Her husband was good. All the years they lived in love and understanding. But after a while, grief came to them. The young lad, their only son, their pillar and support, went off to the army. But he didn’t come back – he died during a rescue operation. Her husband barely got rid of his wife after such grief.
As they say, trouble does not come alone. The husband did not think of his health, he only wanted to set his wife on her feet. His heart was hurting but he paid no attention to it. And so he died. She was left all alone in this world.
Nadezhda Pavlovna went out like a candle. But one day her doorbell rang. She wasn’t expecting anyone, because she had no friends. When she opened the door, she saw a thin young girl with a small child in her arms.
– I have come to live with you. Meet my grandson. Whether you like it or not, we have nowhere else to go,” said the stranger.
– Come in,” whispered the distraught hostess.
The woman welcomed the guests, though she wasn’t expecting anyone. She warmed them, fed them, bathed them. She did not pry into her soul – she decided to discuss everything in the morning. When she woke up, the smell of pancakes wafted from the kitchen. The baby was crawling on a dirty blanket and was pulling an old rattle in his mouth.
– How old is he? – Nadezhda Pavlovna stroked the boy.
– Six months old. He was born just after Vanya was killed. Don’t judge me. He’ll go to kindergarten, I’ll be able to go to work and I’ll move out at once. In the meantime we have nowhere to go… And he’s quiet, there won’t be any problems with him.
– Don’t worry, I’m alone anyway.
Nastya told Nadezhda Pavlovna a lot about her son. She really raised a good man, a real hero. How many plans they had for the future – and one fire ruined everything. They were given posthumous medals, but what good did it do them?
Nastya was a cook in a military unit. It was love at first sight. We were going to get married, build a house, have children… The old woman listened to the girl’s every word and swallowed her tears. She fell in love with her, and so did her son, at first sight. And Nastya was good, she helped Nadezhda Pavlovna and treated her with respect. Though she did not become her son’s bride, he would certainly have been happy with her.
And Vanyusha was a copy of his father. This helped the woman take her mind off her grief and return to normal life.
Seven years passed. Nastya was already working as a cook in the local canteen. One day she came home from work, lowered her eyes and confessed to Nadezhda Pavlovna that she had been asked to marry. She apologized, said that she and Vanya would be moving out. The woman immediately found it difficult to breathe from such news. She went to her room and sat there till morning. Only then she decided to talk:
– I do not want to interfere with your happiness. Such a good girl deserves to be happy. Just leave Vanya to me, I won’t hurt him. You’ll have another baby, I’ll be lonely without him. The school is in the yard, why torture him?
So they did. After the wedding Nastya often came to see her son, and then she approached Nadezhda Pavlovna and started a conversation:
– My husband wants the past to remain in the past. And I’m pregnant. He doesn’t want to acknowledge his son. I do not know what to do.
– Don’t worry, dear. God willing, I’ll raise my grandson. It’s not his fault that his fate is so difficult. A good boy, but no one needs him,” the old woman brushed a tear from her cheek.
Each family lived its own life. But one day Nadezhda Pavlovna met Nastya with a big belly right in the subway passage. Her face was all bruised. Her arm was put in plaster. The woman did not inquire into the circumstances, only whispered:
– Vanya and I are waiting for you at home.
– How ashamed I am…” cried Nastya.
Now the four of them lived together. Nadezhda Pavlovna signed the apartment over to Nastya. And when her hour came Nastya clung to the bed and cried:
– How guilty I am to you! Stranger to you Vanya, though it looks like your son madly. I loved him, but he only offered me friendship. I thought I’d have an affair with someone else, and he’d get jealous. Yeah, you were dreaming. I just got knocked up. Your son wouldn’t let me have an abortion, and my parents chased me out of the house. I first saw you at the mourning rally. I heard you were kind people, so I decided to draw my lucky ticket. I profited from other people’s grief.
– You think I didn’t know my grandson wasn’t mine? My son couldn’t have children, and he had a complex about it. I’m not offended at you, you gave me a second wind. Grandchildren. I loved you as my own, and you’re a good girl. Just look after the children, so that they do not go to the world when I die, – smiled Nadezhda Pavlovna.
After the woman’s death Nastya did not even think of getting married. She realized that in all the suitors she was looking for the very soldier she could love. The one and only.
