Sergey stood by the window, mechanically fiddling with a bundle of keys. The apartment, which had once seemed cramped for four, now felt oppressive with emptiness. Three days ago, Galina took the children and left.
She just left, without shouting or hysterics, as if that was how it should be. Only a note on the table: «Sorry, but this can’t go on. We’re leaving.»
Well, go ahead then! — he muttered through clenched teeth, throwing the keys on the windowsill. — Big deal! It’ll be quieter without you.
But there was no quiet. Inside, everything boiled with anger and confusion. How could she? After all these years? He had done everything for them—worked around the clock, provided, created conditions. And she? Took the children and vanished, as if their life meant nothing.
The phone was silent. Dasha and Vitya seemed to have vanished into thin air. Sergey tried calling, but their numbers were unavailable. Galina’s relatives weren’t answering either—apparently, they had all conspired.
Fine! — he shouted into the emptiness of the apartment. — You think I’ll go looking for you? Don’t hold your breath!
That evening, for the first time in many years, Sergey went into a supermarket. Usually, Galina did the shopping; he just gave her the money. Now, wandering between the aisles, he felt lost.
«Need help with something?» asked a young saleswoman, sympathetically.
«I’ll manage,» he muttered, grabbing the first frozen meals he found.
At home, he called out his usual greeting: «I’m home!» — and stopped short. There was no one to answer. Vitya’s bed in the children’s room was neatly made, Dasha’s physics textbook lay forgotten on the table. Sergey mechanically opened the fridge, took out a frozen pizza.
«Well, this is perfect,» he said aloud. «No one will be nagging me about ‘junk food.'»
But the pizza tasted bland, and the apartment felt unbearably quiet. That night, he tossed and turned, listening to the emptiness. He missed the familiar sound of Vitya’s snoring through the wall, the rustle of pages — Dasha loved reading late into the night. He missed the warm breath of Galina beside him.
The days stretched on in a monotonous chain.
Sergey threw himself into his work, staying late at the office. At home, he was greeted only by silence and a cold dinner from delivery. Colleagues noticed the changes, but didn’t ask questions — he had always kept his personal life under wraps.
«Sergey Viktorovich, maybe it’s time to go home?» asked the secretary, Lyuda, timidly around ten in the evening. «You’ve been staying late for three days…»
«Work doesn’t wait,» he replied, not tearing his gaze from the monitor.
Only at home, in the darkness of the empty apartment, did it hit him. Memories came uninvited: Vitya taking his first steps, Dasha getting an A in English, Galina greeting him from work in a new dress… When was the last time he said something important to them? Not about money, not about school—just telling them how much he loved them?
A month later, he accidentally found an old photo album. Their first summer together—young, happy. Galina in a white sundress, feeding pigeons, laughing with her head thrown back. When did she stop laughing like that? When did their life turn into an endless cycle: work-home-work?
«You could have at least called out of courtesy,» his mother had once reproached. «The grandkids must miss you.»
«So you know where they are?» Sergey shot back.
«I know. But I won’t tell you. You’re to blame, son. You drove her away.»
Me?! I worked my ass off to make sure they had everything!
And love? And attention? Money can’t replace that.
He hung up. What nonsense — love, attention… But the worm of doubt already gnawed at his soul. Maybe he really missed something? Maybe he should have thought not just about the material things?
One day, in the supermarket, he saw a woman who looked like Galina. The same beige coat, the same walk… His heart skipped a beat, and he rushed after her, pushing through the crowd. But it wasn’t her.
«Sorry, I was mistaken,» he mumbled, feeling like a complete idiot.
That night, for the first time in thirty years, he cried, burying his face in the pillow. Without them, his life had collapsed like a house of cards. But admitting this to himself was terrifying.
A year passed like one endlessly long day.
Sergey had aged, his face gaunt, more gray hair. Colleagues whispered behind his back that the workaholic had finally lost it—now, he wasn’t just staying late at the office, he was often spending the night there.
That day, he went into a new shopping mall near the office. He wandered between the shelves, mechanically putting items in his basket when he heard a familiar, loud laugh. His heart skipped a beat.
«Mom, look at these sneakers!» came a voice that made his hands tremble. «Can I try them on?»
At the other end of the hall stood Galina. Next to her was a tall girl with her hair tied in a ponytail. Dasha? Could it really be his little Dasha? And a little farther away, a teenager almost as tall as her mother… Vitya?
Sergey froze, unable to move. A year of loneliness, a year of dull sorrow — and here they were, three meters away. Alive, real, so familiar, and so foreign.
«Dad?» Vitya was the first to notice him. His voice mixed with surprise and caution.
Galina turned. Their eyes met. She had lost weight, new wrinkles appeared at the corners of her eyes. But she stood tall, with dignity.
«Hello, Sergey,» she said quietly.
«I…» his voice faltered. «You… How are you?»
«We’re fine. Living quietly.»
Dasha turned away dramatically, pretending to examine a display. Vitya shifted from foot to foot, unsure how to behave.
«Can… can I talk to you?» he struggled to speak. «At least for five minutes?»
«Why?» his daughter’s voice sounded metallic. «You stayed silent for a year, and now suddenly you want to talk?»
«Dasha!» Galina interrupted. «Not here.»
«Then where?» The girl turned and looked her father in the eyes. «When I tried to call you in the first months — you didn’t pick up. When it was Vitya’s birthday — you didn’t care. What changed now?»
Sergey stood there, stunned by the truth in his daughter’s words.
Indeed, he had built a wall of silence between them. Pride, resentment, fear — it all mixed into a toxic cocktail.
«I… I was wrong,» he finally said. Those words, which he had never spoken before, were hard to utter. «Forgive me. All of you.»
Vitya took a step closer, and something vulnerable, childlike, flashed in his eyes.
«Dad, are you really sorry? Or are you just saying it?»
«Really, son. I thought about it a lot this year. A lot.»
Galina watched her husband carefully, as if seeing him for the first time. Where had his usual self-confidence gone? Before her stood a lost, aged man.
«Maybe we should sit somewhere?» she suggested unexpectedly softly. «There’s a café upstairs.»
The café was quiet. They took a table in the corner, away from prying eyes. They ordered tea, pastries. Dasha still stubbornly remained silent but didn’t turn away.
«You’ve lost weight,» Galina observed.
«And you… you’re still as beautiful,» Sergey blurted out.
«Mom, can we go home?» Dasha nervously crumpled her napkin. «Why all this?»
«Wait,» Galina placed her hand over her daughter’s. «Let your father speak.»
«I know I’m to blame,» Sergey began, looking into his cup. «I thought providing money and solving household problems was enough. But you… you just wanted me to be there. To listen, understand, be part of your lives.»
«You never came to my performances,» Vitya said quietly. «And I waited.»
«And you didn’t come to my graduation,» Dasha added. «You said there was an important meeting.»
«I missed everything,» Sergey lifted his eyes, and tears glistened in them. «Your childhood, your victories and defeats. Galya… do you remember how we met?»
«In the park,» she smiled slightly. «You were feeding the pigeons and telling them about your dreams. I thought — what a strange and sincere person.»
«And then I stopped being sincere. I closed myself off in my world of reports and meetings.»
Dasha looked at her father for the first time without anger.
«You know, dad, I got into university. To study journalism.»
«Really?» His face lit up. «You always wrote so well…»
«And I’m in the basketball team,» Vitya chimed in. «The coach says I have potential.»
Sergey listened eagerly to every word, afraid to miss anything. The children slowly thawed, telling him about their new lives. Galina watched them silently.
«Can… can I see you sometimes?» he finally asked. «I’m not asking to come back. Just… to be around. To get to know you again.»
«Will you disappear again?» Dasha’s voice held distrust.
«No. I swear. I’ve thought a lot this year. I understand now that money is nothing compared to family.»
«Mom?» Vitya looked questioningly at his mother.
Galina was silent for a moment before she spoke slowly:
«Vitya has a competition in a week. If you want, you can come cheer for him.»
«Really?» The boy perked up.
«I’ll come,» Sergey said firmly. «I’ll definitely come.»
The next week dragged on endlessly. Sergey took a day off for the first time in a year, bought a new suit. He wanted to look respectable at his son’s competition.
The gym was noisy and crowded. He nervously looked around until he spotted familiar faces in the third row. Galina waved at him warmly.
«We’re here!»
«Dad, you really came!» Vitya ran out of the locker room in his sports uniform, his eyes sparkling.
«Of course I came, son. Good luck!»
Dasha sat next to her mother, glancing at her father when she thought he wouldn’t notice. Something had subtly changed in him — maybe his look had softened, maybe his wrinkles had smoothed out.
«Our guy is up next!» Galina exclaimed when Vitya stepped onto the floor.
Sergey was so nervous that his palms were sweating. His son played great — fast, skillful. The crowd cheered when he made the winning shot.
«Well done!» Sergey jumped up, applauding. «That’s amazing!»
After the match, they went to a café together. Vitya, red from his victory, excitedly talked about the game. Dasha laughed, teasing her brother. Galina smiled, watching her children.
«Thank you for letting me come,» Sergey said quietly when they were alone at the table.
«You’ve changed,» she looked at him carefully. «You’ve become… real, I guess.»
«I’ve learned a lot this year. How foolish it was to chase after an illusory success, losing what truly mattered.»
«You know,» Galina hesitated, «the kids missed you. Especially Vitya. He kept asking, ‘Why doesn’t dad call?'»
«And you?»
«And I… I missed you too. Despite everything.»
After the competition, their meetings became regular. Every Sunday, Sergey visited the children — he walked with Vitya, listened to Dasha’s poetry, and learned how to be a father again. Galina watched these changes with cautious hope.
«Can you imagine, dad,» Dasha shared during another family dinner, «my report was accepted by the university newspaper!»
«I’ll definitely read it,» Sergey smiled. «What did you write about?»
«About how important it is to listen to each other in a family. How easy it is to lose connection and how hard it is to restore it.»
A silence fell. Everyone understood what this report was really about.
«You know,» Vitya suddenly said, «I’m glad we’re together again. Even if we don’t live in the same apartment.»
Galina secretly wiped away a tear.
«We’re all glad, son.»
That evening, while seeing his ex-family home, Sergey gathered his courage:
«Galya, maybe… maybe we could try to start over? I know it can’t all be fixed right away, but…»
«Do you really want that?» She stopped and looked closely at his face.
«More than anything in the world. I’ve realized — without you, my life is empty. All these successes, positions — they mean nothing if there’s no one to tell about them in the evening.»
«And work? It was always more important to you than anything else.»
«I quit last week,» Sergey confessed. «I found another job with a regular schedule. Now I’ll be home by six.»
Galina was silent, and he hurriedly added:
«I’m not rushing you. Just… give me a chance to make things right.»
«You know,» Galina spoke slowly, «I’ve realized a lot this year too. Leaving was scary. Starting a new life was even scarier. But sometimes you have to lose something to understand its value.»
The children stood a little distance away, holding their breath. Dasha tightly squeezed her brother’s hand.
«I’m not asking you to come back right away,» Sergey cautiously took Galina’s hand. «Let’s start small. Maybe we can go somewhere just the two of us? Like in the old days?»
«In the park?» she smiled. «Feed the pigeons?»
«And tell them about our dreams,» he smiled too, remembering their first meeting.
«Hooray!» Vitya couldn’t hold back. «So you’ll try?»
«We’ll try,» Galina nodded. «But this time, everything will be different. Right, Sergey?»
«Right. I won’t miss the most important thing again.»
Dasha approached her parents.
«Can I write about this? About how love is stronger than grudges and pride?»
«Write, dear,» Sergey pulled her to him. «Just make sure it has a happy ending.»
They stood together, embracing, and each of them felt — life was giving them a second chance. A chance to become a real family, where the most important thing isn’t career or money, but the ability to listen to each other, be there, and love unconditionally.
By the way, Sergey remembered, «I’ve got a new dream.»
«What is it?» Galina asked.
«To learn how to be happy. With you.»
Snowflakes swirled in the light of the streetlamps, settling on their shoulders. Ahead was an entire life — new, different, but now they knew for sure: the most important thing was not to lose each other in the pursuit of illusory success. Because true happiness is measured not by money, but by the warmth of a family hearth and the love of those close to you.
