Lina was sitting on a bench in the hospital park, tears pouring from her eyes. She turned seventy today, but none of her children even congratulated her. Only her roommate congratulated her, and she even gave her a modest gift. And her nurse Katya gave her an apple in honor of her anniversary. On the whole, the boarding house was good, but the staff was totally indifferent.
It is clear that everybody understood that children bring the old people here when they become burdensome to them. Lina Vladimirovna was brought here by her son, he said she needed to rest and heal, but in reality she was just disturbing her daughter-in-law.
She was the owner of the apartment, but then her son made her write a deed of gift for him. Before she signed all the papers, he convinced her that she would live at home as she did. However, then they all moved in with her and she started a war with her daughter-in-law.
Daughter-in-law always found something to complain about, that unpalatable borscht cooked, a puddle left in the bathroom, and much more. The first time my son stood up for his mother, but then he stopped and began to yell at her. Over time, Lina began to notice that her son and daughter-in-law were whispering about something.
And then somehow her son began to say that it would be good for her to rest and heal. Looking her son in the eyes, her mother asked him a question:
– Have you decided to put me in an almshouse, son?
The son turned red and lowered his eyes and said:
– Mom, why are you starting, it’s just a sanatorium, go to a month’s rest, then go home.
Then he brought her back, signed some papers, promised to come back soon, and left. Now she’s been living here for two years.
She called her son and was answered by inexperienced man who told her that her son had sold her apartment. And now she had no idea where to find him. At first she cried many nights, because when they brought her here, she knew very well that she would never get home. She was very hurt by the fact that she had once hurt her daughter, for the sake of her son’s happiness.
Lina came from a village. They had a large house and kept a farm. One day a neighbor came and began to tell her spouse that life was better in the city: they had good salaries and housing.
Her husband was at once attracted to the idea of moving to the city. He talked Lina into it, they sold everything in the village and moved to the city. The neighbor was right, they got an apartment immediately, then gradually bought furniture and even an old Zaporozhets, which then the husband had an accident.
Lina’s husband died a day after the accident from his injuries. When he was buried she was left alone with two children in her arms. To raise her children, she scrubbed the floors in the entryway in the evenings. Lina hoped that when the children grew up, they would help her, but it did not work out.
First her son got into trouble and she had to borrow a pretty penny to keep him out of jail. After a while her daughter got married and had a grandson. At first everything was fine, then the grandson started getting sick. My daughter quit her job so she could take care of her son, but the doctors were still unable to diagnose her grandson.
Then my grandson was diagnosed with some disease which could only be treated at one institute. There was a long waiting list for that institute. While my daughter was treating her son, her husband left her. Then my daughter met a widower in one of the hospitals whose daughter was diagnosed with the same disease.
They started to live together. Four years later her daughter’s husband needed money for an expensive operation. Lina had the money she needed, she was saving it for her son’s first housing payment.
When her daughter asked her mother for a loan, she refused, not wanting to spend it on a stranger. After that the daughter took offense at her and said that she no longer had a mother. She has not spoken to her for eleven years now.
Lina got up from the bench and slowly wandered back to the boarding house. Suddenly she heard:
– Mom!
Her heart nearly jumped out of her chest. She looked around and saw her daughter. At that moment her legs buckled and she almost fell over, her daughter picked her up.
– I’ve been looking for you for so long. My brother didn’t want to tell me the address. He only told me after I threatened him with the court for illegally selling your apartment.
– Mommy, I’m sorry it took me so long to visit you. At first I was very upset with you, and then I put it off, and I was also very ashamed. A few weeks ago I dreamt about you walking in the woods and crying.
When I woke up in the morning I felt very bad. I told my husband about the dream, and he told me to come and make up with you. I arrived, and there were strangers there, they had never seen you. Then I had to look for my brother for a long time. We have a big house by the sea. My husband told me to take you to us.
Lina hugged her daughter and cried, but this time tears of joy ran down her cheeks.
