Not that Ira disliked the stepfather, just did not accept. Well, what kind of dad is he? Ira never had a dad, and this «Uncle Fedya ate a bear» is also not a dad. However, for the sake of her mother, from the first days of dating, she tried to keep her discontent to herself.
Not a little, already eleven years old, understands that my mother wants a family, I want to take care of her. Uncle Fedya is not bad, just silent. But a stranger. Ira doesn’t seem to notice. But he doesn’t drink like his father at Zina’s best friend, who was even her second cousin.
And Fedor seemed not to notice that his beloved woman is growing a daughter. He took for granted her presence and began to make plans for his future life, in the hope that Zhenka would give birth to his own son, or even two.
They signed quickly and quietly, exchanged two apartments for one spacious, in which Ira had his own room, and between stepfather and Ira there was just a “thin world”, instead of a “good quarrel”. After lunch after school, Ira dived into her room and tried less to face her mother’s husband. He didn’t impose friendship either.
When Evgenia had nausea in the morning and began to torment dizziness, they were even amicably happy — pregnancy! Ira dreamed of a brother, and Fedor about a son. But a terrible thing happened, not a new life was born, but the disease was settled by foreign aggressive flesh in the brain of a young woman. Ira became an orphan at the age of 11. And her way was straight to the orphanage.
She had not yet thought about her future fate, crushed by terrible grief, when she heard how Zina’s drunken mother was crying in the kitchen after the wake and as if she was justifying herself to Fedor: “May I take her to me, yet Zhenka’s sister is my cousin, not strangers.” But Zinka and I run out of the house once a week as my balls flood. I won’t. There is no one else in our family.
Ira did not want to eavesdrop, but it happened, and from the conversation she realized that they came from custody, that they were “taking her to an orphanage”, that in these walls of a large and spacious apartment, she was because her stepfather defended, begged for several days, in the hope of finding Zhenya’s relatives. That’s where the conversation comes from.
— Ira, we need to talk — the stepfather began in the morning, but stopped talking, choosing words.
— Yeah, don’t be afraid, tell me, I already know that I need to go to the orphanage.
— That’s not it. If you don’t mind, I’d like to take custody of you, because my mother and I have been signed up, saying we can try, but if you want to. I know I’m a bad father, but I can’t give you up in an orphanage. I can’t. Why don’t we try? For Zheni’s sake, let’s try. He must be looking at us and worried.
She had no idea that a grown man could cry. Especially Fedor. He didn’t cry at the funeral either. Petrified, yes, but not a single tear. And here. She came, hugged him, and began to comfort him.
They did it. Who supported whom for the first six months is still a question, but time is slowly healing. They both learned how to cook borscht and not only. Learned to talk to each other.
True, Fedor the interlocutor was verbose, but Ira got used to it. In addition to gratitude, she began to feel respect for her stepfather. Man, he was fair. More than once stood up for her in the yard, tried to somehow please her in small things. Then he will bring ice cream after work, then he and Zina will buy two tickets for the premiere of the movie.
Sometimes an aunt came running in — what to help, tell, deal with bills, wickets for an apartment. I used to come over with Zina’s sleepover. The pain subsided. Lived. Fedor went to school meetings, left part of his salary for general use and never asked for reports. Ira tried not to let him down. But I never called him Dad, either in the eyes or behind my back, knowing that she was a foreign child to him.
Not herself came to this conclusion, but there were “good people” – enlightened the “orphan”, pitying sweetly.
When she turned 14, Fedor again decided on a difficult conversation for both. This time, he asked her about his marriage. At work, quietly, he began to build a relationship with one woman, and also — they will have a child.
I’d go live with her, but you can’t be alone yet. And custody will come. And the two of them are not an option either — it will be a bit crowded. She only has a room in the service house. But if I bring her here, do you think we’ll get along?
Outwardly got along. Lida walked around the house like an important goose, cherishing her first pregnancy, Fedor had fun, and Ira tried to smooth out all the conflicts that arose. For some reason, she never came to a difficult teenage period. She must have grown up with her mother. And here’s Lida.
Ira blamed a lot on her pregnancy and did not tell Fedor how the smile slips from his wife’s face when the door closes behind him. As with all her appearance, she shows Ira that she is now the hostess, and Ira is no one. And this «no one» by misunderstanding, by stupidity Fedor interferes with them and her husband under their feet.
Realizing that Ira is not going to pass anything to Fedor, she is not only in appearance, but also in words openly began to say it to her. Irritated by her other daughter, another child.
The old tactics helped again. Less catching your eye. Fedor was in the dark for a long time, but when their son Staska was born with Lida, he began to suspect that Ira was not easy in their family. Lida and Fedor began to sing that someone else’s child interferes with her. So what, a few square meters in this apartment belongs to her? We will pay her share to adulthood, and let her live her life, she sang to him. And now the state should take care of it, and not we are strangers to it.
Fedor was difficult to give objections, he really from his youth was not talkative. It was difficult to talk to Lida. However, I found a simpler argument — I banged my fist on the table and said. Stop it. I never want to hear that again.
And Ira called on the next Saturday to visit Zhenya. Cleaned up there, painted the fence, transplanted flowers. They sat silently, and again, as in the first six months, they were filled with grief and pain.
— It’s okay, Irish, it’ll be fine. Be patient. Soon Stas will go to kindergarten, Lida will start working, some time she will be doing drugs.
But Lida began to act from the other side. Under the pretext of weak immunity Stasika forbade to invite Zina to the house. And her mother had long since taught her to run to them in a kindred way. I handled all the financial issues. Ira had no access to the money. I had to ask Lida even for the most necessary things, about which the girls are ashamed to speak out loud.
She did not complain to Fedor, she did not want to be the cause of their quarrels. She really liked the fact that her stepfather had fun, that his eyes shone again. She saw how much he loved his son.
One day Fedor accidentally learned that Irina does not eat at school. She had already studied in the ninth, often stayed for additional classes, still studied in the shooting section. She was often hungry until night. She had no pocket money to eat, either. Ever since the money from the available box moved into Lilin’s wallet. Or rather, it was already a bank card.
Fedora scolded Irina’s classmate.
— You, Fedor Ilyich, would talk to Irina. Fashion is fashionable, but it is already transparent! Soon the hungry will faint. Who will answer? School again, did you miss it again? We’ve suffered with their diets!
When Fedor hardly realized that he missed the moment with money, relying on his wife, he reproached himself and scolded Ira that she was silent.
— Well, I’m sorry, daughter, I’m a hardhead. What are you saying? You know you have your own account. I put all the guardianships in there, and the payments go there. But you know, we won’t touch them. You have your studies ahead of you and your wedding. I’ll just open the card for you, and I’ll pay you off. Okay?
Ira did not really listen to him, about money, about the card. The alarm sounded in my head – daughter. Is she really no stranger to him that he’s upset about her? Not Lida, not Stas, but her?
Oh, and Lida freaked out when she realized why the money came to her a little less. Became, then the guardians “in the common pot” to demand, then defiantly lament that money seems to fly into the pipe. As she does not save, postpone on vacation does not work. And how else, if «this» to dress, shoes and feed have to. And then he gave her money too!
So I will get vacations, and we will go on vacation.
— Your vacation home again? I want the sea!
In such battles flew a couple of years. Lida tried to touch Ira, Fedor stood up for protection with a wall. Irina suffered, knowing that is the cause of quarrels in the family.
One thing warmed up — he and Zina dreamed of graduating from school, finding a job and renting a room for two. Zina’s father was already “flying off the rails”, went into weekly binges, began to drag everything out of the house. It was unclear which of the girls was worse off.
But dreams never came true. Zina got married right after graduation. For the first time, I couldn’t live with my parents. Irina changed plans — to enter where the hostel will be already her goal. Fedor, although he did not support this idea, but he understood that Irina was difficult with them. I was already calculating options for how to take a mortgage for Irina, but Lida resisted as much as she could, insisting on monetary compensation.
— What’s she supposed to do in this apartment? I grew up on everything.
The decision came unexpectedly. Fedor inherited a good apartment in a neighboring regional city. There was also an institute of service, where Irina secretly dreamed of entering, but believed that she could not afford paid training, and there were no budget places in the desired direction. And the hostels were not provided there.
Fedor rewrote his hereditary full-length to Irina, handed her the account management, where he accumulated enough to pay for all the years of study at once. He went with her to help with the settlement, with the submission of documents. No, he really wanted to help, but there was a reason. Lida frenzied when she found out that the inheritance “floated” out of her hands. And he’s tired of scolding and scandal. A week off from his wife was a good thing.
Bypassed all the neighbors in the entrance, the benefit of the apartments there was not so much. A small three-storey house in a cozy LCD. I asked him not to hurt his daughter, to look after her. And this is Fedor, who went to the shops, only with self-service, so as not to once again talk to sellers!
«Lucky for you and your father, girl,» the neighbors said, meeting Ira in the yard.
— Yes, my folder is wonderful, — agreed Ira.
At every wedding, there are touching moments when it’s hard to hold back tears. At Irinina’s wedding, this moment was the dance of the father and daughter.
Fedor made all the guests nervous that day. The bride did not want to go to the registration until the father arrived. He had a car on the highway between the cities. A new chase, as a wedding present. It’s not run for that kind of road. But I did, I did.
Everything in life has managed this little man.
Story writer Tatiana Bro
The Holy Land Charitable Foundation
Soul investment!
Orthodox stories from life
