Forever remembered father Eugene this guy. It was a long time ago. Nope! I forgot at first. I ran away and forgot…
That guy came to the temple this afternoon. Decently dressed, but crumpled, dirty and well drunk.
The liturgy was over, but the people were still there.
Came in, fell on the bench. He smelled a lot.
— Already in the temple drunkard, someone said.
— If you had gone home, you would have slept on the other side.
The guard grabbed his hand, tried to lift him. He rushed and touched the candlestick, which crashed to the floor.
— Quiet, sweetie… – Lidia Ivanovna, an old parishioner, flew up to him. — You can’t do that. Come tomorrow. Father will definitely talk to you.
— Now I need it! he almost shouted.
He even punched himself in the chest. It’s like something hurt.
— What is going on here? — Father Eugene ran from the altar.
He was wearing a suitcase.
What’s the matter? he looked at the drunk.
— What, will you tell me to go home, too? he chuckled.
“Well, it’s started!” thought the father.
“The man was not himself, and you took advantage!”
That day everything went wrong for him.
The pregnant mother once again fell down with severe toxicosis and could not take her daughter to school. He had to. And he has a service…
My mother-in-law also got sick and said she wouldn’t come to babysit with her son. Dragged with him to the temple, handed over to compassionate parishioners.
Then two funerals and dissatisfied relatives who threatened to complain… And now an emergency meeting at the hospital. The Lord himself asked. Some distant, dying relative. Father Eugene should have been there a long time ago.
And my mother called, which was bad. I need a hospital… When?
And this drunk is still…
How many times has Father Eugene seen it? How many mourned for them…
They live their lives. No one thinks of God. Especially eternity. Here and now! If I had time, I would have snatched…
And one day they will drink, break their drunken tears, torment something inside. They’ll see the domes and let’s knock on the gate, «Pop! Open up! The soul asks!
It’s good if he knocks and leaves. And sometimes there’s a scandal all over the street. Satisfaction of one’s unexpected religious needs demands, «Three o’clock in the morning?» I don’t care! I need God now!
If the father is in place, then for hours he is about life, and about the “old meger wife”. Oh, about the younger passion… They can take more money out of drunken eyes.
Father Evgeniy was the only one who paid for it. The next morning I woke up and came back to my bed and said, “Shame on you!” The man was not himself, and you took advantage! It is good for the poor people to eat their opium.”
Well, if the father begins to warn, they say, come tomorrow or call, you are not, then, again, it is good if he listens. Maybe with fists.
The next day, no one comes and calls. God doesn’t need a sober head. There’s no time…
«Pop or not!»
In seconds, all this flashed in the head of father Eugene. But he tried to suppress his anger.
— You, brother, get some rest. I’ll be waiting for you tomorrow morning.
But the man already grabbed his hand:
— You all need me today! And tomorrow?!
— Young man, I don’t want anything from you! You should be ashamed to go to the temple like this! I’ll be waiting for you tomorrow… Sleep well!
— Are you a pop or not?!
But the father quickly left the temple. He was very in a hurry, yes…
He whispered only in the ear of the watchman to calm and bring out the brawler. He jumped into the car and rushed to the cathedral entrusted by the lord.
Then he drove and beat himself up. «Pop or not.» Is there really something serious there?
“If it is serious, it will come tomorrow. He will certainly come, Father Eugene consoled himself. Why did I say “ashamed” to him? I don’t know everything. Okay. If anything serious comes back. He’ll definitely be back! And if not? Well, like all TEs. Who does not need God in a sober head!
The guy didn’t come back… So, like all of them…
«Doctor or not!»
Father Eugene did the work. I took my mother to the hospital. Then she gave birth safely. And over time, I forgot that guy.
One evening, when the whole family was having a peaceful dinner, the last day was discussing… And they loved to sit down with their mother and children in the evening and talk about what they did well, what they did not do well, and for what they thank the Lord today. In general, they had a God-pleasing conversation, and then the son grabbed their stomach.
— Come on, honey. Does it hurt so much? my mother asked. He’s been complaining on his stomach all day. Maybe you ate what? Be patient, it will pass…
But the boy was getting worse. He couldn’t walk anymore.
Father Eugene carried him in his arms to the car and to the hospital. And inside it all got cold: «Is it really that serious?»
— Be patient, son. Now-now… It’s gonna be okay! Jesus, don’t leave me!
There’s the hospital.
— Doctors! Doctors now!
— Man, why are you yelling? — The old nurse murmured. — You’ll scare us all away!
— You can’t see my baby’s sick! Get a doctor!
— There’ll be a doctor soon. Shifting them… Sergei Ivanovich, is it home?
A young man passed by.
— Yeah. What’s going on here?
— The son’s father brought in…
— Are you a doctor? What about him?
— My shift is over… There will be another doctor.
Sergei Ivanovich was in a hurry. A sick mother was waiting at home…
— Doctor or not! – in desperation grabbed his father Eugene by the hand.
The doctor looked closely at the father. On a moaning boy…
— Get the nurses to the observation room. I’m now…
— Then you go home, the nurse said.
— I said check-in!
I went to change.
«Father, do you remember?»
Thank God the doctor was there in time. The boy had peritonitis. The hospital is small and there are few staff. Others are busy. Leaving then Sergey Ivanovich, it is unknown what would have turned out.
But I examined, diagnosed, began to give medicines, to prepare for surgery. Anyway, it ended well. And Father Yevgeny did not know how to thank this man. And his face seemed vaguely familiar to him. Where could he see him? I never remembered. I asked him, but he shrugged his shoulders.
— Father, and the doctor… Do you remember? – Lidia Ivanovna, an old parishioner, approached him a few days later.
She went with her mother to visit the boy. She loved him very much, nursed a lot when she was a little girl, considered her grandson. They didn’t.
— What do I remember, Lydia Ivanovna?
— It was then that he came drunk.
Lidia Ivanovna always remembered everyone.
— When?
Father Eugene asked just to say something. He remembered everything. And burned the soul with a hot wave of ruthless memory.
«Come tomorrow!»
“You all want me today, now, and I want tomorrow?” Pop or not!
«I don’t want anything from you!»
«Are you a doctor or not?»
Father Eugene came home late at night. Thank God there was no service this morning. My mother told me on the phone that she would be late. But she was still worried. Sitting in the kitchen, waiting. Looking out the window.
I was even more worried when a taxi pulled up and Father came out.
— What happened?
— Let’s have some tea, huh?
They stayed in the kitchen until morning. Mother listened. And father Eugene told a story about a little boy Seryozh, who in childhood gave injections to teddy bears and hares, and all the cars he had were ambulances.
I dreamed that I would grow up to be a doctor and cure all people in the world of all diseases.
And his brother Petka will also heal. He’s been in the hospital lately. And mom’s with him all the time. There’s almost no home. And Grandma cries. And whispering to his father about some kind of cancer. They don’t say anything to him, Sergey. But he sees everything.
He’ll be cured! And they will play and laugh like before. In the river near my grandfather in the village to swim, in the barn in the hay to hide and listen as they are looking for them all around. And then snooping off Grandpa’s belt.
Didn’t make it! Petka died. But Sergey grew up and still entered the medical institute. He went to the capital and entered. I tried on a white coat for the first time and felt like a superhero. Who will save all the children. All of them Petek! He’ll save you! He’s a pediatric surgeon!
I went back to my mother’s hometown. Her father died and she was left alone. They offered Sergei a good place in the capital, but he refused. And I got a job here in a small provincial hospital.
He treated the children and saved them as he dreamed. I loved my job very much. Although I have long understood that doctors are not gods and superheroes in white coats. But he was fine.
And then his six-year-old boy died on the operating table. No, Sergey did everything he could. And it was all right. But it was no longer possible to save the child. They brought him to the hospital too late. This was his first “medical” death.
He still remembers his mother’s face every minute.
— Doctor, how is it? You okay? Why are you silent?
He kept quiet. I didn’t know how to tell her that her son was gone. I looked at her, clenching my teeth and barely holding back tears.
And her inhuman cry:
— It’s you. It’s your fault!
And feelings of guilt… Infinite, sticky. Could he have? Did you do it?
The next operation Sergey could not carry out. I was. It’s good to have someone to replace. And then he drank. I drank and saw that dead boy.
I heard my poor mother scream. When it became unbearable, he went to the temple, to God. For the first time.
He didn’t come tomorrow. No offense, no. Sergei wasn’t touchy. The soul just fell silent, not hearing the right word. But he was also ashamed that he was drunk.
He didn’t even go to work. Thank goodness my boss was understanding. Then his colleagues came home to him, supported him, talked for a long time. We were told not to quit. That’s what he was thinking.
Persuaded… Sergei is back to work. At first, it was hard. Then things went their course. But the boy did not forget for a minute. And his mother…
Father Eugene recognized immediately. It’s weird. He was drunk then. And now, Father, without clothes. He rushed home after his shift to his sick mother. You could have.
But again, that boy came to mind. And a mother’s look… Now in the eyes of Father Eugene.
Father thanked him very much later. He asked, “Have you seen each other before?” But why? Let it be as it is. And here’s Lidia Ivanovna.
And then Father Eugene came.
— I could not look him in the eyes, said the father to his mother. And he just smiled embarrassedly: «What are you…?» It’s my fault, I came drunk.
— He’s a doctor! A real doctor! Man! Who am I? the father said quietly in the kitchen to his mother. One body heals, another soul. I missed my heart. Hurry, run…
— You really couldn’t, his wife comforted him.
— You know, the real priest is the one who always has at least a drop of heat for a man. You can’t do it now. Give me a hug. Explain it humanly. Sometimes it takes seconds to warm up. Then he’ll definitely come tomorrow. And me? «I don’t want anything from you!» Here’s how life works! God told you!
And he also recalled the words of his old confessor from the Lavra, who once said to him: “First love, see the image of God in man, and then speak!”
You hear me, son! Love! Drunk, dirty, angry… Your heart will tell you the right words.
We, the priests, sometimes say something and go our way. Business, demands. We don’t see the pain and grief of a person. We passed that pain and forgot. And a man is missing. The soul is petrified. He came to us as Christ. Always remember that! Do not let God pass by grief… God forbid!
They have been friends for many years. A true doctor and a true priest. Sergio later saw his patients die. I was really worried, of course. Not like the first time… But after each such incident, a bloody mark remained on the heart. But he’s trying really hard. Heals bodies, and through them souls.
And Father Eugene is trying very hard. But like all people, they make mistakes. After which there are also bloody marks on the heart:
— He did not forget, did not repeat, did not pass by again, he said. God has entrusted our souls to the priests. It’s scary to even think about it. God, forgive me. The only hope is His mercy!
He’s a very good father! I know!
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Orthodox stories from life
