Alina sat in the kitchen, feverishly swallowing bitter, long-cold and tasteless coffee, quietly crying. The children were sound asleep in their cribs, having interesting dreams and snuffling with their little noses, while she couldn’t fall asleep at all. Everything that had happened had so drained her that tears simply rolled down without stopping, out of despair and hopelessness. The woman reflected: «Half of my life wasted, Denis left, my best friend died, now her children are on me. At work, they completely bullied me, life is unbearable. There’s just not enough money for anything! How hard it is!»
She pulled an old photo from an album: «Here’s me, my Denis, here are Olya and Zhenya, all so young and happy! It seemed like a whole life was ahead… And now what? Nothing but ruins!»
The woman was lost in memories. Alina and Olya grew up in an orphanage; they were not just best friends, they were practically sisters. They shared all their childhood sorrows and joys equally, always standing up for each other. They were even nicknamed «The Twins». They even looked quite alike. Both were fair-haired, blue-eyed, though Olga was a bit taller and sturdier. Their beds even stood next to each other, and as they grew up, they often whispered at night about their girlish secrets. They dreamed of real, passionate love like in the movies, and a big, friendly family.
When the girls left the orphanage, they learned together how to adapt to reality. Alina completed hairdresser courses; she had a natural talent for it. She had loved doing everyone’s hair even back in the orphanage. And Olya went to work in a cafe, as a waitress. The profession, of course, was not easy, on your feet all day. It was there, in the cafe, that she met her fiancé, Zhenya. He delivered goods to them in a van, they talked, and got acquainted. They just clicked right away, like puzzles, they had so much in common, their tastes were similar in everything.
Zhenya was a serious, thoughtful guy, not wasteful with words, didn’t promise mountains of gold, but loved Olya very much and proved it with actions. He always met his bride in the evenings from work, did not allow her to walk alone in the dark, saved a little from each paycheck and bought her sweet gifts, felt sorry for her, understood that she was very tired from a whole day. He could easily make a simple breakfast while his beloved slept, and then give her a pleasant massage.
Soon, the couple had a modest wedding. Zhenya hustled as best he could, striving to provide for the family. His wife knew that she would not be lost with him; he was a reliable husband, so she was not afraid to have children. Soon, their son Sasha was born, and a year later, Lesha. Even doctors were surprised, saying, «When did you even have time to get pregnant again?» But Olya just joked: «Why wait? They’ll be friends this way, it’s more fun for them together! It’ll be troublesome at first, of course, but then it will become easier!»
Alina’s personal life, however, was not so cloudless. They met Denis in a peculiar way. One rainy day, the guy splashed Alina with water from a puddle as he drove by. She showed him her fist, and he abruptly stopped to apologize. Alina fell in love with him instantly, right there in the middle of the street. Tall, athletic, handsome, with a good car. They talked, started communicating. Gradually, the relationship became close. But while Alina was firmly convinced of her love for Denis, she constantly doubted his feelings for her. He was gentle, sensitive, attentive, but never said those words first: «I love you!» It seemed like they were together, yet not really. Of course, there was no talk of marriage. Although Alina repeatedly hinted to Denis that she wanted a proper family, children, but he only snorted: «We’ll have time, dear, please don’t start! Look at your friend. Complete madness, infants crying non-stop, she doesn’t get enough sleep. Zhenya is always from work to work, and when he comes home, it’s really fun, noise and chaos, and you can’t rest properly. No, I don’t want that. Let’s live for ourselves for now? Isn’t it good with me?»
Alina, of course, understood that it wasn’t normal when a man, after so many years, didn’t want to propose to his girlfriend, but she found all sorts of excuses for Denis because she loved him very much and was ready for anything, just to have him by her side. Denis’s parents, not poor people, were not thrilled with their son’s choice and constantly egged him on: «Son, come to your senses! Drop her before it’s too late. Why do you need an orphan? Aren’t there plenty of other girls? Don’t ruin your life!»
Alina tried to help her friend cope with the children, running over in her free time to sit with the little ones while she dashed to the milk kitchen or to the stores. Spending a couple of hours with the children made it seem like a whole day had passed and she had unloaded a wagon of firewood. She wondered where Olya got her strength? But she was an optimist, did not get discouraged, and believed that her life had turned out quite well. They even came up with the idea to buy a used car, there was no limit to their joy. So many plans: «We’ll go on vacations with the whole big family! It’s convenient to take the kids to the kindergarten, and when they grow up, we can even dash to the sea, go wild.»
Alina always envied Olya in a good way, the atmosphere in their home was so warm and heartfelt, she also really wanted a strong, close-knit family, kids, to have everything like people do.
But the rainbow family plans were not meant to be realized. Sorrow came from where it was least expected. On that fateful day, Alina was just visiting Olya; they were together trying to calm the kids and get them ready for a winter walk. Suddenly the phone rang, Olya picked up the receiver, but after a minute she suddenly screamed throughout the house and began to collapse to the floor. Alina could not understand anything: Olya unconscious, kids crying, she was torn apart and panicked. Trying to help everyone at once. In a fright, she called an ambulance. It turned out that Olya was informed that Zhenya had been in a terrible accident and had died without regaining consciousness. From that moment on, troubles began to fall one after another, as if cursed.
Funerals, tears, memorial services, poor Olga literally turned black from grief, became like a shadow. One thing saved her, she had to hold on for the children. They had barely buried Zhenya when Olga was diagnosed with a serious illness, apparently, a tumor had started to grow on nervous grounds. Alina supported her friend to the end, and for two years they fought this terrible disease. Olya was completely disheartened; after her husband’s death, she did not want to live, and then this disease clung to her. Endless visits to doctors, IV drips, injections took the last of her strength. Now she devoted all her time to Olya and the children. Denis was nervous, freaked out: «What, have you decided to move in with Olga? Do you remember you have a fiancé? We’ve drifted apart! We don’t go anywhere together. You don’t spend any time with me! What’s this supposed to mean? All you talk about are diseases and kids! Maybe that’s enough?»
The woman was perplexed, «Denis, darling, don’t be mad! I love you so much! It’s just such a difficult period, we need to endure. But you see how hard it is for Olya, everything came crashing down at once, Zhenya died and she fell ill! How can I abandon her now, in such a tough moment?»
And then, two months ago, her beloved friend was gone… For Alina, it was a terrible loss, because Olya was more than a friend, closer than a sister, she was the dearest person on earth to her.
Olga was very worried about the children and kept repeating before she died:
«Alina, dear, I beg you, don’t send Lesha and Sasha to the orphanage! Take them in! You know what awaits them there! God forbid they get separated, given to different families? Then they would completely lose each other! But a brother is a support for life! I don’t want them to be without a childhood too! Do you promise?»
The woman cried and nodded her head:
«I promise, I swear on our friendship, I won’t abandon them! I will raise them as my own.»
Therefore, when Olya died, Alina didn’t delay, she immediately filed for guardianship. The poor little ones often cried, slept poorly at night, and constantly called for their mom. The elder, Sasha, stood guard by the door and refused to leave, fearing he might miss the moment when mom would come! The younger, Lesha, didn’t fully understand that something irreversible had happened… Alina’s heart was breaking into pieces, she didn’t know how to console the boys, what words to choose? How to explain to them that mom would never come? So she just held them tight, kissed their tear-stained cheeks, and whispered softly:
«Quiet, quiet, my dears, I will always be with you, and mommy sees you and loves you, only she’s now far away, in the heavens…»
When Denis learned that Alina had filed for guardianship, he completely lost it, packed his things, slammed the door, and left. As a parting shot, he said bitterly:
«Well then, dear, you’ve made your choice! I’m not going to waste my youth on this foreign nursery!»
Alina cried, trying to explain her actions:
«Don’t you understand, I couldn’t do otherwise! Olya asked me before she died not to abandon them! We were orphans too, you know how hard it is in the orphanage, without family and close ones? Don’t you feel sorry for Lesha and Sasha at all? It’s heartless! They’re just children and not guilty of anything?»
Denis retorted with a stony face:
«No one argues, what happened to your friend Olya and her husband Zhenya is tragic. But they are their children, not yours! They’re not related to you by blood! I wasn’t planning on having my own yet, it’s too early! And you want me to spend my youth raising someone else’s children? No way! If you want to ruin your life, please do, but don’t drag me into it! That’s all, goodbye, Mother Teresa!»
Alina begged him not to be so drastic, after all, they had been together for a long time!
But it was all in vain! Denis left and didn’t even call, just erased her from his life as if all those years never happened! At work, everyone literally turned against Alina too. Her colleagues shook their heads in disbelief:
«Are you crazy? Why did you take on such a burden? Do you even realize what it’s like to pull along two small children alone? That’s a whole life wasted! It’s time you thought about your own family, and you? And mind you, if you start running to the doctor often, we’re not going to cover for you! Just so you know!»
Alina scrambled like a squirrel in a wheel, saved every penny, and still, it was all falling apart. Her salary was not very high, but the expenses for daycare, food, and clothes for the kids were significant. Moreover, Sasha started getting very sick, coughing all the time, running a temperature, forcing Alina to take sick leaves, running him to clinics, treating chronic bronchitis, money was dwindling. She was so exhausted and tired, both emotionally and physically, that now, sitting in the kitchen at night, tears involuntarily flowed from her eyes, simply from despair!
Lost in thought for several hours in a doze, the woman had a strange dream. Beautiful nature, a river, birds singing, and she stood on the shore with some unknown man, who tenderly embraced her by the waist, it felt easy and pleasant. Suddenly waking up, the woman suddenly thought: «Really, I’ll sell mine and Olya’s room and move to the countryside with the kids, far from all problems! So that no one knows me, doesn’t tear my soul with questions and reproaches! Maybe Sasha will stop getting sick? I’m so tired of everything!» Said and done! Everyone was shocked when they found out that Alina was urgently selling the property and planning to go to some godforsaken village. Neighbors and acquaintances gossiped for a long time:
«The woman has completely lost her mind! All normal people are rushing from villages here to the city, and this one, on the contrary, is packing up to go to the backwoods by her own will! Why, you ask? What’s there to do? Smell manure and mix mud?»
Alina simply chose a village with a name she liked, Otradnoe, and moved there to live.
She bought a small, old, but warm and cozy house with a garden and a decent vegetable patch, and started settling in. To her surprise, the boys were very happy about the move and ran around like mad, enjoying the fresh air all day! The woman met her neighbor, Avdotya, and started buying goat’s milk for the kids from her, even learned how to make cheese. Jobs in Otradnoe were scarce, at the village council Alina was offered two options, either a store clerk or a farm hand. Not wanting to take responsibility for other people’s money, she chose to work as a helper on the farm. And she earned a little extra by cutting hair at home, not charging much, just whatever people would give. She was surprised at how easy and good it felt here! People were kind, with open hearts. No one knew that Sasha and Lesha were adopted, they called her mom, so the villagers thought they were her own kids. Initially, it was very hard on the farm, her arms and legs just fell off, but gradually the woman got used to it. Moreover, the pay was quite good.
The chairman and the farmer were delighted with the new worker. She was attractive, friendly, and moreover, hardworking. It was a miracle! When they asked in surprise why she moved to the village, Alina replied: «My younger son was very sick in the city! I didn’t know what to do! I was tired of running to doctors. But look how he’s come alive here. He runs around, a rascal, doesn’t even remember his cough!» This was the pure truth, Sasha’s bronchitis somehow vanished in the village, as if it had never been there.
On the edge of the village stood a solitary abandoned house. It seemed so gloomy, and a bit scary, Alina always tried to avoid it when she returned home from the farm. But that day she glanced at it, and couldn’t believe her eyes, it seemed like there was a dim light in the window. The woman checked herself: «No way! That can’t be, probably just seemed that way!» and quickly walked away. However, the next day it happened again! The same dim, flickering light in the window! As if from a candle or a lamp! Alina was alarmed: «What in the world? Well, once maybe, but not every day?» Coming home, she rushed to Avdotya, who was just herding her goat Glasha for milking. The worried woman asked: «Whose house is that, the abandoned one on the outskirts, do you know? There seems to be light in the window?»
The old lady crossed herself:
«Holy, holy! That can’t be. Our former forester, Fedor Vasilyevich, used to live there, but he died a long time ago, about five years ago. Since then, the house has been abandoned, no one lives there. It’s a spooky place, right on the outskirts. True, he had a son, Vaska, a nice boy, I remember, he used to run around as a kid, loved to shoot from his slingshot, kind, always smiling. But as he grew up, he went off to Moscow to earn money, and just disappeared. No one has seen him since! Poor Fedor Vasilyevich always hoped, waited for him until the last, but died, poor soul, without seeing him.
The next day, Alina deliberately peered into the dirty, unwashed window, and suddenly saw someone frantically waving their arms, trying to attract attention! Fear struck the woman, her thoughts were jumbled: «What to do? Go or not go? What if there’s a villain there? He might cut my throat, for all you know. On the other hand, maybe someone is in despair and needs help… What if it’s really the forester’s son returned?»
Alina cautiously approached the slanted door, armed with a big stick just in case, and gently pushed it open. On the bare floor lay an emaciated, bearded vagabond, extremely thin and unconscious! He was breathing heavily and was out of consciousness! Obviously, he had spent his last strength standing up to wave at her. She carefully touched the man’s forehead, it was burning, the temperature was off the charts!
On the man’s arms and chest were tattoos, clearly visible, he had been in prison. Alina panicked for real: «Just what I needed! A criminal has fallen on my head! Scary to bring him home, what with small children and all! You never know what to expect from him! But it’s also not right to leave someone alone! Not a dog after all! He’ll freeze to death in the cold!»
She tried to bring the man to his senses — all in vain. He only rambled and shouted something indistinct. Then Alina threw some covers on an old sofa, and with great effort dragged the man onto it! Then she rushed to the pharmacy, bought cold medicine, then ran to Avdotya. Out of breath, she began asking the old lady:
«Help! I need a favor! Can you sit with my little ones for a couple of hours, I need to go away urgently? Please don’t refuse!»
The old lady smiled:
«Why not sit? Bring them over, it’s only a pleasure for me! They’re not too naughty, I’ll manage! We’ll start making pies together, it’s more cheerful than moping alone.»
Taking a warm blanket, matches, medicine, water, and some food from home, she ran back to the forester’s abandoned house. After giving the man an antipyretic injection, she began to slowly feed him warm milk. Then she lit the stove. To her surprise, it caught quickly, and within half an hour, the house noticeably warmed up. She wrapped the poor man in the warm blanket, left milk and bread on the table, crossed the stranger, and rushed back to her boys. For a whole five days, she stopped by the vagabond in the morning, on her way to the farm, and back. She changed his compresses, gave him injections, and fed him milk. She fired up the stove briefly, so the man wouldn’t freeze. All these days he was very weak, said nothing, just looked so loyally!! It gave her the shivers. Finally, after a week, seeing Alina arrive, the stranger hoarsely said:
«Hello, my savior! Thank you so much! If it weren’t for you, I’d definitely be dead by now! My name is Vasily.»
The woman replied:
«I guessed already, asked the neighbor, Avdotya, who used to live in this house, she told me about you. I’m Alina, recently moved here with the kids. So you just vanished without a trace? Where have you been half your life? I’m curious.»
Vasily sighed, and began his story:
«There’s nothing to tell! I’m a lost man, worthless! I ruined my own life with my own hands! My mother died during childbirth, my father raised me alone. He tried, loved me, never denied me anything. After I finished school, served in the army, he enrolled me in driving school, I got my license. My father dreamed of me becoming a combine driver or a tractor driver in the village, they pay well. But I, of course, dreamed of something else! I wanted to get out of this backwater at all costs, move to the capital. It seemed like that’s where incredible opportunities were, a well-fed and secure life! That’s how they show it on TV! So I went against my father and left. There was a terrible scandal! Dad in a fit of anger shouted: ‘You’ll regret it, fool! Who needs you there, in that Moscow? You belong where you were born! Keep in mind, you’ll taste hardship, you’ll be begging to come back, I won’t accept you, just so you know!’ I was just as good, told him all sorts of nasty things in return, that I’d rather die than return to this hole for anything! That’s how we parted. Well, then I arrived in the capital, thought they’d take me on a decent job right away, find housing, and live no worse than others. But the reality was completely different! Without an education, no one would take me, barely got a job as a laborer on a construction site, they settled me right there, in a trailer. Worked like a damn for three months, until I realized that they had deceived us, and were not going to pay at all! That’s when I got involved with bad company. They promised quick earnings, not a dusty job, just to stand watch. As easy money flowed like a river, I went all out: bars, girls for the night, I partied as much as I could! After a couple of months, we were busted, and I got my first sentence. Served it, got out, decided that’s it, no more dealing with criminals. Tried to find a job, no luck there! With a criminal record, not even as a janitor would they take me! And all over again, I drank, partied, stole! Got caught again, now for a long term. And when I got out, half a year ago, started to live on the streets, completely fell apart. Collected bottles from trash bins, slept on heating pipes. When I was at rock bottom, I started having the same dream over and over. As if my father was waving from the window, calling and shouting: ‘Son, come home, I’m waiting for you!’ So I decided to return home, to repent, ask for forgiveness for everything! But it was too late, the house was abandoned, father had died. Honestly, I’m ashamed to show my face to people! What kind of son am I? So I’ve been living here for a week, like a trapped wolf! Probably froze and starved badly, and then got sick. Probably, someone like me isn’t even worth living! Just trash, unnecessary ballast! No one would cry, they’d bury me like a dog, and that’s it…
Alina felt uneasy about such words, so she tried to cheer the man up:
«Don’t be so hard on yourself, Vasily! My life is far from sweet too! I’m an orphan myself, grew up in an orphanage, my best friend died, and I adopted her children. My boyfriend left me because of this; he didn’t want such a burden! I had no money at all, so I sold everything and moved here to the backwoods, far away from gossip and judgment. And you know, things gradually got better! I work on a farm, I’m not lazy, they pay me well, the children like it here, and people are kind and responsive. So there’s no need to mope and bury yourself before your time! Try to start a new life! Go see the chairman, he’s an understanding man, he might help you find a job. I’ll help you at first, I’ll bring you groceries, milk. I’ll try to get you some warm clothes too, since I see you have nothing at all… And winter is coming soon! Gradually, you’ll see, life will get better. Oh, I’ve been rambling on, I must run! My kids are waiting at home, they’ve probably driven neighbor Avdotya mad! Get well! I’ll come by tomorrow!»
Vasya couldn’t get this woman out of his head, remembering her soft, gentle, warm hands that cared for him, her blue eyes, and her sincere smile… Alina became his pillar of support, and for her, he wanted to live differently! As she promised, she came to him every day, fed him, and encouraged him. The man recovered, stopped looking like a living corpse, shaved, tidied up his place a bit, and finally decided to visit the chairman, knowing his woman wouldn’t feed him forever.
The man timidly knocked on the office door and asked:
«May I come in?»
Ivan Ivanovich looked at him intently and replied:
«Well, come in, Vasily, since you’re here. Although I can’t say I’m glad to see you!»
Vasya was stunned:
«You recognized me just like that? It’s been so many years!»
The chairman frowned:
«How could I not recognize you? You’re the spitting image of the late forester, no doubt about it! Where have you been, you scoundrel, your father was worn out, waited for you to the end, and then he died! How could you do that to your parents? Why are you here?»
Vasily blushed and lowered his head:
«I know there’s no forgiveness for me, I wasted my life like a fool! Here, I came to confess, I want to start my life anew! But it’s too late, dad died… I wanted to ask, is there any work in the village? I even have a driver’s license. I’ll take any job!»
Ivan Ivanovich studied the documents for a long time, then said:
«That you have a license is good, but that you’re a convict is bad. Let’s do this, I’ll place you on the farm as a laborer, on a probationary period for three months. If you don’t laze around or steal, then we’ll think about a tractor driver vacancy. Deal?»
An overjoyed Vasily nodded his head:
«Thank you, Ivan Ivanovich! I won’t let you down! I promise! I’ve completely cut ties with my past!»
The chairman added:
«We’ll see, you all promise at the beginning, but then you try to peek into a glass of vodka. Take an example from our new one, Alina. A leading worker, works conscientiously, raises two boys by herself, I can’t praise her enough!»
The work was hellishly hard, but Vasya did not lose heart, he tried, and when he earned his first honestly earned money in his life, he was even more delighted. Turns out, when you earn your own money, you really don’t want to drink it away, what a phenomenon! With his first paycheck, the man bought some chocolate candies, two little toy cars, markers, and decided to visit Alina, who had long invited him.
The first snowfall came, and the boys scraped it from everywhere, trying to build something resembling a snowman, it didn’t turn out very well, but they did not lose heart. They knocked on the gate, and the boys, not waiting for their mom, raced to open it. The man said:
«Hello everyone! May I come in? I’m Vasya, what are your names, fighters?»
The boys chattered all at once:
«I’m Sasha, I’m Lesha, did you come to visit us? We’re making a snowman, but it turns out dirty, not enough snow…»
Vasya handed them the gifts:
«Don’t worry, more snow will fall! This is for you, guys, from me! Is mom home?»
The kids, seeing mom, ran to her and joyfully announced:
«Mom, Santa Claus Vasya came to us!»
The woman laughed:
«Why is he Santa Claus? His nose isn’t red, no beard! You come up with something!»
Sashka confidently replied:
«Because only Santa Claus comes with gifts in winter. Isn’t it? Look, he gave us racing cars, markers, and candies!»
Alina called Vasya:
«Hello, Vasya, come on in. Well done for coming. I have almost ready borscht and apple pies. We’re just about to have lunch. You’re spoiling my kids, watch, they’ll start asking for gifts every day!»
The man smiled:
«I don’t mind anything for the kids. I’ll buy more!»
In half an hour, all four were happily dining together, Vasya was gobbling up the treats and praising the hostess, everything was really delicious! Then they drank tea with pies and candies, chatting about everything under the sun. The little ones clung to Vasya every second, but he enjoyed it. He gladly made paper boats with them and cut out snowflakes. The next day they all went sledding down the hill outside the village and had a lot of fun.
Alina invited Vasya to meet the New Year together as friends. She felt sorry for him, he would be like an owl, sitting alone in his little house, and God forbid, he might start drinking again! The man was initially embarrassed, but then agreed. He didn’t want to be alone in his house on such a holiday and be sad. The last proper New Year Vasya celebrated was in his childhood when he lived with his father. Then either in prison, on a heating pipeline, or in a tavern with loose women. He had already forgotten what a bright and family holiday it was. The man brought a small, beautiful Christmas tree from the forest the day before, and they carefully and thoroughly decorated it. It turned out to be a whole ritual! Sasha and Lesha almost fought over the right to hang the star at the top! They had to use a counting-out rhyme to decide who goes first. Alina roasted a goose with apples in the oven, cut up delicious salads and snacks. She didn’t forget about costumes for the boys, Sasha was dressed as Petrushka, Lesha was a bear.
At the stroke of midnight, everyone drank delicious juice instead of champagne, wishing each other happiness and health. Then the kids, having received their coveted gifts, finally calmed down and fell asleep, and Alina and Vasya watched a New Year’s comedy on TV and laughed heartily.
Vasya suddenly said quietly:
«Alinochka, you’re the best woman in the world! You gave me such a fairy tale! I’ve never celebrated New Year like this, so warmly, with kids! Thank you for everything! Since you came into my life, it has become different, I’ve changed internally, do you understand? You are like a light in the window for me! I…»
The woman felt that just a little more, and she wouldn’t be able to resist, she would melt, and she wouldn’t be able to cope with herself! Vasya was extremely attractive to her, but…
So she quickly changed the topic:
«Vasya, thank you for brightening the holiday. The kids really adore you! And I feel calm and good with you. Alright, it’s late, time to go, or I won’t be able to sleep before my rascals ask for breakfast!»
They said goodbye warmly, and Alina couldn’t sleep until morning, tossing and turning in bed, thinking: «Something I overplayed, it’s time to stop! He’s good, kind, I like him, but he’s an ex-con? What if I get together with him, then wait for a catch all my life? Well, I helped, well, we’re friends, that’s enough! But he looks at me so intensely, it burns right through! Or risk it, get closer? Sasha and Lesha would only be glad, they don’t leave him for a step! Oh, I got completely confused!»
Vasya couldn’t sleep either, he pondered: «How do I decide and confess my love to Alina? What if she sends me away? Who am I? What can I offer her? An ex-con and a bum, a wonderful groom, nothing to say! She’s a serious woman, strict, she even gave a farmer’s brother the cold shoulder, although he had a fancy house and a cool car!»
In the spring, when it really warmed up, Vasya decided to patch up his little house. He had saved up some money over the winter, ordered some boards and bricks at the village council. He decided to start with the kitchen and porch, where the walls were barely holding together. He asked Alina to come and help move out some furniture and all the stuff. Suddenly, as they were struggling to move a heavy sideboard, the wall started to crumble and fall apart, bricks and plaster showered down with a crash onto the floor. Both cried out in surprise and jumped aside. When the dust settled, Alina noticed a box among the bricks, picked it up. It turned out to be an old casket. She called out to the man:
«Vasya, look, what I found? Maybe there was a treasure hidden here and you’ll soon become a millionaire?» — she laughed.
He just waved it off:
«Where would there be a treasure, my father built the house, we always lived modestly. Probably, a trinket. Just throw it out and that’s it!»
But female curiosity prevailed and Alina finally opened the casket, prying the edges with a pin. Inside was a bundle. It was neatly folded one on top of another banknotes and a small note, yellowed with time. The woman was no longer laughing:
«Vasya, this is for you, apparently, your father left it, here, read.»
The man took the note with trembling hands from excitement and started reading aloud:
«Vasenka, sonny! So I didn’t wait for you! The money is for you, I saved it penny by penny all my life, hoping you’d return, it would come in handy. Forgive me, old man, that I cursed you then and told you not to show your face! You were probably very offended, so you don’t come home! I regretted those words a hundred times later! Know that I love you! Don’t hold a grudge against me! Goodbye. Your Dad.»
Vasily fell to his knees and howled, trying to drown out the wild, unbearable longing for a loved one. He whispered: «Forgive me, dad! You were right, and I’m a fool! I wasted my life worthlessly, never came to see you! How I miss you!» A manly tear rolled down his cheek…
Alina was moved, disconcerted, hugged Vasya, and tried to comfort him in any way she could:
«Vasya, don’t beat yourself up like that! You can’t bring back the past, what’s done can’t be undone. I believe your father up there in heaven sees everything and is probably happy that you’ve come to your senses, become a man! You know what? Use this money to order a monument for your father’s grave, that’s how you’ll honor the old man!»
The man clung to Alina with gratitude:
«Really, what kind of son am I? I’ve been back home for half a year, and I still haven’t put my father’s grave in order! How wise you are, what would I do without you!» He wanted to kiss Alina, intuitively feeling it was mutual. But the woman gently pushed him away, scared again of continuing…
The money was more than enough both for a decent monument for his father and for the house repairs. Vasya decided to finally ask for Alina’s hand, so he went to the city and bought a modest but very sweet ring. He completely refurbished the house and carved out a children’s room. He arranged everything knowledgeably, as he would have dreamed, if he were a child. A bunk bed, a separate study table for each, more toys. He hung a picture of a huge ship on the wall, because Sasha was simply mad about the sea. And he didn’t forget about Lesha, he bought a large globe. The boy was keenly interested in travel and loved listening to stories about distant countries and adventures.
Vasya prepared thoroughly, dressed up, shaved smoothly, crossed himself, and went to Alina. He timidly knocked on the gate. The woman was simply stunned when she saw Vasya at the doorstep in full parade, with a bouquet of tender roses and a box with a ring. As is proper, he knelt on one knee and solemnly said:
«Alinochka! Marry me! I’m certainly not an enviable groom, I have no special talents or wealth, nothing much to be proud of, but I want to tell you the main thing: I loved you from the first minute I saw you, but was afraid to confess, thought you’d drive me away. I’ve become attached to the kids with all my soul! You are already the closest people to me, I live for you! I promise, I’ll never return to the past. I’ll never touch alcohol again! Well, do you agree?»
Tears flowed freely from the woman’s eyes. Thoughts raced: «I’ve finally waited for a proposal of marriage!» She nodded her head and softly said:
«I agree.»
Finally, the couple passionately kissed, not hiding their mutual feelings for each other.
Curious Sasha and Lesha were already there, quickly assessed the situation, and joyfully shouted:
«Hooray! Vasya, are you going to marry mom? Yes? Does that mean you’re now our dad? Hooray!»
The man picked up Sasha in his arms and answered:
«Of course, dad! I’m not going anywhere from you now! We’ll go fishing together and ride bikes!»
Lesha was a bit offended, frowned, and mumbled:
«And what, not a dad to me? Why only with Sasha to fish and on bikes?»
Vasya laughed, picked up Lesha in his arms too:
«Lesha, sonny, I love you both equally, strongly, don’t worry!»
Alina still couldn’t believe that she was about to get married, she was almost happy, almost…
In the evening, seizing the moment when Vasya and the kids were assembling puzzles, she ran to her neighbor, Avdotya. The woman simply needed to consult with someone.
They sat in the kitchen, and Alina excitedly recounted how Vasya had proposed. The old woman, with an experienced eye, noticed something was troubling the woman, and asked bluntly:
«Dear, what are you afraid of? Or doesn’t he love you? I see something’s eating you…»
Alina sighed and replied:
«I don’t know how to say… I love him, that’s true, and he loves me, I feel it, and the kids were drawn to him right away, they adore him… But he was in prison! This thought has been tormenting me for a long time, I’m all worn out, what if he relapses?»
The neighbor shook her head:
«Remember, if you truly love, then you accept a person with all his flaws, completely. Everyone has their own past, you can’t get rid of it, but you don’t have to live with it. You must trust him completely, unconditionally. Otherwise, it won’t work! You can’t vow never to be poor or never to be imprisoned. Life is unpredictable. Vasya is a good guy, I’ve known him since childhood, you won’t lose out with him. Now that he’s come to his senses, he won’t turn back. So live happily ever after!»
Alina beamed:
«Thank you so much for your kind words! I’ve spoken out, and I feel lighter now! Oh, I’ll run, probably, home. Goodbye!»
A month later, as is proper, the couple got married. They celebrated modestly, set up a long table in the gazebo, invited all neighbors and acquaintances, and had a heartfelt gathering. Vasya, as he promised, didn’t drink a gram, only compote. He was not up to it, he kept admiring his wife, and seemed to savor this phrase! How beautiful she was in a gentle white dress with ruffles, long hair loose, adorned with a lily clip, just couldn’t take his eyes off! Finally, in his wayward, mangled life, a light appeared in the window! He was no longer alone, he had a huge responsibility, now a husband, a father of two children!
The family decided to move to live in Vasya’s renovated house. The boys were thrilled with their room! After all, their house was cramped, and they all squeezed together. In the yard, Vasya built a sandbox and homemade swings for the kids, their happiness knew no bounds. In the evening, when the little ones went to sleep, Vasya solemnly and mysteriously said:
«My love, I invite you on a date! I have a surprise!»
Alina was surprised, but followed Vasya to the backyard. When he led her into the barn, she was amazed. Right on the hayloft, Vasya had rigged an improvised marital bed, and began passionately kissing his wife, then gently pushed her, and they fell together right into the soft, fluffy hay! Such a wedding night surely no one had. The moon shone, cicadas sang, it was warm and quiet, Alina felt like she was in paradise, so good and easy she felt, just like in some fairy tale. Vasya gently caressed her shoulder, kissed each finger, and she thought: «This is what real man’s love means! When there are true feelings, and someone else’s children are not an obstacle! Not like her ex, Denis, who only thought of himself…» She playfully turned to her husband and asked:
«Honey, are you against it if we later have a child together? What do you think about that?»
Vasya hugged his wife and whispered:
«I think we shouldn’t delay, let’s start right now!» And they merged again in a passionate kiss…
