Alina, sweetie, go play outside with Jack while I run some errands,» Oksana said softly to her five-year-old daughter.
«Where are you going, mom?» the girl asked curiously.
«I’m going to see someone I know. Just don’t tell anyone about it,» the mother whispered conspiratorially.
The girl took on a serious look and nodded confidently in response. Oksana, looking at her, couldn’t help but smile and tenderly ruffled her hair.
Oksana was gone for about an hour, during which Alina played with the puppy. When Nikolai returned from work, the daughter, as she promised her mother, didn’t tell him anything.
For two weeks, while her husband was at work, Oksana went about her business, leaving her daughter in the yard.
The thing is, the couple lived in a private sector on the outskirts of the city. There was a high fence around the house, so the woman thought Alina wouldn’t go anywhere from the yard.
However, she was deeply mistaken, as the girl was clever beyond her years and already knew how to unlock the gate.
Alina was curious about who her mother was constantly visiting, and one day she decided to follow her to find out.
When Oksana left for her errands again, her daughter followed her.
The young mother had no idea that Alina was walking behind her. About ten minutes later, the woman approached an old log house and turned around.
«What are you doing here?» Oksana exclaimed in surprise, seeing Alina.
«I followed you,» the daughter replied with childlike calmness. «What are you doing here?»
«I came to visit someone. Do you want to meet him?» the woman asked.
«Yes!» the girl said joyfully.
«Okay, but promise me it will be our secret, and you won’t tell anyone,» Oksana slyly said.
«I promise not to tell anyone,» Alina said seriously, frowning.
The woman laughed and took her daughter by the hand, and they entered the yard together.
Oksana and Alina spent just over half an hour visiting and returned home together.
From then on, the girl accompanied her mother to visit the unknown man.
The summer passed, and then the fall. All this time, the five-year-old child didn’t tell anyone about her trips with her mother to the stranger from the neighboring street.
Only on New Year’s Eve did Alina break her promise. When Oksana, Nikolai, and the in-laws gathered at the festive table, the girl loudly asked:
«Mom, where is the man we secretly visit behind dad’s back?»
Silence instantly fell in the room, and the relatives looked at Oksana in confusion.
«Sweetheart, what are you talking about?» Oksana smiled awkwardly. «We haven’t secretly gone anywhere. You probably mean Aunt Olya and Uncle Dima? They are celebrating at their home.»
«I remember Aunt Olya and Uncle Dima! I’m talking about Uncle Fedya!» Alina said with childlike indignation.
«Sweetheart, you’re confused, I don’t know any Uncle Fedya, and we certainly didn’t visit him,» Oksana said nervously and glared at her daughter.
The girl crossed her arms in hurt and resolutely turned to her father.
«Mom always goes to him when you’re at work. I saw it with my own eyes!» the child exclaimed excitedly.
Zakhar Stepanovich and Lidia Mikhailovna whispered to each other after these words, occasionally glancing at their daughter-in-law.
Nikolai initially blushed but then calmed down and began to kindly ask his daughter about the stranger.
Alina started her story from the moment her mother first asked her to stay home alone.
As the narrative continued, the man’s face became angrier and angrier. At some point, Oksana couldn’t take it anymore and shouted at her daughter and husband.
«Enough! Stop this circus,» she said irritably. «It’s clear the child made all this up!»
«No, I’m not lying! I saw you taking salads to him today!» Alina persisted.
«I took salads to Olga and Dmitry, not some mythical Fedor,» Oksana said sternly.
«Dad, I’m not lying! I can show you that house,» the girl cried desperately.
«Quiet, quiet, sweetheart. I believe you, now let’s all get dressed and go visit Uncle Fedor,» Nikolai said gently, leading his daughter to the hallway.
His wife, watching this scene, became seriously worried.
«There’s no need to go anywhere; I’ll explain everything,» Oksana said quietly, looking down at the floor.
The man returned to the table with a sad smirk, poured himself a full glass, and downed it in one go.
Zakhar Stepanovich and Lidia Mikhailovna sat with wide eyes all this time but did not join the conversation.
«I lied to you when I said I was an orphan. I actually have a father, Fyodor Valeryevich. He always led a not very good lifestyle and ended up in prison. After my mother passed away, I had nowhere to go, and I was taken to an orphanage,» the woman sadly informed. «This summer he was released and found me. Initially, I didn’t want to communicate with him, but then I took pity and helped him buy a house. I was ashamed to tell you that my father was a convict, so I visited him secretly.»
«That’s a very touching story; I think we should visit your father,» Nikolai said skeptically. «It’s not right to leave your father-in-law alone on New Year’s Eve. Let’s see how old he is and if you look like him.»
Oksana realized her husband didn’t believe her. Silently, she stood up from the table and proudly headed to the hallway.
Alina followed her along with her father. This time, Zakhar Stepanovich and Lidia Mikhailovna decided not to stay aside and also went to get dressed.
Soon, the relatives all rushed to the house of the mysterious Fedor.
Oksana was the first to step through the gate, walked up to the porch, and knocked on the door. Without waiting for an answer, she confidently entered the house.
«Who’s there? Oksana, is that you?» a raspy male voice sounded.
«Yes, dad, but I’m not alone. My husband, daughter, and in-laws came with me,» she warned in advance.
Hearing this, Nikolai was taken aback and froze in place. Zakhar Stepanovich and Lidia Mikhailovna stood in confusion next to their son.
A thin, gray-haired old man with tattoo-covered hands emerged in the hallway.
Oksana didn’t falter and introduced her father to the relatives. Ashamed of his baseless suspicions, the husband invited his father-in-law to celebrate the New Year together.
Fyodor Valeryevich initially hesitated but eventually agreed. Later, Nikolai took the opportunity to apologize to Oksana for his behavior.
The woman harbored no grudge against her husband, so she easily forgave him. From that day on, she was no longer ashamed of her father and began to communicate with him more often.
