It started snowing heavily… Anxiously glancing at the wild weather outside the window, the restaurant’s patrons decided not to linger—meteorologists had predicted a massive snowfall. The parking lot quickly emptied, and the last guests left by taxi. The establishment closed earlier than usual, much to Natasha’s delight. Finally, there was a chance to get home before midnight, as usual. At home, her small, indeterminate breed dog, Musya, awaited her.
Last year, the young woman had picked her up right off the street. After leaving the grocery store, she felt sorry for the stray and fed it. The small, scruffy little monster gratefully licked her hand and followed her all the way home, not falling a step behind. Reaching the apartment building, Natasha realized the dog had chosen its new owner. It had no collar and the lucky stray found a new home. Bathing, brushing, and a small haircut transformed her into a very cute creature, its beady happy eyes adoringly gazed at her savior, catching her every movement.
Natasha finally finished washing the last batch of dishes, but Eduard, the restaurant manager, made her wash them again, supposedly finding streaks. There was no need for it, of course, the immediate boss simply disliked the girl from the start.
Eduard was a lanky redhead, about thirty-five years old. He was the king and god here. The nominal owner had several more restaurants around the city, and this one, the least profitable, was entirely managed by the ambitious administrator, who himself rarely appeared at the venue. The staff was almost entirely female, and Eduard liked to feel like the alpha male courting his pride. He often gathered them in the kitchen, telling risqué jokes. Everyone laughed loudly, maintaining subordination. He liked to invite them into his office one by one for what he called «individual training.» Among themselves, the workers whispered that it all came down to lewd topics. No one managed to leave without encountering the boss’s sticky hands. They all endured, with no one to complain to.
Eduard took a liking to Natasha at first sight. His greasy eyes immediately appreciated her statuesque figure, which modest clothing could not hide. Her small yet high chest hid behind a roomy sweater, and a below-the-knee skirt emphasized the perfect proportions of her slim body and the length of her legs. Her straight dark-brown hair cascaded down her elegant shoulders like a shiny waterfall. Her sculpted features, lively gray almond-shaped eyes, and porcelain-like skin—hers was exactly the type of face that absolutely did not need makeup. The girl simply needed to wash her face in the morning, brush her hair, and men’s attention would not wane all day.
«A pedigreed doll,» thought the lustful administrator, but aloud he asked:
«Why exactly a dishwasher? With such looks, you should be front and center. Do you want to be a waitress?»
«No, thank you,» the girl replied in a velvety voice, «I am satisfied with working in the evenings.»
«Well, there are no unsolvable problems,» the man purred squintingly.
But the new dishwasher did not react to him, neither then nor later. She didn’t laugh with everyone else at the jokes, ignored the greasy jokes, avoided him, and deftly dodged the omnipresent hands of the administrator. The girl’s imperviousness only spurred the boss on, he summoned her to his office.
Natasha had already heard from her colleagues about his dirty advances and was ready to resist.
Eduard seated her on a chair and began pacing around, at first loudly discussing the restaurant’s prospects, the importance of team cohesion, and the individual contribution of each worker to the common cause. Meanwhile, he ‘accidentally’ tried to touch her, put his hands on her shoulders, and lightly brush her hair. But when he switched to a whisper and tried to embrace her, the girl sharply stood up:
«Eduard Arkadievich! I came here to work, nothing else interests me. Please ensure that this does not happen again.»
The administrator could not endure such a categorical refusal.
«Fine, you’ll have your work cut out for you! A princess indeed!» he thought.
From then on, constant nitpicking started. She had to repeatedly wash perfectly clean dishes, again and again polish the floors and tiles. Eduard often threw extra work her way at the very end of the shift. The girl endured because the pay was relatively good, but she began to think about changing jobs.
Finally, everything was sorted and placed in its spot, and the kitchen shone with pristine cleanliness. Eduard Arkadievich left with a new waitress, and all the workers sighed with relief.
«Run home, Natalya!» the assistant chef, the hefty Zhanna, finally released the dishwasher.
She quickly dressed and said goodbye, bursting out into the street. The icy wind maliciously threw a whole flurry of prickly snowflakes at her, which danced across her face, trying to bite her forehead and cheeks. The thick frosty air penetrated deeper and deeper into her chest with every breath.
Natasha pulled her unpretentious coat’s hood deeper and tried to protect her face with a mitten.
She decided to cut through the park, taking a direct route. Although it was scary and late, she would be able to cuddle Musya in just ten minutes. The usual route would take almost half an hour, assuming the bus didn’t take too long to arrive, and travel costs mattered.
Resolved, the girl briskly walked toward the park’s lamp-lit avenue. After a few meters, she had to slow her pace due to the gusty wind and icy patches.
The park was predictably empty. Trees, bushes, and benches along the path were blanketed with snow. In the light of the lanterns, a silvery snow swarm buzzed. The cold penetrated to the bones, but the girl was used to it. The harsh weather brought heavy memories…
Natasha’s childhood comes back to her like a black-and-white movie. Her parents were simple workers—her father was a mechanic at a factory, her mother a cook there. They weren’t particularly intelligent, and they liked to drink, and such a life suited them. Their daughter, on the other hand, had shown an inclination for science and art from an early age. From the third grade, she disappeared into libraries, as there were no books at home at all. She read voraciously, everything she could get her hands on. But drawing was her favorite activity. When she took a pencil and a clean sheet of paper, time and space around her ceased to exist.
In school, the girl did well and avoided hyperactive classmates. It’s not that she didn’t want to be friends with them, she just had other interests. Some peers took her behavior as a sign of arrogance and began to bully her. Natasha was hurt, but she stood her ground and did not respond to the bullies, only retreating further into herself. All these troubles unexpectedly ended in the sixth grade when the class’s main troublemaker, Sergey Frolov, plunked down next to her and loudly declared to everyone:
«Whoever messes with Natasha will have to deal with me.»
The classmates quieted down, and he remained seated with the girl.
The boy liked the beautiful and mysterious Natasha. Secretly, he admired her shiny hair, braided into thick long braids, and her face with a perfect profile, bent over another mysterious drawing in her notebook. Alone, Sergey called her a princess and carried her schoolbag all the way home. He imagined himself as a knight in shining armor, protecting his lady’s heart from all sorts of dragons and other filth.
Natasha was grateful to Sergey. He turned out to be smart and reliable. Even when they ran out of common topics, he simply walked beside her, not disturbing the flow of her creative thoughts, silently adoring his ideal. In the upper grades, their peers no longer doubted that they would always be together.
Unexpectedly, just before the final exams, a tragedy occurred in Natasha’s family—her parents died from gas poisoning in their own apartment while she was away. The poor girl remembered opening the door, the sharp smell of gas nearly knocking her off her feet. She immediately ran to open all the windows wide, but it was already too late.
The investigation showed that her parents had drunk and fallen asleep, forgetting about the stove. Natasha had become distant from her parents recently; they too weren’t particularly interested in her, accustomed to her independence and constant busyness. But she loved them and knew they were very proud of her. The grief weighed heavily on the girl, not allowing her to comprehend and accept what had happened. Everything seemed like a fog.
Only her paternal grandmother came to the funeral. She mourned at the grave and hurried back, where another family and a large farm awaited her. As they parted, she invited her granddaughter to come with her, but Natasha refused. She was already eighteen and had exams ahead. That’s how they said goodbye.
Returning to the desolate, battered Khrushchev-era apartment, Natasha sat down in the kitchen. Her mind was in complete disarray, her hands dropped, and she had no strength for anything. She couldn’t even cry. And then a sense of guilt washed over her for being a neglectful daughter—not appreciating her parents while they were alive.
An unexpected knock at the door interrupted her self-torment. On the threshold stood an unusually serious Sergey. Without a word, he pulled her to him and gently embraced her with both hands. Suddenly, it became warm and calm, something inside loosened and finally released the accumulated streams of tears. So they stood in the hallway, hugging. The boy waited patiently while Natasha cried and cried.
Then he took her to the bathroom, washed her like a little one under the tap, sat her in the kitchen, and brewed strong tea. All negative emotions vanished instantly. Now the world consisted only of a hot cup of sweet tea and Sergey’s kind familiar gaze. That’s how he stayed with Natasha…
Life went on, and it was time to choose a direction. The girl dreamed of pursuing a creative career and making it her profession. But pragmatic Sergey, flipping through her drawings which he didn’t understand, discouraged his wife:
«Artist or designer? Is that even a profession? It’s just a hobby… And the training is too expensive.»
Natasha sighed and looked down guiltily—the education indeed would cost a pretty penny.
«Go enroll in a budget program at the medical school instead. In a few years, you’ll have a good, in-demand profession.»
And that settled it. The dream remained just a dream…
Natasha easily got into the medical school for a paramedic program and eagerly delved into the intricacies of medicine.
Sergey was drafted into the army and left to serve. A month later, his wife informed him that she was expecting a child.
«Yeah… Not very good timing, of course,» the man pondered aloud over the phone upon hearing the unexpected news. «Well, okay… we’ll figure something out… Everything will be fine!»
But there was no need to figure anything out—the pregnancy soon ended.
«Don’t cry, Natashka! We’ll have more children!» he consoled his wife over the phone.
Returning from the army, Sergey became a driver. When his wife suggested he continue his studies, he waved it off:
«You study, go ahead! I might, someday.»
Sergey landed a well-paying job driving a businessman in a fancy foreign car. Eventually, it turned out that the new boss was just a spoiled rich kid. After another wrecked car and revoked driver’s license, the rich dad hired him a driver, which was apparently cheaper and safer. His name was Ilya, and he was only a couple of years older than his driver. They quickly established a trusting relationship.
Ilya was handsome—a tall brunette with a trendy hairstyle, piercing brown eyes, and a constant smile on his face. Girls were crazy about his looks, manners, and thick wallet. The playboy enjoyed this. He was a regular at clubs and parties, and Sergey, due to his duties, often had to drive him until morning.
Natasha felt that this job would not lead to anything good, but her husband wouldn’t even listen—the money was good. Having tasted the rich life, Sergey changed. He barely communicated with his wife, arriving home to just collapse on the couch and turn on the TV. His shirts clearly smelled of women’s perfume, but his wife’s sense of dignity prevented her from making a scene to sort things out.
Her premonitions were justified—Natasha was in her third year when tragedy struck again. Sergey died. It happened at dawn; the driver picked up Ilya from another club, and on their way, they stopped at a gas station. The drunken businessman smoked right in the car and flicked a cigarette butt that flew to the open gas tank. The gasoline fumes ignited instantly, and the flames leaped to the refueling car. Sergey, without hesitation, rushed to drag the barely conscious boss away from the blazing inferno, but he was too late. A wall of flame hit him in the back and threw him several meters. He died on the spot from extensive burns, while Ilya was taken to the hospital by ambulance.
Her familiar world shattered in an instant, and sharp shards pierced straight into the girl’s heart.
Sergey was buried in a closed casket, and Natasha suffered even more from this. She desperately wanted to see her beloved husband one last time, so much she hadn’t had the chance to tell him during his life, so much she blamed herself for the dry «Goodbye» said on the eve of his death…
After the funeral, the girl lay in bed for several days, not wanting to see or hear anyone. Then, as if emerging from oblivion, she unexpectedly wanted to visit the site of the accident.
The gas station was empty at the time. A round-faced cashier with a bored expression was rearranging items on a small display.
«Hello! A car exploded here a few days ago.»
«Yes, that happened. It was sheer hell! One died, another was taken to the hospital. I was on shift then,» the woman perked up and paused her work hoping for a bit of gossip.
«I am the widow of the deceased,» Natasha said quietly.
«Oh, poor thing!» the cashier sympathetically shook her head. «He was a good guy, always bought cigarettes from me.»
Natasha wiped away a tear and asked:
«Please, tell me how it happened!»
«I’ve told the police so many times!» She paused for a moment, recalling the details, «Well, the car pulled up… the driver, well your husband, inserted the nozzle, came to me, paid, even made some joke, I think. The other one, the second guy, didn’t get out of the car. Then smoke billowed and fire blazed up all at once. Your husband rushed to pull out the passenger, and I called the fire department and ran for the fire extinguisher. Our fire suppression system kicked in, but too late. Then the explosion. I called an ambulance, and it all started spinning…»
The cashier looked pityingly at the sad widow and revealed what had been troubling her.
«The ambulance didn’t even try to save your husband. They fussed over that drunk passenger. I told them to save the driver. But they said, ‘Don’t interfere, there’s nothing we can do for him anymore’… And he was still breathing…»
Natasha turned pale as death. These words struck her at the very heart. In misery, she turned and stumbled home on unyielding legs.
The next day, barely gathering her thoughts, she went to classes. The first on the schedule was a lecture on providing first aid in extreme situations. Natasha, through a fog, tried to comprehend the lecturer’s words, but suddenly her ears caught:
«The first thing to do is to sort the victims by the severity of their injuries and based on this, establish the order of assistance,» proclaimed the respectable lecturer.
She imagined her burnt Sergey lying and moaning, while the ambulance crew, ignoring him, helped his wealthy boss. This image was so vivid that Natasha involuntarily cried out:
«Nonsense! There’s no such thing in reality!»
The entire auditorium stared at her, and the lecturer stopped, surprised, looking at the crazed student.
Without a word, the girl ran out the door and ran as far as her eyes could see, away from here. Leaving the building, she didn’t look back once. Natasha knew she would never return here again…
Two weeks later, Ilya showed up at her home. The young widow didn’t really want to talk to him, but he, without asking permission, went straight to the kitchen.
«Will you serve tea, hostess?» he sat down at the table and curiously looked around. «Yeah, you live quite modestly…»
His guest’s impudence stunned the girl, and she didn’t know what to say.
«Natasha! I came to thank you for your husband, he did save my life after all,» and he pulled out a chubby envelope.
The young woman instantly snapped out of her stupor:
«I don’t need your money.»
«Please take it. Otherwise, I feel somewhat awkward.»
«I don’t need it, money won’t bring my husband back.»
«You are still too young, you have your whole life ahead of you,» he began and leaning towards her, suddenly said in a low voice, «With your looks, you can make a good life for yourself and leave here.»
He dramatically gestured around the small kitchen.
«I can help you…» he had the look of a cat that had cornered a mouse.
Natasha had long caught his ambiguous glances at her, and in that moment, clarity arrived. Suddenly, it was revolting to the point of nausea. She abruptly stood up, put the envelope with money back in his hands, and with a stony face pointed to the door.
«Get out of here!»
He stood for another second, then, shrugging his shoulders, headed to the exit:
«As you wish…»
Natasha snapped out of her memories, her entire previous life flashing before her eyes in just a couple of minutes. And here she was again, a widow for over a year at her very young age, making her way through a blizzard, heading home, where only her little dog awaited her. In the whole wide world, only one creature loved her. Sergey’s death had knocked her off life’s track, and since then, she had been living in some sort of stupor. She spent whole days drawing, pouring all her emotions onto paper with pencil strokes that formed whimsical and incredible images. And in the evenings, she mechanically washed, rinsed, wiped. She couldn’t explain to herself how she had agreed to such a job. Probably because it allowed her to forget and think of nothing…
Suddenly, Natasha noticed that she was not alone. Near the end of the alley, a dark silhouette was visible on a bench.
Strange, who walks in such foul weather?
She approached closer—the person, leaning back, sat motionless.
«Good Lord, is he dead?»
She stopped and approached closer. It was a man. His blue-purple face was swollen, and his age was impossible to determine—he could be either twenty or forty. The stranger was alive, just breathing heavily and intermittently.
«What’s wrong with you? Are you ill?»
The man did not respond, only stared at one point.
Natasha removed a mitten and touched the stranger’s forehead. He had a severe fever. Feeling the touch, he finally came to and struggled to shift his blurry gaze to the girl. He was immediately seized with a violent fever. Attempts to establish contact yielded no results.
What to do? If she left him here, he would surely freeze.
After a minute of hesitation, she made a decision. She bent down and wrapped his arm around her neck, somehow, with effort, lifted him. There were no passersby nearby to count on for help, unfortunately. Her home was already in sight, perhaps Musya was watching her from the window and barking joyously. Only a little way to go. The man tried to cooperate, moving his legs with difficulty, but it helped little.
With great difficulty, she made it to the entrance, but how to drag him to the second floor? Unexpectedly, help arrived in the form of a neighbor from the stairwell. There was no need for long explanations, and the neighbor was not curious. Probably thought the widow finally got herself a man, even if an unimpressive one.
From Musya’s barking, it rang in her ears. It seemed she would never be quiet.
«Musya, please stop! Be hospitable!» Natasha tried to calm her down, laying the man on the bed. He didn’t look like a typical bum. His light, off-season jacket and jeans were dirty, but without the specific smell of a body unwashed for years. No documents were found.
«Alright, we’ll figure it out later,» she thought and ran to the pharmacy.
Three courses at medical school were not in vain. By the next morning, the unknown man came to. He struggled to open his eyes, but still couldn’t speak. After lunch, his temperature began to rise, and he was seized with tremors again. The girl couldn’t leave the patient in such a state.
She called the restaurant, and the phone was unfortunately picked up by the grudge-holding administrator.
«Eduard Arkadyevich! Can someone replace me today, I can’t come to work at all?» for the first time, the voice of the impenetrable dishwasher sounded pleading.
«No!» the haughty voice answered sharply.
«Please! I’ve never asked for a day off or taken leave,» she still tried to persuade her arrogant boss.
«Today is your shift and you must be at your workplace. Absence means dismissal!» the voice sounded emphatically official.
Natasha looked back at her charge—he was already delirious.
«Then fire me!» and resolutely hung up the phone.
Two days later, the crisis passed. The man’s color improved, and he could already talk. He looked around the unfamiliar room and the attractive caretaker in surprise.
«Good morning!» she smiled warmly.
«Good morning!» his voice was weak and hoarse. «Who are you? How did I end up here?»
«I’m Natasha! I found you in the park with pneumonia. But now everything will be fine. What’s your name?»
The stranger was silent for a long time, as if trying to remember something.
«Sorry, I have absolutely no strength,» and he closed his eyes.
Natasha was puzzled by such behavior, but ultimately, he was too weak and it was unclear what had happened to him.
«Let him sleep then,» she thought and left, grabbing curious Musya, who was trying to acquaint herself with the new tenant.
By lunchtime, the hostess had cooked a light chicken soup for her patient. He ate with pleasure, but when Natasha again inquired about his name, he pushed the plate away and sighed:
«Sorry, you probably won’t believe me, but I don’t remember anything.»
«How? Nothing at all?» the girl was surprised.
«I remember lying in some unfamiliar place, then I got up and walked for a long time, and then I sat down on a bench.»
The expression of utmost bewilderment on his face confirmed the truthfulness of his story. Now that he was a bit fresher, despite the stubble, it was clear he was about thirty.
Natasha pondered. They were told about such cases at school when people lose their memory after an injury, usually temporarily. It was necessary to find out if anyone had been missing recently.
At the police station, they quickly brushed her off:
«No missing person report with such features has been filed,» the young duty officer briefly summarized.
«What should I do? The man doesn’t remember anything.»
«Lady, go to the doctors. We can’t deal with all the homeless in the city.»
Natasha remembered her medical school friend, volunteer Marina. She was one of those enthusiasts ready to walk through cold wet forests day and night looking for people or kittens.
The friend immediately picked up the phone, listened attentively to her former classmate, and promised to help.
A couple of days later, the stranger could already walk, but due to weakness and dizziness, the caretaker had to support him. Natasha was pleased with the slow but steady recovery of her charge, and he was grateful that he was no longer harassed with questions. They established mutually comfortable relations.
As the girl was preparing lunch in the kitchen, the watchful cat Musya suddenly barked, and at that same moment the doorbell rang. Natasha opened the door. In front of her stood an elderly couple. A dark-haired stern woman in a sable coat and a balding gray-haired man in a stylish imported sheepskin coat.
The woman glanced haughtily at the apartment owner and introduced herself:
«Good afternoon, I am Margarita Pavlovna! And this is my husband — Mikhail Stepanovich. We were informed that our son might be here.»
«Hello! Yes… of course… come in, I’m Natasha!» the girl rejoiced and hospitably swung open the door, «please, right into that room!»
Trepidation seized her at the thought that the unfortunate patient would finally regain his memory.
It was noticeable that the lady was not accustomed to ordinary Khrushchev-era apartments. Picking up the hem of her luxurious coat disdainfully higher, she walked inside. Her silent companion followed her.
Entering the bedroom, the woman screamed and rushed to the bed:
«Andryusha! Andryushenka, thank God! We’ve been looking for you for a week!»
The young man looked at the lady attentively, and suddenly a smile lit up his face.
«Mama?!» he opened his arms. «Papa! I remember!»
The emotional reunion left an indelible impression on Natasha. What luck that she had walked through the park that day! What happiness that everything ended well!
The family matriarch regained her composure and began to bustle about busily.
«Alright, I’m calling an ambulance from a private clinic.»
«Mama! I can move around by myself now,» the newly rediscovered Andrey tried to reassure her.
The energetic family matriarch was not to be calmed:
«Misha, call the driver, let him come up and help. We are leaving here urgently…»
While her husband obediently followed the instructions, Margarita Pavlovna approached the smiling hostess:
«What did you say your name was?»
«Natasha!» she introduced herself again.
«Ah, yes! Natasha… How did my son end up here?»
«I found him sick on a park bench,» the girl replied calmly, looking into her eyes.
The woman asked distrustfully:
«So, you let a sick stranger into your home? Why?»
Natasha was surprised by such a question; to her, the act seemed natural.
«He could have died…» she simply replied.
Margarita Pavlovna looked suspiciously for a while. Then she decisively pulled out a wallet from her purse and extracted several large bills:
«Will this be enough?»
Natasha recoiled.
«What are you doing?! I didn’t do this for…»
The distrustful guest added just as much again:
«Take it! It’s a reward! For your efforts…»
Natasha just shook her head:
«Thank you, but no…» and crossed her arms over her chest, standing by the wall, watching the fuss and the preparations to transport the patient.
As a farewell, Andrey’s mother gave the proud young woman a skeptical look and led the whole company away.
Four days later, Andrey arrived. Not a trace remained of the unkempt dying bum. Before the girl stood a handsome young man: neatly trimmed and smoothly shaven in a bright designer puffer jacket, smiling broadly. In his hands, he held a huge bouquet of white roses with cream edges on the petals.
«Hello, Natasha! Meet the former patient!»
The girl was glad to see him so radiant and fresh. Over a cup of tea, they finally got to know each other for real.
Andrey was involved in the family business, which his stern mother managed. It was a fairly large chain of construction stores. It turned out that on the day the compassionate Natasha found him, he was attacked in a parking lot near the office, hit on the head from behind, and robbed – they took his briefcase with documents, wallet with phone, and expensive watch.
Andrey curiously examined his selfless savior. Now that the fog caused by his severe illness had cleared from his head, he could appreciate the beauty of the owner of the modest dwelling. Beautiful figure, large radiant eyes on a finely chiseled face. Natasha had long been accustomed to male attention, but the young man’s gaze somehow embarrassed and mesmerized her.
An awkward pause arose. Both averted their eyes in embarrassment. The silence was broken by Andrey:
«Natasha! I don’t know how to thank you for your kindness…» he hesitated a little and timidly continued, «There’s a great movie premiere at the cinema today. I’ve already got the tickets…»
For some reason, the girl didn’t want to refuse him. During his illness, he had become somewhat like family.
«I haven’t been to the movies in ages,» she smiled.
«Decided!» the young man rejoiced, «I’ll pick you up at six.»
Natasha enjoyed the film, a light romantic comedy that created a special mood. Neither of them wanted to part, and Andrey suggested having dinner at a small cozy restaurant nearby. The lights of candles flickering over the tables reflected in tall glasses and sparkled in the wine. Dim light and soft pleasant music complemented the magical atmosphere of the evening.
Andrey was proud of his beautiful companion, even in a simple unassuming dress and practically without makeup, the girl was the center of attention.
Natasha had not felt so good and peaceful for a long time. The surrounding setting and the man sitting opposite seemed special. Her head was pleasantly spinning… Or maybe it was just the glass of wine…
The gallant cavalier escorted the girl to her apartment door and kissed her hand on parting. It was like an electric shock ran from her palm straight to her heart.
«Thank you for the evening,» she whispered quietly, opened the door, and stepped into the hallway. Then she looked back at Andrey standing behind her. Their gazes met and read each other’s desires in their eyes. The man stepped towards the girl, enveloped her in passionate embraces, and tenderly kissed her lips. Natasha’s head buzzed, and languid pleasure spread throughout her body. It seemed as if all her cells merged into one sensual flow. Somewhere in her brain, a tiny cell suddenly protested:
«You hardly know him, what are you doing?»
But it was immediately swept up by the others and spun in a whirlwind of waltz.
«Why not?» she surrendered to the common desire before losing herself in the sweet dance of love…
Andrey disappeared for five agonizing days. The wait seemed unbearable, and Natasha, overcoming her innate pride, called him herself. The call was immediately dropped. The hurt painfully burned her soul. The girl tried to convince herself that this closeness meant nothing, as neither of them had promised anything to each other. A little calmed, she began to think about her future plans. Recent events had awakened the young widow from a long slumber and prompted her to dare the most incredible changes in her life. A distant dream suddenly became quite real and achievable. Everything naturally fell into place. Natasha decided to enroll in the Academy of Design. There were no budget places, but there was a correspondence department. All that remained was to find a job and save up for the first year of tuition…
Suddenly, Andrey called. He was waiting for her at a coffee shop in the next building. Natasha sat down at the table opposite him. This meeting was strikingly different from the last — guilty running eyes, hands nervously crumpling a napkin, a faltering voice…
«Natasha, are you very upset with me?»
«I’m not upset at you at all.»
«Sorry! I didn’t call or come by, I needed to think…»
Natasha listened silently, anticipating the further development of the conversation.
«You see,» the young man still hesitated, avoiding her eyes, «I told my mother about you, and she categorically opposed our relationship. For some reason, she convinced herself that you were involved in that robbery… In short, my mother drove me crazy these days…»
Natasha remembered Margarita Pavlovna and thought:
«Yes, that person can do it, nothing surprising…»
Without waiting for any reaction from the girl, Andrey finally blurted out:
«Sorry… We can’t see each other anymore…»
For a while, they just looked at their cooling coffee, each into their own cup. The silence was broken by Andrey:
«Natasha! Regardless of anything, you will always remain a close person to me. Can I do anything for you?»
After thinking a little, the girl made an unexpected request:
«Help me find a job!»
«What are you talking about?» the man flustered, «I can well support you financially.»
«Thank you!» Natasha smiled, «I’m not used to that… I just need a job.»
The unsuccessful fiancé suddenly remembered:
«Our friends, a wonderful intelligent family, are currently looking for a live-in maid…»
Natasha thought it over and decided that such an option would be ideal — she could rent out her own apartment and realize her dream even sooner.
«That suits me!» she brightened up.
Hoping to help in some way, Andrey immediately dialed a number and arranged an interview for Natasha.
There was no time to mourn what had happened. Excited by the upcoming changes, the girl had to decide what to do with Musya. It was unclear how the potential owners would react to a small, annoying bell on four legs.
She had to turn to the always reliable Marina again. She happily agreed to take the little one in temporarily.
«It’s just for a few days, if it doesn’t work out, I’ll think of something else,» Natasha promised, handing over the lively Musya to her friend…
A small cottage town in the nearest suburb amazed with the variety of architectural forms and styles, as well as the fantasy of the local, far from poor, residents. There were stone castles, ornate palaces, and even two-story log cabins.
The Orlov family’s house stood out from its fancy neighbors with the strictness and conciseness of lines combined with incredible lightness and airiness. Andrey warned that the owners had their own architectural design bureau.
A dark-haired woman in her fifties with a trim figure and pleasant features, indicating she had been exceptionally beautiful in her youth, came out to meet Natasha. She smiled warmly and invited her inside.
Inside, the cottage looked even more presentable than from the outside. Every corner, every detail of the interior was thought out not only with taste but also with love. In the center of the spacious living room with a five-meter panoramic window, an extraordinary, glass-enclosed fireplace caught the eye. It was the heart of the family nest, where fire beat, attracting everyone with its warmth.
In an armchair by the fireplace sat a dignified man with gray at his temples. Seeing the guest, he rose to meet her.
«Good evening! You are Natalia!» he smiled broadly. «I am Alexey Petrovich, and this is my wife Vera Vasilievna.»
«Very nice to meet you!» the embarrassed girl replied. She was impressed by their manner of communication. She liked everything here, actually.
The new maid also pleased the owners. They offered her to talk about herself over a cup of tea, and Natasha briefly but honestly recounted her sad story.
Vera Vasilievna leisurely showed her the whole house and explained what she wanted from the new maid. Everything was not so scary and perfectly understandable. In the backyard, there was a guest house, small but very cozy. They offered her to move in there. After the standard city box, the new dwelling seemed like paradise to the girl.
«Vera Vasilievna, I have a big request,» Natasha finally decided to voice her pressing issue, «I have a little dog, she is completely harmless… Can she live with me?»
The hostess chuckled good-naturedly:
«Let’s try, I’m not against it, my husband loves animals anyway.»
The new maid breathed a sigh of relief and gratefully looked into the kind woman’s eyes.
«What a wonderful family, I’m so lucky!»
Everything was coming together perfectly. She quickly rented out her apartment to a neighbor who had long been interested in the issue, wanting to settle her son with his bride separately. Quickly gathering her modest belongings, she went to pick up Musya. Her mood was on the rise, finally, her life had moved from a dead stop, and only good things awaited her ahead.
«Oh, I was just about to call you,» Marina exclaimed from the threshold with a concerned look, «Musya disappeared, we were walking this morning, she broke free and ran after some cat,» she added guiltily, looking at the upset friend, «my boyfriend will come after lunch, I promise, we’ll find her!»
The unexpected news upset Natasha. What to do? Stay and search? Go back home and wait?
Seeing her indecision, Marina solemnly assured her:
«Go to work, don’t even think about it! We will definitely find her, if not here, then we’ll come to your house. Don’t worry, everything will be alright! We’ve returned so many lost ones before!»
Still hesitating a bit, Natasha nevertheless went to the countryside and late in the evening was already unpacking her things in her new refuge.
At six in the morning, the phone rang, but Natasha hadn’t slept. She had been tormented by insomnia all night due to concerns about her new job and the lost Musya.
In the rather spacious kitchen, a woman in her forties was already bustling about.
«Are you Natasha? I’m Lena, the cook,» she smiled warmly.
It seemed that everyone in this house was incredibly friendly.
By eight, the spouses came down. They were in a good mood. Natasha was a bit nervous while setting the breakfast table, but the approving smiles of the hosts dispelled her insecurity.
At the end of breakfast, the maid inquired whether their daughter would have breakfast. Vera Vasilievna immediately darkened and sighed heavily:
«Oh, I don’t even know! She seems to have come back from the club again at dawn.»
The parents were saddened by their child’s dissolute life. They, former ordinary engineers who had started their business from scratch and knew the value of every penny, could not understand such a purposeless idle existence.
Somewhere around eleven, the owners’ daughter Victoria finally appeared in the kitchen.
About Natasha’s age, a petite attractive young girl. Chestnut slightly curly hair framed a round face, accentuating brown eyes. Cute, but not a beauty.
«Lena, what’s for breakfast?» she asked instead of greeting and stopped short, seeing Natasha.
«Hello!» said Natasha.
«Aaa, you’re the new one…» she familiarly sized up the maid from head to toe and snorted.
Natasha didn’t know what such a strange reaction from the girl meant.
During breakfast, Vika watched her every move and suddenly declared discontentedly:
«You’re doing everything wrong!»
«I’ve never worked in such a position before, Victoria, but I learn quickly. If you don’t mind, please guide me,» Natasha addressed her friendly, trying to establish a relationship.
«My name is Victoria Alekseevna!» she stated loudly, «and I shouldn’t have to guide you… You should be taught… Where do they teach you?»
«Vika!» her mother exclaimed reproachfully, entering the dining room, «is that any way to behave?»
The daughter made a face and went to the living room. The hostess followed her and for some time spoke in a low voice, instilling something in the unrestrained girl. Half an hour later, Vera Vasilievna returned to give additional instructions to her employees.
Tomorrow evening, we need to set the table for four; we have a guest—Victoria’s young man. Lenochka, let’s discuss the menu.
Two days passed quickly with cares and chores. It was just sad that Musya still hadn’t been found.
‘Natasha! We’ll find her!’ Marina assured cheerfully over the phone.
The long-awaited visitor appeared the next evening. The new maid opened the door and was stunned. Standing on the threshold was Ilya, the very one, the former boss of the deceased husband. He was no less surprised than the girl. For a few seconds, they silently stared at each other, until Vika burst out from behind Natasha’s back. She hung on the young man’s neck, purring joyfully.
‘Can’t you even escort guests into the house?’ she hissed at the negligent maid, and loudly said to Ilya, ‘Dear, it’s so hard to find decent servants these days!’
All evening, Ilya stealthily observed Natasha. The tight dark-colored uniform dress suited her very well.
‘She’s gorgeous, a devil, not a match for this Vika.’ he thought secretly.
Seizing the moment, he approached from behind and whispered in her ear:
‘You’ve become even more beautiful, Natashka!’ and gently touched her hair with his lips.
Natasha shivered, barely restraining herself from slapping him.
‘How so? Courting Vika, but making advances to me? What a scoundrel!’
She even felt nauseous from the disgusting guest… In the morning, she was nauseous again and felt dizzy. Just what she needed—to get sick.
At noon, the whole family and servants were gathered in the living room by the head of the family. He paced nervously from side to side, then stopped and announced, sweeping his stern gaze over all present:
‘I am very displeased to inform you, but a large sum of money has disappeared from the office.’
Everyone began to look at each other in surprise.
Only Vika hissed maliciously and pointed at the culprit:
‘What’s there to think about? This never happened before SHE came along.’
The unfortunate maid cringed, her head spinning again.
‘If anyone has anything to say, better say it now,’ continued Alexey Petrovich.
All maintained a grave silence.
‘Then we shall watch the footage from the security cameras,’ the master decisively declared and leaned over the laptop, everyone crowded around him from behind, watching the monitor intently.
On the screen, it was clear how the office door opened, and standing on the threshold was… Ilya. Looking around furtively, he approached the casually left-open safe and took out a thick stack of money. Making sure there was no one in the hallway, he quickly exited.
‘Oh Lord!’ exclaimed the astonished Vera Vasilievna.
No one could utter a word.
Vika also remained silent, only biting her lip hard.
The next morning, Lena whispered the latest news to Natasha. Alexey Petrovich had called Ilya and promised not to go to the police in exchange for an immediate return of the money.
‘You are no longer wanted in this house, Ilya!’ he added.
The cook shook her head and whispered:
‘And Vika spent the entire evening in her room, didn’t go anywhere… What a lousy fiancé he turned out to be!’
Natasha half-listened, she was feeling unwell again. The master acted nobly, though it was unknown if Ilya would appreciate it. It was indeed fortunate that the young man’s inclinations were revealed before they could. It was unlikely that the two-faced thief would remain in this honorable family. Apparently, the young man’s father was tired of his son’s antics and let him loose to fend for himself. And so he decided to latch onto the Orlovs.
Surprisingly, the hosts’ daughter hated the maid even more, as if she was to blame for the fiancé turning out to be a thief. She probably just needed someone to vent her anger and despair on. The nitpicking became more refined and offensive. Vika tried to pick on every little thing. Natasha held on with all her might.
That morning Natasha overslept, she jumped up, surprised at the time. They didn’t even try to wake her. Her head spun sharply again, and a bout of nausea drove her to the bathroom. Catching her breath, the girl suddenly realized that this condition had been going on for three weeks, just that in the rush of the morning, the ailment took a backseat. Looking at her women’s calendar, Natasha was stunned—the suspicion was confirmed, she was pregnant. A carousel of thoughts spun in the girl’s head: What now? Tell the owners and give up the dream? Should she tell Andrei?
Fear and confusion turned into quiet joy. The feeling that a small life now lived inside her, and her fate depended on her, gave her resolve. She needed to go and confess right now… By the way, why hadn’t they caught her yet?
In the living room, the detached mistress sat with a phone in her hands, Vika standing next to her with anxiety on her face, Lena scurried around with a glass of water and calming drops.
‘What happened?’
Vera Vasilievna only now noticed her, she slowly turned around and with unsteady lips quietly said:
‘There’s been a tragedy with Alexey… He’s in a serious accident… Now in intensive care.’
Seeing the general confusion and dismay, Natasha approached the mistress and took her by the shoulder:
‘Which hospital? We need to go!’
The woman woke up, finally, and gratefully looked at the maid and stood up:
‘Yes, of course, let’s go quickly!’
Vera Vasilievna took a seat in front, near the driver, the rest squeezed in the back.
Vika, despite the enmity, sat next to Natasha in the back seat. She adored her father. In light of recent events, she didn’t want to argue…
At the hospital, a tired doctor approached them.
‘His condition is critical, he needs a blood transfusion. We can’t find a match, rare phenotype and blood group…’ he said, ‘we need to organize an individual selection at the Blood Service Center. Good thing you’re all here, there’s a better chance.’
They didn’t explain anything, just found out the address of the Center and immediately rushed there.
Everyone donated blood, even the driver and Lena, who was deathly afraid of needles.
About half an hour later, the transfusion doctor, a short gray-haired woman, came out to the waiting:
‘Frolova Natalya, come for the blood draw!’
Vika jumped up and loudly declared:
‘Woman, you’ve got it all mixed up! MY blood should match!’
The doctor calmly looked over her glasses at the paper in her hand, then at the rude girl.
‘I haven’t mixed up anything. You and the recipient, according to the results, aren’t even relatives. He has the third blood group, his wife the first, and you have the second.’
With these words, she took Natasha with her, leaving the others to digest the unexpected information. Vika was still indignant:
‘No, they’ve got something mixed up!’
Astonished, Vera Vasilievna sat deep in thought. How could this be? Throughout their long and happy marital life, they had never been unfaithful to each other. She knew for sure that her daughter was his…
They rode back in silence…
The next day, no one in the house mentioned yesterday’s incident, only the mistress cautiously glanced at Natasha. By the evening, it was known that after the blood transfusion, Alexey Petrovich’s condition had improved. He was confidently recovering. This pleased the inhabitants of the house, and life slowly returned to its usual course…
Just over a week later, the master was still in the hospital, but was preparing to be discharged any day. Natasha was waiting for this moment to confess about the pregnancy. Unexpectedly, the mistress asked the maid to come to her in the living room.
Vera Vasilievna looked excited and disheveled, which was not usual for her.
‘Natashenka,’ her voice broke, ‘I hired a private detective and ordered an investigation. Here, I just received the report.’
The girl looked surprised, not understanding anything, and the woman from excitement could no longer utter a word and simply silently handed her a folder with documents.
Natasha glanced briefly at the sheet. Her maiden name flickered and the girl delved into the report.
It turned out that almost twenty-four years ago, her mother and the mistress gave birth on the same day in the same maternity ward. The detective had to exert considerable efforts to recreate the real events of those days—somewhere he had to break into an archive, somewhere he had to bribe someone. It turned out that on the night Natasha was born, a nurse on duty, whose own child had recently died, was affected by grief and swapped Natasha and Vika.
A month later, she was caught doing the same and was fired without raising a fuss. They also didn’t investigate how many times she had done this because it would have posed major problems for the management.
Thus, this decades-old secret was revealed quite by accident.
Pale Natasha still sat, trying to grasp the information. Everything now fell into place—the lack of resemblance to her deceased parents and the unexpectedly easily established spiritual closeness with the house owners.
Vera Vasilievna approached and with a trembling voice said:
‘Natasha, I am your mother…’
She still couldn’t utter a word, emotion tightened her lips, and her mind was all mixed up.
Lord, has she found her family again?
Vera Vasilievna couldn’t bear it any longer and embraced her newly found daughter. They sat hugging each other and sobbed wholeheartedly, woman-to-woman.
Victoria surprisingly quickly came to terms with the unexpected news. Unable to find the right words, she approached Natasha and took her hand, her eyes expressing sincere repentance.
‘I’m sorry, I was a fool…’ she managed to say, the words costing her dearly.
‘What are you talking about, my dear, I’ve always wanted a sister!’ Natasha smiled and gathered her in a hug.
For her, Vika was just an adult capricious child.
The girls hugged and laughed through tears:
‘It’s like an Indian movie!’
The head of the family was stunned, but, undoubtedly, was happy about the found kin. To the general joy was added the news of Natasha’s pregnancy.
The mother cried with happiness and joked:
‘Lord, there are more of us Orlovs now!’
The news quickly spread among acquaintances and friends.
Andrei arrived accompanied by Margarita Pavlovna. Left alone with Natasha, he simply knelt before her and pressed her hand to his lips:
‘Natasha, I still couldn’t forget you… I want to be with you and our child. How can I beg your forgiveness?’
The girl was laconic:
‘I don’t hold a grudge… But I can’t forgive you yet…’
Andrei listened without complaint and bowed his head:
‘I’m sorry, my love, for my past weakness. I will wait and hope…’
Margarita Pavlovna didn’t look like herself and was quiet all evening with a guilty expression, and before leaving, she approached the newly minted Orlov:
‘Natasha! Don’t be mad at Andrei! It’s my fault! I just couldn’t believe that there are still selfless, decent people left in the world…’
Happy Natasha lay in bed, admiring through the window the golden foliage against the tender blue October sky. Yesterday, the main event of her life happened—she became a mother. The last few months of her life were amazing, the only thing she regretted—Musya—irretrievably lost faithful friend.
Into the room burst Vera Vasilievna. The euphoria of the new grandmother was evident. She gently pinched Maximka and smiled broadly.
‘Oh!’ she suddenly remembered, ‘there are our people under the window waiting—they asked to show them Maximka.’
‘Of course!’ the young mother agreed happily.
She was proud of her baby, she wanted to tell the whole world—a new little person was born, and she was part of it.
Vera Vasilievna, suddenly said with a serious face in a whisper:
‘Natasha! Andrei also came…’ she paused, watching her daughter’s reaction, ‘would you forgive him… He stayed by your side all pregnancy… And if you knew what a job he pulled off for you!’
Natasha raised her eyebrows in surprise, and her mother continued:
‘People aren’t perfect, Natashenka! Everyone is prone to make mistakes… The main thing is what conclusions they draw from them…’
Natasha approached the window and looked down. There, happily waving at her were her father and Vika… And next to them stood Andrei, shyly smiling and holding the squirming Musya…»
