Natasha tensed up inside when she saw her husband’s niece, Olesya.
The girl, avoiding eye contact and sniffling, handed over a folded sheet of graph paper and quickly ran away.
Natasha unfolded the paper, inwardly expecting something like this, so the written words did not come as a shock.
Natasha, I’m leaving, forgive me.
Yes, I’m acting like a coward, but I have no strength left, I’m tired, forgive me, I won’t abandon the children, but I can’t live with you anymore. I’ve sold the house; here’s your share. Go to your mother’s. There should be enough money there for a while.
Natasha indifferently lowered her hands and stood silently swaying; she looked indifferently at the scattered papers.
«What’s that, Natashenka?» whispered Grandma Vera, peering into Natasha’s eyes, «a telegram?»
«All’s well… go have some tea, I need to get the cookies out, or they’ll burn.»
The room filled with the scent of burnt vanilla and dough.
She expected something like this; the house was Viktor’s, inherited from his grandmother. Lately, he had been staying out overnight more often, claiming he was delayed at his brother’s, where they were building a pigsty.
He said it needed to be done before the frost. Natasha heard vague rumors; Viktor’s brother’s wife, Svetlana, with shifty eyes, kept trying to tell her something, dropping hints, but Natasha either didn’t hear or didn’t want to.
«Mom,» ten-year-old Vanyushka peeked in from the street, «Uncle Petya, the neighbor, is asking for you.»
«Grandma, please watch Katyusha, I’ll be right back,» she said, throwing on a coat and stepping outside.
«So what’s up, Natalya, hello, I came to check… what’s it… that thing.»
«Is this about the house?»
He nodded.
«Don’t freak out, don’t freak out, if not me, then someone else. But I… you can live as long as needed until my Ksenka grows up, I’m doing this for her… well, you know, neighborly.»
«Give me three days, and I’ll move out,» she said dryly and went inside.
«Where will you go… Natasha…»
She silently slammed the door.
Blushing from the cold, Vanyushka ran in after her.
«Mom?»
«All’s good, son.»
«Mom, where’s dad?»
She pulled him close, hugged his frail little body, kissed his sweaty crown, breathed in his familiar scent, and… cried quietly, wiping away tears.
«Mom, he left, right? He left?»
She nodded.
«I’ll kill him.»
«No, son, no need, we’re strong, we’ll manage.»
Katyushka started crying; Natasha calmed her down and sat the kids down for dinner. She went to Grandma Vera’s room. She was sitting by the window, quietly shuddering with her thin shoulders.
«Natasha, help me get into a nursing home.»
«What? Are you crazy?»
Grandma Vera was the sister of her deceased grandmother Valya. Grandma Vera had two daughters, both well-off, in a small village where Grandma Vera lived, which had been disbanded, the elderly either taken in by children or sent to nursing homes.
Grandma Vera ended up not needed; one daughter lived far beyond the Urals, in a city, the other in a small town, not far from where Natasha lived with her husband and children.
The second daughter asked Natasha to temporarily take in Grandma, saying, «You have a big house, she’ll get fresh air, and she can help with the child.»
The first daughter cut off contact as soon as the prospect of taking her mother appeared, so Grandma Vera stayed with Natasha, and it was already the sixth year for Katyushka.
«Don’t be silly, come with us.»
«Where, Natashenka?»
«Don’t know yet, we’ll see.»
Natasha never thought Viktor was a scoundrel for leaving her homeless with the children. She always knew the house wasn’t hers, dreamed of building their own, with Viktor and the children, but it wasn’t meant to be.
She called her mother.
Her mother sighed deeply, threatened to sue her son-in-law, and empathized deeply.
«What will you do? Go to that scoundrel, let him leave the house to you and the children, throw those filthy money in his face.»
«No,» she said and hung up the phone.
She understood her mother, who had another family, children. Her stepfather barely tolerated Natasha until she finished school and then kicked her out.
Met Viktor, dated for a year, then got married. She was happy about how good…
Her mother called again.
«Natasha, the connection dropped, where will you put Grandma Vera?»
«Surely not to you.»
«Why are you like this?»
«That’s all, I’m busy.»
She took out an old notebook, found a number. Went outside, dialed.
«Hello, Aunt Natasha,» she said to the one named in her honor, «I’ve separated from Viktor, I’ll bring Grandma Vera to you?»
«No, what are you, my blood pressure. Stay there, what are you?»
«She’s your mother, you have three rooms.»
«So what? I have blood pressure, my grandchildren come…»
«Understood.»
They traveled in a coach-class car.
A thin young woman, practically a girl, with big sad eyes, a boy, quiet and serious, a girl with lively eyes, and a frail old woman who quietly wiped away tears.
«Hello, Dad.»
«Natasha… the kids? Oh, Grandma Valya?»
«Vera…»
«What?»
«It’s Grandma Vera.»
«Come in, come in.»
«Dad, we’re not 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.»
«Ahh, yes of course, come in, Lyuda, Lusya… what happiness, daughter with grandchildren visiting… Lusya and this with Grandma Vera, come in, come in.»
You see, people live here.
«Well, we’ll go to a hotel, Dad, while people find new housing.»
«What hotel,» Lyudmila smiled broadly, «what are we, strangers…»
Three days later, Natasha heard Lyudmila whispering about when the guests would move out.
«Dad, what about the people? When will they move out?»
Lyudmila dropped her spoon, the father choked on the soup Natasha had made.
«You see, daughter…»
«No, you don’t have that apartment anymore, you rolled out your lips, Dad paid you child support until you were eighteen…»
«Until sixteen.»
«What?»
«I’m saying until sixteen, remember I visited you, and you dragged me to write a refusal for child support?»
Lyudmila pursed her lips.
«So what, Dad? We need to decide, tired of living on bird’s rights.»
«Why don’t you speak? Tell her. There’s no such apartment anymore, no.»
«What do you mean, Dad?»
He doesn’t look in the eyes.
Your mother and I… we sold it, split the money… right away.
«How? But she… Grandma Masha to me…»
«And what? He’s a son, say thank you that you got some money…»
«I… give me three days…»
«Daughter…»
«Three days.»
«Mom, where will we go?»
«Here we’ll live, son, we’re strong, we’ll manage. This is my homeland. We can’t lose heart, 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 really able to pay?»
«I need three months upfront.»
«Can we make a deal? Without a man?»
«Well, here’s the room, there’s a toilet, others go outside. Water from the pipes is hot in winter, cold is there, shower at the neighbor’s, you’ll meet her, she’s also alone… Pay two months upfront.»
«Do you have experience?»
«We don’t hire without experience.»
«Small children?»
«Sorry, you’re not suitable for us…»
«Without experience? Well, you’ll have to learn. My name is Boris, this is our friendly team. Young, you’ll learn quickly. Girls, accept her…»
«New girl, three days of training then forward, work. Many apartments are rented out, buying has gone well recently, you’ll sit on rent, learn, and start closing deals…»
Again three days, Natasha thinks.
Grandma, kids, we’re moving.
«Where?» Vanyushka looks scared.
«You’ll see!»
«Wow! Are we going to live here?»
«Yes. This is your and Kate’s room, and Grandma and I in another.»
«And the third room, Mom?»
«In the third, we’ll host guests!»
«Wow, that’s something…»
Grandma Vera cries.
«Am I a burden to you, child, living alone for three years, is this normal? Without me, maybe you would have found a man, you’re such a capable girl, put me…»
«What are you saying? We’re family, understand! Family. No one needs us but you, hear? Only the children, thank you for watching them, for managing everything at home, 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, go, my dear, I’ll help however I can, go my sweet.»
«Mom, is it true that we’re buying an apartment?»
«Yes, Kate eavesdropped?»
«No, grandma secretly told me.»
«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 Vanya and I will have our own rooms?»
«Yes, and for grandma, and for me!»
«Wow, are we going to host guests here?»
«Here…»
«Hello, Natasha, it’s Mom’s birthday today.»
«Seriously?»
«Yeah,» in an annoyed tone, «didn’t you know? June seventh.»
«Uh, only July.»
«Yes?»
«Yes. It’s been two years since grandma’s been with us, we’re orphaned…»
«What? You wretch, you hid from me that my mother is gone?»
«I hid? I bombarded you with texts and calls, you hid from me, then your daughter told me to leave you alone, I left. Your sister knows by the way, she asked to send mom’s savings to her, she needs it more.»
«What savings?»
«I don’t know, you’d know better. You probably thought she lived with me, and her pension she carefully saved for her beloved daughters.»
«So there are no savings?»
Natasha turned off the phone. Counted to three. Whew. Memorial day for grandma, she was just with her. She told how Vanyushka graduated, found a good girl, Katerina finished school, and she seemed to have some changes in her life.
«Ba, remember Sergey,» whispers Natasha, «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 from behind a cloud and warmly 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.
God is with us!
I hug you tightly.
Sending you rays of my kindness and positivity
