Lisa was hurrying home. Today, just as it happened, the electricity was cut off during lunch at work, and after her shift, she had to stay for a whole extra hour. The management didn’t care that some employees had children, others a second job, or that someone just missed a date.
Four children were waiting for Lisa at home.
She had always dreamed of a big and happy family. She got married, but her mother-in-law didn’t like her daughter-in-law. Lisa ignored this, as her husband was the best, always supporting her. They agreed to have at least three children, but ended up with four because the last were twins.
After the birth of Masha and Marina, misunderstandings began. First, her mother-in-law constantly nagged Lisa, claiming that she ruined her son’s life. He was only 30, yet burdened with children instead of enjoying life.
In her opinion, Lisa burdened him with a bunch of kids and was happy, although she herself lacked the brains to provide them with an education and a start in life. They wouldn’t be able to buy four apartments, and couldn’t properly afford their education. So, in her view, there was nothing to be happy about. Secondly, the mother-in-law was sure that Lisa couldn’t keep her son from desiring a free life.
Lisa didn’t argue, agreed just to not anger her mother-in-law. She was young and naive, believing that she and her husband could overcome everything. When the girls were five months old, Nikolai declared that he was leaving. Lisa was shocked, not believing her ears.
«How can you leave? Where to?» she asked.
«Actually, you should be the one to leave. You understand that most of the money for the apartment was given by my parents,» Nikolai replied.
«Kolya, what about the children?» Lisa was perplexed.
«You wanted a lot of children.»
«Well, you wanted them too. They are your children as well,» she said.
«Lisa, I know what you want to say, but it changes nothing. I’ve decided, and mom too…»
Lisa sat down on a chair.
«Mom? What does she have to do with it? You have your own family. You wanted a big family yourself.»
«I was wrong. Pack up, I’ll take you to your grandmother’s house.»
«Where? Have you thought about how I’ll manage there with the children? No one has lived there for ten years.»
Nikolai shrugged.
«My mom and I can give you a small amount for repairs.»
It took Lisa time to gather her thoughts. Then she shook herself and decided not to be discouraged. The older children helped as they could: giving the little ones a bottle or bringing a cloth to their mom. When they put the old house in order, she gathered all the documents and filed for child support.
That’s when the trouble began! Kolya and his mother treated her like their job, threatening her with all sorts. When the former mother-in-law claimed they would take the children away from her, Lisa smirked:
«That’s right. Let them live with their father in a well-appointed apartment, and I will visit them on weekends. I like that.»
The mother-in-law even recoiled. Lisa found a nanny who looked after the children for a small fee and went back to work. Now, three years after Nikolai left them, she felt confident.
Lisa even felt gratitude for no longer having to be nervous about his mother’s visits. She became more confident, and the family lived quite well. A small garden, a cozy house—live and be happy. Of course, everyone wants more, but Lisa was satisfied.
Ever since Masha and Marina went to kindergarten, things got even better. The girls hardly got sick, and Lisa could work full time. She turned towards the bus stop, looked at her watch, and sighed. The work was good, but the transport connection was a real problem. The last bus leaves at 7 p.m., and after that, it’s either on foot or by taxi. It was almost eight, nothing to be done—she had to walk across the pedestrian bridge, and from there, it was a mere twenty minutes to home.
Almost immediately after the bridge, Lisa noticed an old woman sitting on a bench. She looked odd, as if someone had given her expensive clothes, but they were worn to holes. The old woman looked so pitiful that Lisa couldn’t just walk by. She always had a tender heart for the elderly, remembering her own grandmother who raised her from the age of ten.
«Hello, are you alright?» asked Lisa.
The old woman looked at her and smiled.
«Yes, I suppose. Just sitting, resting.»
«Maybe I can walk you home? Where do you live?»
The old woman wiped her eyes.
«Nowhere to walk me, dear. I live on the street. Probably lived somewhere before, but I’ve forgotten where.»
Lisa was at a loss.
«How so? You should go to the police.»
The old woman waved her hand.
«I’ve been there. They shoo me away, tell me to drink less, but I don’t drink a drop.»
Lisa was completely at a loss. She realized that she was facing one of the so-called homeless, perhaps even her own children had turned her out. But this grandmother was neither impudent nor evil; she was sad and lost. Lisa knew that she couldn’t just leave her on the street.
«Know what? Come with me.»
The grandmother looked at her fearfully, and Lisa’s heart clenched. Apparently, she hadn’t seen much good from people recently. That’s why she was scared.
«Come on. My name is Lisa. I live not far from here, I’ll introduce you to the kids, we’ll have dinner. Don’t be afraid.»
The grandmother’s eyes warmed.
«I am so dirty. And you say you have children…»
«We’ll fix that, find something for you to wear, and if needed, we’ll fire up the bathhouse.»
Lisa smiled and took the woman by the arm.
«Let’s go, I’ll help you.»
They reached home surprisingly quickly. The children rushed to hug their mother.
«Mom, who is this?»
«This, my dears, is Grandma…» Lisa paused.
«Zoya,» the grandmother smiled, finishing her sentence.
«This is Grandma Zoya; she got lost, she’ll stay with us for now, and we’ll try to help her.»
Little Masha took the grandmother by one hand, Marina by the other, and they led her to the table. Misha pulled out a chair, and Sasha placed a clean plate.
«Oh, wait, kids. I need to wash up.»
Half an hour later, everyone was sitting at the table. The grandmother asked the children about their activities, helping Masha manage her spoon. Lisa couldn’t help one or the other fast enough, let alone eat herself, but suddenly realized that she had eaten and the kids were full.
For the first time, leaving for work and leaving the children with almost a stranger was a bit scary. Grandma Zoya, who was sitting and knitting a sock in glasses kindly provided by a neighbor, seemed to understand her.
«Lizonka, I understand your concerns. Go and see the neighbor, let her come to us. They’re children, it’s normal to worry,» she smiled.
«You are very perceptive and kind. I think we were lucky to find you.»
A week later, Lisa couldn’t understand how they had managed without Grandma Zoya before. She cared for the children like a hen, told the girls bedtime stories so captivating they ran to their beds to start listening sooner. And the boys settled nearby on the couch to not miss the most interesting part.
Grandma Zoya sat down with Lisa in the morning and said:
«Alright, I’ll write you a list of what to buy. You rush around, cook, not only is it not economical, but the food you make is whatever’s quickest. But children need to be fed tasty meals so they remember how good their childhood was with their mom.»
«Well, you’ll get tired.»
Zoya looked at her in surprise.
«Why would that be? Because I’m cooking something? Oh, I can’t with you.»
Pies appeared in the house, different soups. Money indeed started to go much further. And Zoya scolded Lisa:
«You’re so beautiful, you provide for yourself, but you shy away from men, you also need to think about yourself.»
Lisa laughed.
«What men, I have four on the bench. Four, not one. Who would take that on?»
«And what now, bury your youth? Your children are smart, healthy, what’s wrong then?»
In such moments, Lisa very much wanted to hug Zoya and say, «Alright, mom, I’ll do everything you say.» Lisa, of course, remained silent, but she listened to the grandmother’s advice.
A month later, Sasha, the eldest, brought a thank-you note from his teacher. She wrote that the son had recently improved a lot in his studies, becoming more focused. And Lisa saw that he was doing everything himself. But it was Grandma Zoya who told him that a real man should try to do absolutely everything well.
Grandma Zoya had been living with them for six months. Lisa sincerely felt sorry for her, but deep down understood that if no one was looking for her, it would be very good. How would she manage without heartfelt evening conversations over a cup of tea, without the girls’ bedtime stories, without the neighbor learning new pie recipes? But Lisa also understood something else: every day Zoya remembered something new from that past life. Sometimes she was with her son at the theater, sometimes her son gave her a travel voucher. It seemed that there were no quarrels with her son, just something happened.
The grandmother sat in front of the table, the children quietly on the couch, and in front of Zoya lay a piece of paper with some numbers.
«Lizonka, I remembered, this is the number of my Sergey. He made me repeat it. Probably should call him, he might be worried.»
Lisa almost cried but took out her phone. After a while, they sat quietly on the porch when they heard footsteps, and a man literally burst into the house.
«Mom!» he exclaimed and rushed to the woman.
The man knelt before Zoya, burying his face in her hands. Lisa noticed his shoulders shaking. He was about forty-five, his temples already gray, dressed stylishly, and emanating the scent of expensive cologne.
«Grandma, will you come visit us again?» Sasha asked, but his voice betrayed his anxiety.
The guest looked at the crying grandmother, then shifted his gaze to the children and finally to Lisa.
«Of course, she will. I’ll bring her myself to visit you.»
Sergey kept his word. Just a week later, they came for a visit, bringing a car full of gifts. Sergey helped set the table.
«You’re lucky, Lisa. It’s such a happiness to have children.»
«Do you have children?»
«No, unfortunately. Married twice, but the wives preferred to entertain themselves, and we parted. So, I remained alone. But still, I want a family… We have a small family: mom and me. She almost died giving birth to me, doctors forbade her to have more children. Dad left us early. So it was just the two of us.»
«You’re not an old man, in the prime of life. Get married, and children will still come.»
«Do you really think so?»
Lisa turned out to be right. Less than a year later, Sergey got married, and he immediately had children. Not one, but four!
However, Kolya and his mother tried to overshadow the young couple’s happiness. As soon as they found out that Lisa had married a wealthy man, they appeared on the horizon. At first, Lisa didn’t understand what they wanted, but when she did, she went straight to her husband.
«Sergey, the thing is, my former mother-in-law and ex-husband are threatening to take the children away if I don’t pay them. They somehow decided that since I married you…» Lisa lowered her gaze. «See, nothing but trouble from me.»
Sergey smiled.
«Take away? From me? Well, well. Let them try. And don’t talk like that anymore. There are no your problems or my problems. We are one, a family. Everything we have is shared.»
Lisa again lowered her head.
«There’s something else, it’s not too late to fix everything, but…» She raised frightened eyes to him. «Sergey… in short, soon our family will have a fifth child.»
Never before had Lisa seen an adult man so happy and jumping around the room.
