Valeria stood by the door of her parents’ apartment, examining a bunch of keys, one of which, darkened by time with a deep scratch on its side, she recognized immediately. Once, her mother had tied a red ribbon to it so it wouldn’t get mixed up with the others. The ribbon had long since frayed and disappeared, but the key remained — the only thing that connected her to her past life.
She hadn’t crossed this threshold for three years. At first, she was too busy. She studied in Krasnodar, then started her master’s degree, followed by an internship in Germany. And then she met Andrey, and her life took a completely different direction.
“Don’t go if you don’t want to,” her husband said before her trip, brewing her favorite green tea.
Andrey was the only one who understood why she avoided meeting her brother. But could she really skip Svetka’s wedding, her childhood best friend?
Valeria ran her fingers over the rough wall of the stairwell: the same light blue paint, peeling in spots at the corners. It was strange how sometimes the smallest details could stir up an entire flood of memories.
Here, on the landing between the second and third floors, she and Svetka had hidden from the rain after their graduation.
And there, by the window, her mother liked to stand in the evenings, watching the children’s playground.
The memories came rushing in suddenly, like a wave from the sea. Those terrible days when her mother was fading away in the hospital. The smell of medicine, the beeping of machines, the endless IV drips…
She was only nineteen when it all ended. She remembered even the sky that day seemed gray and lifeless.
Her older brother Nikolay was already working as an electrician at the Cultural Center. At twenty-two, he married Marina, and they had a wonderful son, Antoshka.
But instead of becoming the family’s support, her brother increasingly turned to the bottle — just like their father, who had long disappeared from their lives, leaving behind only bitter memories and this bad inheritance.
Their last meeting with Kolya was still vivid in her mind.
He stood unsteadily by the window, reeking of booze.
“You’re so proper. But what’s the use? What does it change in life?” her brother slurred, smirking.
Valeria couldn’t hold back then; she said everything she had been holding in. Since then, they only occasionally called each other on holidays: formal phrases, empty congratulations.
Meanwhile, Valeria’s life was going well.
Her job at a German company, where she met Andrey, turned into a beautiful romance and later a happy marriage. Now they had their own apartment in downtown Krasnodar, plans for the future she never dreamed of when leaving her hometown.
She tried not to think about her mother’s apartment, divided equally between them by will. For the sake of her little nephew. She had her own life; her brother had his.
But Svetka’s call changed everything.
“Lerka, you have to come! — her friend shouted into the phone. — Remember how we used to sit on that bench, inventing fiancés? How we promised to be each other’s bridesmaids?”
The key finally turned in the lock. The door opened with a long creak that hadn’t been there before. Mother always made sure the hinges were oiled.
A stale air hit her face, mixed with something sour and stagnant.
Valeria stepped inside. The clicking of her heels echoed loudly through the corridor. From somewhere deep inside the apartment came a faint rustling.
“Kolya? Marina?” she called, clicking the light switch.
Light slowly spread across the hallway. At that moment, Valeria’s breath caught. What lay before her eyes couldn’t be real.
But this was only the beginning…
Valeria walked slowly through the apartment. Every step was difficult. What she saw did not fit in her mind.
The parquet floor, which her mother polished to a shine every weekend, was now covered with a thick layer of dirt. There were stains from spilled wine and extinguished cigarette butts. The walls, once light and clean, had yellowed from tobacco smoke.
Her mother’s beloved china cabinet, which she had guarded like the apple of her eye and cleaned daily, stood with its doors wide open. Inside were empty bottles instead of elegant porcelain. The living room sofa was sagging, upholstery torn in places. Dirty pillows and a crumpled blanket lay on it.
In the hallway, Valeria bumped into Marina. Her sister-in-law shuffled in slippers from the kitchen holding a bottle of beer. Seeing her sister-in-law, she stopped, leaning against the wall. She reeked of alcohol.
“Oh, is that really you? You showed up! We thought you were joking when you called a week ago,” Marina slurred, her eyes cloudy. “Haven’t been around for a while.”
“What’s going on here?” Valeria’s voice trembled. “How could you let the apartment get into such a state?”
“So what?” smirked the sister-in-law. “We live as we can. Not everyone in Krasnodar gets to live in luxury.”
At that moment, a crash came from the stair landing. The front door burst open, and Nikolay stumbled in, smelling even more strongly of alcohol than his wife.
“Oh! Sis! Hi!” her brother tried to smile. “We’ve been waiting for you. We were wondering whether you’d come or not!”
“Kolya, you…” Valeria gasped in outrage. “How could you? Mom…”
“Don’t start! Don’t lecture me! You ran away at the first chance. Live however you want! Am I right? So don’t teach me how to live!”
“I left to study! And you… you turned Mom’s apartment into a den!”
The argument escalated into shouting. Nikolay waved his hands, accusing his sister of everything, Marina echoed him. Valeria broke down in tears.
Suddenly, Antosha appeared in the hallway. Small, thin, wearing a worn-out undershirt too big for him. He held a tattered book to his chest and looked at the adults with fear.
The woman stopped mid-sentence. Her nephew… How could she have forgotten about him? The boy stood, shifting his gaze from one to the other. A mute question frozen in his eyes.
“Go to your room, son,” the man grunted. “Adults are talking here. It’s not your business!”
Antosha silently turned and went to his room. Valeria wiped her tears and followed him.
The children’s room shocked her even more than the rest of the apartment. Peeling walls, a sagging bed, an old desk. Scattered on the floor were parts of a single construction set, and in the corner stood a stack of three tattered books.
“Are these all your toys?” the woman asked quietly, sitting next to her nephew.
“Yes,” the boy answered simply. “But it’s enough for me. I love to read. These books are my favorites.”
“Are they… mean to you?” Valeria asked cautiously.
“No,” Antosha shook his head. “They don’t touch me. They just… don’t notice me. I try to sit quietly so as not to bother.”
The woman silently hugged her nephew. Tears ran down her cheeks. At that moment, she realized that all these years she had made a huge mistake by staying away. Yes, she had her own life, a successful career, a loving husband. But did that give her the right to forget about the little person left alone with his parents’ indifference?
“Mom would never have forgiven me for this,” she thought, remembering how often her mother spoke about the importance of family bonds. Even in her last days, worn out by illness, mother asked her children to stick together, to help each other.
Valeria stood firmly, took off her expensive jacket, tied back her hair, and started cleaning.
For her mother, who had always kept this apartment in perfect order. For this quiet boy who had learned to be invisible in his own home.
“Antosha,” she called her nephew, “maybe you can help me?”
The boy brightened, put down his book, and eagerly ran to his aunt. Together they began sorting through the mess in his room.
The woman noticed how carefully the nephew treated his few books: an old collection of fairy tales, a worn “Robinson Crusoe,” and a textbook about the world around us.
“You know,” Antosha said quietly while wiping a bookshelf, “when I read, I imagine that I’m traveling. Like I’m not here, but far, far away…”
Nikolay and Marina watched them from the kitchen, chuckling. The brother muttered something about “city neat freaks,” and the sister-in-law demonstratively opened a new bottle of beer.
“Look at her, playing the neat freak,” came from the kitchen. “Tomorrow she’ll leave and forget everything. The main thing is to create an appearance!”
But Valeria didn’t care. Methodically scrubbing years of dirt, she mentally made a plan of action. No, she would no longer allow this apartment — her mother’s legacy — to turn into a den. And most importantly, she would not leave her nephew stuck in this swamp!
Antosha, as if sensing his aunt’s determination, worked alongside her with special diligence. His thin hands skillfully wielded a rag, and his eyes regained a long-forgotten sparkle. It seemed even the air in the room became cleaner and lighter.
Valeria knew she couldn’t leave things as they were. And she had to start right now. Let her brother and sister-in-law laugh, let them call her a city snob. She would no longer let this home, holding so many bright memories, fall into ruin. And most importantly, she would do everything to save her nephew from the mire into which his parents had sunk.
Since early morning, unusually bright sunlight poured through the windows.
Valeria woke Antosha early while his parents still slept off another binge. From her brother’s room came loud snoring mixed with Marina’s muttering.
“Get ready, we’re going to the city,” she whispered to her nephew, carefully closing his door.
The boy looked at his aunt distrustfully but quickly dressed in his worn clothes. His old sneakers were clearly too small. Valeria noticed how Antosha grimaced in pain when walking.
In the shopping mall, the nephew looked around in confusion: it turned out he had never been there either.
“Try these on,” the woman handed him new jeans, T-shirts, and a warm sweater. She chose the best quality, knowing these clothes needed to last as long as possible.
Antosha hesitantly took the clothes, gently feeling the fabric as if afraid to damage it. In the fitting room, he moved very carefully, as if in a museum. Each time Valeria handed him a new item, there was disbelief mixed with delight in his eyes.
“Aunt Lera, is this really for me?” he asked, looking at himself in the mirror wearing a new jacket. “It’s so… beautiful.”
“Of course, honey. And that’s not all.”
After the clothes, they went to the bookstore. The boy’s eyes lit up when he saw rows of colorful volumes. He walked between the shelves, gently running his fingers along the spines, stopping here and there to read the summaries.
“Pick whatever you want,” Valeria smiled, watching his delight.
“Really? Any? Even this one about travels?”
Her nephew chose ten books, mostly adventures and science fiction. He hugged them tightly as if they were the greatest treasure. Valeria noticed the saleswoman secretly wiping a tear, looking at the happy boy.
“Let’s buy you a phone too. We’ll keep in touch. You’ll be able to take pictures, play educational games.”
Anton’s face suddenly darkened. He lowered his eyes and whispered barely audibly:
“No, Aunt Lera. Mom and Dad will just take it and sell it. Like the bike Grandma Olya gave me for my birthday. And Uncle Petya’s construction set too…”
Valeria’s heart ached. And these people call themselves parents!
To distract her nephew from sad thoughts, she took him to a children’s cafe called “Caramelka.” Antosha froze at the entrance, looking at bright balloons, cheerful drawings on the walls, and playing children. His eyes widened in amazement.
“I’ve never been here,” he whispered. “I passed by but never dreamed of going inside! Wow!”
Her nephew eagerly tried a milkshake, devoured pancakes with chocolate, and laughed at a funny waiter dressed as a pirate.
Valeria secretly wiped tears, watching his happy face. For the first time in a long while, she saw a genuine smile.
The next week flew by unnoticed. They strolled in the park, read new books, cooked dinner together. Nikolay and Marina rarely appeared at home.
“That’s better,” the brother grumbled when they met. “So as not to disturb your idyll.”
Valeria understood that they had lived like this before, disappearing all day long somewhere unknown. Returning only to sleep, drunk and angry.
On the night before her friend’s wedding, Valeria was awakened by a quiet whisper:
“Aunt Lera! Aunt Lera, wake up!”
She opened her eyes. Antosha stood before her, frightened.
“What’s wrong, dear?”
“You have to get out of here. Right now!”
“Why?” the woman asked puzzled.
With trembling hands, her nephew handed her the phone she had given him each evening to play games. A video was open on the screen. Valeria pressed play and felt a chill.
In the dim light of the night lamp, she saw Nikolay and Marina bent over her suitcase. Her brother pulled out a purse with jewelry — the very pieces she planned to wear at her friend’s wedding.
“That’s worth at least three hundred thousand,” the sister-in-law’s muffled voice said.
“I’ll pawn it tomorrow morning,” the man replied. “We’ll live! Let’s look for more. She has plenty of valuables!”
Valeria stared at the screen, unable to believe her eyes. Her own brother…
“I accidentally filmed it,” Antosha whispered. “They didn’t know I was awake. Please leave, Aunt Lera. Please!”
Until dawn, the woman sat in a chair, listening to the silence of the apartment. Every creak of the floorboards, every rustle made her jump.
The video replayed again and again in her mind: her brother’s greedy hands rummaging through her things, Marina’s whisper, “Semenych will pay well.”
Valeria took out her phone, played the video again without sound. Trying to understand what she felt. Anger? Hurt? No, more like emptiness. As if the last thread connecting her to the past had been cut. And a strange relief. Now she didn’t have to pretend everything was okay.
When dawn lightened the sky outside, quiet shuffling came from the bedroom: the relatives were starting to wake up.
Valeria straightened up, clutching her phone tightly. Antosha, who hadn’t slept all night, was quietly paging through new books, enjoying every touch of the fresh pages.
“Oh, sis isn’t sleeping!” Nikolay croaked, appearing at the doorway. “What, your friend’s wedding got you worried?”
He smelled of booze as always. Marina lurked behind him: disheveled, with yesterday’s smeared makeup.
“Both of you, sit down,” the woman’s voice sounded unexpectedly firm. “We need to talk.”
Turning on the video, she silently handed the phone to her brother. She watched their faces change: from brazen smirks to confusion and fear. Nikolay turned pale; his hands holding the phone trembled noticeably.
“That’s not what you think,” the sister-in-law stammered. “We just wanted to look…”
“Silence! Now I’m talking. You have two options: either I file a police report and you both go to jail for theft, or…” Valeria paused, gathering her courage, “or you voluntarily give me custody of Anton.”
“What?!” Nikolay jumped up. “Come up with something else! He’s my son!”
“Don’t make me laugh! He’s your son only on paper. You don’t need him, Kolya. Just like your wife doesn’t!” Valeria smiled bitterly. “Do you remember the last time you asked him about homework? When you bought him new clothes? When you just hugged him? Stop tormenting the boy. Let him live a normal life. With me.”
To Valeria’s surprise, the couple didn’t resist for long. Maybe the threat of jail sobered them up, or maybe they simply admitted the child was a burden.
The next two weeks turned into an endless series of offices, statements, and certificates.
Valeria learned to sleep four hours, drink cold coffee, and speak the bureaucrats’ language. Andrey flew in from Krasnodar and took on some of the hassle.
When he first saw Antosha, he just silently hugged the boy tightly.
“Now everything will be fine, partner,” he winked at his nephew. “You’ll have your own room with a real desk. And a library. You like to read?”
The boy nodded shyly, not believing his luck. For the first time in a long while, a lively interest appeared in his eyes.
Valeria’s last surprise for her brother was on the day of her departure. She handed him documents for the sale of her share of the apartment. Nikolay flipped through the papers, confused, not understanding what was happening.
“I sold it at a bargain price. Warning: to very serious and principled people. They won’t let you turn the place into a den. So get used to it or you’ll have big problems. The money was deposited into Anton’s account — for education. When he turns eighteen, he’ll be able to use it to enter university.”
The man stood with his head down. For once, he didn’t smell of alcohol. For a moment, something like shame and regret flickered in his eyes.
“Lera…” he began.
“No. Just… take care of your half of Mom’s apartment. And maybe someday, if you decide to change…” she didn’t finish, but her brother understood.
Three months passed. Antosha sat at his new desk in his room, preparing for his first day at the new school. He was starting fifth grade in Krasnodar.
Bookshelves hung on the walls, filled not only with textbooks but also with favorite adventure novels. On the desk was a brand-new laptop for studying. And most importantly, there was silence everywhere. Not the oppressive silence of the old apartment, but a calm, homely one.
“Nervous?” Valeria sat beside him, adjusting his new uniform.
“A little,” the boy admitted. “What if I can’t do it? What if I fail?”
“It’ll be fine,” Andrey’s voice sounded. “By the way, the courier brought your new phone downstairs. You’ll learn modern technology!”
Antosha beamed. Valeria quietly wiped away a tear — this time a happy one. Mom was right. The main thing is family. A real family where people love and care for each other.
“Well, son,” the man put his hand on the boy’s shoulder, “time to go to school?”
They went out into the yard. Antosha tightly gripped the straps of his new backpack, squinting at the bright sun. Valeria caught her husband’s glance. He barely nodded as if to say, “This is right.” And she understood that now everything would really be fine. Simply because it couldn’t be any other way.
