Irina and Grigory divorced when their daughter Anya turned two years old. Grigory simply couldn’t live with his wife. She was always dissatisfied, angry. Sometimes she complained that Grisha earned too little, sometimes that he spent too little time at home and didn’t help her with the child at all.
Grisha really tried to please her. But it didn’t work out. Many acquaintances said that Irina had postpartum depression. Maybe she should see a doctor and take some pills.
But Grisha doubted that very much. She hadn’t been an angel even before the child appeared, and now it was like she had lost her mind.
The man couldn’t even remember the last time he saw a smile on Irina’s face. Even when she was with the child, irritation was written all over her face, making him want to take the daughter away and hide her somewhere immediately.
Still, Grisha actually suggested that his wife see a psychologist. But in response, he received such a flood of negativity that it’s hard even to imagine.
— What, you think I’m crazy?! You think I’m hysterical, huh?! How could I not go crazy with you here?!
After all that, Grisha couldn’t take it anymore and said he would file for divorce. And Irina, to spite him, took their daughter and moved to another city. She didn’t apply for child support and didn’t tell him the new address.
Grisha searched for his daughter for a while, then gave up. He loved Anya and would have gladly remained her father. But just thinking about what he would have to face, how much he would hear from his ex-wife, made him decide to accept the situation.
Irina, meanwhile, was full of anger. And that anger never went away. She blamed her ex-husband for everything, believing he left her because he found someone else. And that it had nothing to do with her.
That bitterness was later directed at her daughter.
She never hit Anya or abused her, but the girl grew up surrounded by negativity that many people never even experience.
There were never any celebrations in their home. Anya only learned that people celebrate birthdays when she started kindergarten.
— Mom, imagine, Antoshka had a birthday today, and everyone congratulated him! And then they gave him a present! Will I have that too?
— No. That’s nonsense. There’s nothing to celebrate that you have nothing to do with. I gave birth to you, so I should be the one celebrating! And don’t ask those questions again. It’s a waste of money!
They didn’t celebrate New Year in their family either. Luckily, Father Frost came to the kindergarten and congratulated the children, so that was Anya’s one holiday. On New Year’s Day itself, she and her mother ate the simplest food and went to bed as usual.
Irina couldn’t stand laughter. Probably because she herself had forgotten how to laugh. And when Anya watched some funny cartoons and laughed loudly, Irina would always scold her.
— Why are you neighing like a horse?! There’s nothing funny there!
And Anya learned that smiles are bad. Laughter is bad. You have to be serious and sad, like Mom.
Whether Irina had any mental problems is unknown. After all, she never went to a psychologist, considering it a money drain. She thought people didn’t live for fun. And those who are always happy are just shallow and foolish.
Anya tried candy for the first time at kindergarten, when someone had a birthday. It was so delicious!
At night she dreamed that she would grow up and buy herself a whole bag of candy. That thought warmed her soul, and even the forbidden smile appeared on her face.
It’s unknown what would have happened to this girl if she had continued to grow up with her mother. Every year her mother became angrier and more resentful of life. Even the neighbors avoided her, and old women crossed themselves as she passed by. They said the devil himself lived in her, because a person couldn’t be so cruel.
But apparently, all this anger had a detrimental effect on her health. Irina was diagnosed with cancer. Since she didn’t trust doctors, she ended up in the hospital only by ambulance when it was already impossible to help her.
The neighbor took Anya in when Irina was taken away. Before leaving, Irina gave the neighbor Anya’s father’s name, surname, and the city where he lived. After all, she did care about her daughter.
Irina didn’t return from the hospital. Anya wasn’t even told right away that her mother was gone. The girl was already very scared and afraid to say or do anything extra.
The neighbor passed Irina’s words to child protective services, and they quickly found Anya’s father.
By then, he had already been married for six months. When child services called him and explained the situation, he told his wife he would not abandon his daughter. Besides, he had been looking for her.
His wife was indeed a good woman and knew how much Grisha suffered because he was separated from his daughter. So she told him to go and get the child.
Anya, of course, did not remember her father. She was very scared and thought life with her dad would be worse than with her mom.
When Grisha arrived, the girl was still with the neighbor. Child services allowed her to stay there until her father arrived so as not to traumatize her further.
On the way, Grisha bought a big plush cat and took various candies.
When he entered, Anya stood frightened to the side. But her attention was immediately drawn to the big toy in Grisha’s hands. Then she saw the candies.
This immediately won Anya over. She thought those who brought candy couldn’t be bad. After all, Father Frost gave candies at kindergarten to her and her friends. No one else had ever given her candy.
While Anya got acquainted with the new toy, the neighbor told Grisha about his ex-wife.
— They say not to speak ill of the dead, but she was quite a character. Never greeted anyone, never smiled. She cursed anyone she didn’t like. And poor Anya was scared and beaten down.
Grisha’s heart bled when he thought about how hard it was for his daughter. He blamed himself for not coming to her rescue. He should have fought and searched for them. But his fear of meeting his ex-wife stopped him. And because of his fears, his daughter suffered.
When all the paperwork was done and the funeral over, Anya went with her dad to a new home.
— Your birthday is coming soon, — he said with a smile, trying to win the child’s favor, — what would you like as a gift?
Anya looked at him surprised, and Grisha didn’t understand what she was so surprised about.
— I don’t know. Mom never gave me presents. And we didn’t celebrate birthdays.
— How come? — Grisha was stunned.
— She said it was nonsense. That I didn’t deserve congratulations.
— That’s not true… Everyone should be happy on their birthday, — the man said with a lump in his throat.
— Can I have a bag of candy then? — Anya asked. — I love candy very much.
Grisha only nodded. The words stuck in his throat.
Later, when Grisha’s wife met the girl, they put Anya to bed. The man closed himself in the kitchen, took out a bottle of wine, and drank a glass in one gulp.
— She didn’t celebrate her birthday… — he said when his wife entered the kitchen. — You know what Anya asked me for as a gift? Candy… The kind kids usually have… Lord, how could I? And if she didn’t have money, why did she do that? She was ready to deprive our child of all joys just to spite me?!
Natasha, Grisha’s wife, hugged him.
— Don’t blame her. Life has already punished her enough…
— I’m not blaming her. I blame myself. I convinced myself that Anya and her mom would be fine, that there was nothing to worry about. And now I see a child who is even afraid to be happy.
— You know, — Natasha smiled, — we’ll throw Anya a wonderful birthday party. For all the birthdays she never had.
The birthday was in a week. During that whole week, Anya got used to her new family.
What surprised her most was that dad and Aunt Natasha smiled so much. That they laughed! Anya truly thought adults no longer knew how.
And it turned out that in the morning you could eat more than just sticky, tasteless porridge. Aunt Natasha made syrniki, pancakes, cottage cheese with fruits and berries, and lots of other things.
But, of course, what surprised Anya the most was that there were always candies in the house. Dad said she could eat them without asking! The only thing he asked was not to eat too many so her tummy and teeth wouldn’t hurt.
And on her birthday, when Anya opened her eyes, she thought she was still dreaming.
The whole room was decorated with balloons. And for breakfast she had a cake! On which she blew out the candles!
After that, they went to an amusement park. And she got seven gifts — one for each year.
Children adapt quickly to everything. Especially to good things. Already after a month, Anya laughed loudly, screamed when she couldn’t hold back her emotions, and very often hugged her dad and Aunt Natasha. Mom didn’t allow that; she didn’t like when Anya clung to her.
Anya went to school, and life got better. Sometimes she couldn’t even tell what from her memory was real and what she had imagined. But she knew she was very lucky to be in her dad’s family. And although she felt sorry for her mom, she thought life with her mom would have been worse.
And a year later, Anya called Aunt Natasha “mom” for the first time. Because, sad as it was, she was a better mother than Irina.
