers, «remember you persuaded me he’s good…I’ll probably listen to you…He gave me three days to think, said he waited too long.»
So don’t worry, I’m not alone.
The sun peeked out from behind the clouds and gently embraced Natasha with its rays.
That’s Grandma Vera, she thought.
Good day my dears!
I hug you tightly! We need each other now more than ever.
With God!
I hug you tightly.
Sending you rays of my goodness and positivity.
