Svetlana sat on a bench.
She had just been discharged from the maternity hospital and felt the weight of a grave mistake. Perhaps she should have left the baby there, for the state to take care of him. But Svetlana had no choice—she had nowhere to go. As soon as her boyfriend learned about the pregnancy, he disappeared. It later turned out that he was a married man looking for a side affair.
She could not leave her little child there. Now, because of her indecision, the baby might end up in trouble: without warmth and food. Svetlana, through tears, looked at the tiny nose peeking out from the blanket.
Svetlana became an orphan early. Her parents’ house burned down six months after they passed away. Firefighters claimed that poor wiring was to blame. The only option was to move to the city to her paternal aunt. However, her reception there was cold: the aunt already had three children of her own.
Svetlana got a job and hoped for the best. Then she met Saveliy, an attractive young man with an expensive car. When the aunt learned that Svetlana was dating a boy, she told her to find another place to live. Saveliy, Svetlana’s boyfriend, helped her find a room in a dormitory, but now she had lost that too.
Confused, Svetlana wiped away her tears. What to do next?
Not far away, behind some bushes, noise was heard—two nurses went out for a smoke.
«Gal, did you see how today Tamara Ivanovna’s husband picked her up?»
«Yes, of course. I feel sorry for her, such a good doctor. But no one is insured against that. She lost a child and can’t have more, but works—delivering babies every day.»
«I don’t know how I would have coped. But she’s a good doctor and such a wonderful person.»
«Yes, they waited so long for this pregnancy. They’re already over forty. And what a house they built…»
Svetlana looked at her son and whispered: «Forgive me. I hope everything turns out as I planned.» She got up and headed to the church. Everything had to be carefully thought through, to do everything right. In the church, she cried silently for almost an hour and only left when the baby started to make noise. Svetlana found a secluded corner.
She went to the park, where she sat watching the ducks. She couldn’t stay long, as there were plenty of mothers with children around. She realized she couldn’t just walk with her son and teach him to play ball. Her life seemed to be over because her heart and soul stayed with the child.
It was getting dark. Svetlana stood in front of a big new house with a green roof, the light was on in the windows, but no one was visible. She tenderly kissed the baby’s nose and walked to the house, choked with sobs and torn by pain in her soul. She felt as if the world was crumbling around her. She wanted to scream, to cry out all the pain…
On the spacious porch, she placed a box found in the dump. Inside, she carefully laid the baby, who immediately cried. Svetlana tightly closed her eyes, and his cry echoed in her heart.
She pressed the doorbell and held her finger for a long time, then swiftly ran away. She hid behind a tree, listening to the baby’s crying. A loud male voice came from the house:
«Tamara, here, quickly!»
Svetlana clenched her jacket sleeve with her teeth, trying not to scream and not to rush to the baby.
A woman appeared on the threshold, who tenderly picked up the child in her arms.
«Tolya, come into the house quickly. Get inside!»
The door closed, and the baby’s cry dissolved in the silence.
Completely exhausted, Svetlana collapsed on the cold ground at the tree trunk. She did not know how much time had passed until she came to. When she opened her eyes, it had already darkened. Svetlana walked to the city limits—there was nothing left for her here. In her pocket were documents, although they were hardly needed now.
An hour later, she reached the highway, and half an hour later, a truck picked her up. The driver, an elderly man, was heading north, and she said she needed to go there too.
«Matvey, how happy I am to see you!» exclaimed the woman when her son got out of the car and warmly hugged her.
«Mom, stop sitting in the heat. You know about the pressure,» said Matvey.
«Oh, stop fussing! Where’s my sunshine?»
A young woman with a child got out of the car. The boy was about two years old, his eyes still sleepy, but as soon as he saw his grandmother, he immediately woke up joyfully:
«Ba!»
«Come here to grandma, my sunshine!» Tamara Ivanovna stretched out her arms.
The daughter-in-law handed him to her and laughed:
«That’s it, Matvey, you can rest for two days, no kids.»
«Okay, rest,» waved Tamara Ivanovna. «You—two days of rest, and me—once a month to see my grandson.»
Matvey smiled:
«Mom, we are happy to rest. I brought fishing rods, I’ll teach Vera to fish. How’s our river, still not dried up?»
«What fishing,» Vera chuckled. «They caught all the fish long ago, and you came to your mother, but you’re planning to sit by the river! I’d better help with the preserves,» Vera offered, hugging her mother-in-law. «My mom and I used to can so much before…»
Matvey sighed deeply, pretending to be unhappy:
«Ah, you caught me. Okay, I’ll fix the fence. I’ve been putting it off, but it needs to be done. By the way, Pashka called yesterday, asked about us.»
The day flew by unnoticed, and Matvey slyly smiled. He hadn’t told his mother that they hadn’t come for the weekend, but for three weeks of vacation. After his father’s death, his mother had noticeably changed but tried to hold on.
Matvey had long settled in another city, followed in his mother’s footsteps, and became a renowned doctor. The most complex surgeries and deliveries had repeatedly been conducted under his excellent guidance. He started right here, and then he was invited to a new perinatal center.
Matvey met Vera, who worked as an accountant, exactly in this center. Although they tried to visit relatives often, Matvey’s workload rarely allowed it. But this time, they decided to take a vacation and go to his mother’s because there was a lot of work to do.
The next evening, they decided to have a barbecue. Little Andryusha joyfully played in the sandbox with a car. Matvey and his childhood friend Pashka made a plan to repair the roof there and then at Pavel’s house. Pashka joked that a well-developed plan was already half the work and a reason for a toast.
Tamara Ivanovna, busy in the kitchen, pretended to grumble at the men, but how could she be unhappy when the whole family gathered? It happened rarely.
«Mom, I have news for you,» said Matvey.
«And what news, son?» she replied.
«I don’t know if you’ll be pleased by this. You’ll find out now,» Matvey joked, lightly slapping her with a towel. «Mom, we’re staying with you for three weeks!»
Tamara Ivanovna sat down on the bench in astonishment:
«Why didn’t you say earlier? What joy, Lord!»
She wiped away tears of happiness. Matvey became concerned:
«Mom, what happened, why are you crying?»
«It’s happiness, dear,» she smiled.
They talked on various topics for a long time and didn’t notice as some unfamiliar woman appeared at the gate. Matvey stood up and headed toward her:
«Hello. Are you coming to us? Please, come in, mom’s home.»
The stranger entered the gate and hesitantly approached the table in the yard:
«Sorry, maybe I came at the wrong time.»
Vera watched the woman attentively, then looked at Tamara Ivanovna and saw how she suddenly turned pale and clutched her heart.
«Tamara Ivanovna, what’s wrong with you?» shouted Vera, rushing to her. Matvey and Pavel led her into the house, measured her pressure, and gave her pills.
When Tamara Ivanovna felt better, Matvey went outside:
«And where is that woman?» he asked.
Vera looked at him:
«She left as soon as Tamara Ivanovna felt better. I don’t understand, maybe she’s an acquaintance of your mom?»
«Maybe she’s one of our relatives,» Matvey guessed.
Pavel and Vera exchanged surprised looks.
«Why do you think she’s a relative?» asked Vera. «Although… her face also seems familiar to me. Look in the mirror! You look very similar. If I didn’t know your story, I’d think she’s your mother,» said Vera.
Matvey, puzzled, looked at Pasha.
«Like two peas in a pod, honestly,» Pavel confirmed.
Matvey sat on the bench, deep in thought:
«What could all this mean? Could she be a relative to my parents? But why have I never seen her before?»
Suddenly, Tamara Ivanovna’s voice rang out:
«No, Matvey, she’s not our relative. For us—no. But for you… Yes, she’s your real mother.»
Matvey turned pale, and Vera tightly squeezed his hand:
«Who?» she exhaled.
Tamara Ivanovna, sighing heavily, tried to explain:
«Matvey, I’ve been meaning to tell you this. I always hoped she wouldn’t show up… I never understood why she did what she did. But I could never start the conversation.»
Tamara Ivanovna told him about how long they had dreamed of a child, but fate wasn’t kind to them. Losing a child was a real blow for her, and heavy thoughts never left her. But one evening, a doorbell changed their lives.
On the threshold, they found a note with a short message: «Please give him what I cannot, give him happiness.» «In those troubled times, when we had money and were respected in town, we took it as fate. I had to change jobs and drive to another district, to avoid unnecessary questions. After some time, everyone forgot, and all considered you our own son. I love you with all my heart, you are my dearest and closest person. But Svetlana left you not without an important reason, you see? Not because you were unwanted by her. I understand how hard this is for you to cope with… She appeared in the village half a year ago, came and told me what happened. It’s not her fault.
«Mom, do you want me to talk to her?» Matvey asked.
Vera, putting her hand on her husband’s shoulder, supported:
«Yes, I think so too. Otherwise, you will always think about her.»
«But where will I find her?» Matvey was surprised.
Pasha approached the gate and, looking outside, said:
«She’s there, standing by the tree and crying.»
Matvey stood up, not knowing what to talk about with the woman who had once left him. He didn’t understand why to do it. After all, in his life, everything was in its place—his beloved mother and father, even though he was no longer nearby. These thoughts swirled in his head, but his legs carried him to the unknown woman.
«Hello. I suppose we should talk,» he said uncertainly. The woman looked at him fearfully, timidly extended her hand, and touched his shoulder.
«I don’t need anything from you, Matvey. Just listen to me.»
Three years had passed. Matvey returned to the yard, where now he spent every free minute surrounded by family.
«Ma-a-a, where is everyone? Round up the grandkids!»
Andrey jumped out of the car, followed by Vera with a little daughter in her arms. Svetlana ran out after them, followed by Tamara Ivanovna.
«Oh, my God, we’ve been watching from the window since morning, and still missed it!» laughed Tamara Ivanovna.
Svetlana bought a house not far from Tamara Ivanovna’s, and gradually their relationship became closer. Initially, they communicated cautiously, but soon became close friends. Together they rejoiced in the grandchildren and cared for Matvey, as if he were their common son.
In the evenings, they shared stories: Tamara reminisced about Matvey’s childhood, and Svetlana talked about her trials and experiences.
Now they had a special, but strong family. Matvey joked:
«Who would have thought—I, a doctor, help women become mothers, and now I have two mothers myself, and my children have three grandmothers!»
