I want to tell you, dear readers, a rather unusual story. A story from the life of a guy who, believing that life was ending, did not even mean that it was just beginning!
Four years ago, I divorced my wife. Or rather, she divorced me. All because I was diagnosed with male infertility. Long and expensive treatment did not help, so the wife with the words: “Why do I need a defective man!”, went to another, and I was left alone with my grief. If you think women need children more than men, you are mistaken.
He took a week off at his own expense and drank three days at home. I drink a little and rarely, and then I was so longing that I did not come up with any other medicine like vodka. My parents and sister helped me not to fall into the abyss of alcohol oblivion, put me in order, encouraged me, and my sister had a couple of inspiring conversations (she is a psychologist by training).
Surprisingly, I quickly gathered my mind and body, went to work and, immersed myself in the affairs of our office, began to gradually forget the betrayal of my wife and the sad fate of never having children of my own. I returned one December evening from gatherings with friends in a country cottage we rented. Since I was sober, I quickly became bored with my increasingly intoxicating friends. I said goodbye, jumped in the car and drove home. A snowball began, which, according to weather forecasters, promised to grow into a blizzard, so I did not go quickly.
There are few cars on the road, the road is almost empty. There were 30 kilometers to the city. Then I saw my grandmother walking along the side of the road and pulling a two-wheeled cart, on which a rather heavy bag lay, and next to my grandmother, a very small girl, apparently 6-7 years old, was barely dragging her legs. I turned the right corner and stopped next to them.
Grandma, what are you doing in this weather? Did you take the little one with you?
— Oh, son, I’m this… I’m an old fool, here! I’ve gone to hell with the horns, thought the buses were running, but no, damned! We got there, and back with our feet! I’m sorry, I’m tired, poor girl. I got out of the car and opened the back passenger door.
— Sit down, I’ll take you there, or you’ll freeze here.
— Oh, thank you, honey! Thank you, good man! — lamented the grandmother, — Katyush, say to your uncle «Thank you.»
“Thank you,” the girl said modestly. I put a baby in the seat, and then I helped my grandmother get in.
I don’t have a small car. He put a cart with a bag in the trunk. By the way, the bag was very difficult! Dumbbells, is Grandma lucky there? I sat behind the wheel and slowly drove on, sometimes looking in the rearview mirror and watching my grandmother take off her granddaughter’s finger, hat and shoes.
— Grandma!
— Yes, son?
— Where to go? — I said with a smile.
— Oh! Yeah, I didn’t tell you to go. To Filippovka, dear, before her native!
Wow! Wow! To Filippovka! From the place where I picked up my fellow travelers to the specified village of Keme 15 will be for sure! And how did Grandma and the girl and the bag go this way? It’s cold and dark!
I looked in the mirror again: the grandmother warmed the legs of her granddaughter, and the girl was already in her arms sitting with a plush white eared hare, which I found next to the trash a couple of months ago almost new only with a torn ear and paw; sewed up, washed and since then he has been with me.
— Katyush, do you like the bunny? — I asked. Katya affirmatively and quickly shook her head, which made the pigtails and bows ridiculously shake.
— Katenka, leave the bunny. Maybe this bunny belongs to this uncle’s daughter.
— Come on! I don’t have kids… And it will never happen again.
— — Why? — Grandma was surprised.
— “Why?” she repeated and looked with her big blue eyes in the mirror I was looking at. — It’s a long story. I said, and went to the road leading to the village.
The road was not good, the car began to shake, which made the girl frightened and even tighter hug teddy hare. Grandma was ahead of my question.
— She is afraid to drive cars, it was a bad case, but it does not matter. So why can’t you have kids?
Doctors diagnosed infertility…
— Oh, oops, oops! Trouble! the old lady lamented.
— It’s okay, I’m used to it!
— How can you get used to that? No kids, it’s so hard!
— I agree, what should I do? Life goes on!
— It’s good that you don’t lose heart, son! What about your wife?
— What about the wife? I took the rods to another, saying I’m defective.
— What a fool! said the grandmother, covering her granddaughter’s ears. I smiled.
“Grandma, who’s a fake?” said the girl.
— Defective, Katya, means defective, broken.
— Well, thank you, Grandma, for the warm words, I answered without malice and with humor.
— Sorry, son, I didn’t think about it.
— Nothing! No offense to the truth.
Now the barely perceptible lights of the village appeared through the white veil of thick snow. Grandma told me where to stop. Stopped at the gate of an old wooden house. I opened the trunk, took out a cart with a bag, noticed that one wheel was about to break off, while my grandmother was wearing her granddaughter, I made express repairs to the trolley, thank you, there was only a hairpin to replace.
— Son, help the old man down!
I went to the door, helped my grandmother, then took Katyushka in my arms and put her on the ground.
— Katyushenka, leave the bunny, granddaughter. He’s an uncle.
Katya, clearly not wanting to part with the plush beast, reluctantly put it on the seat. I took the rabbit in my arms and began to pretend to talk to him.
— Honey, do you want to stay at Katie’s? And you asked Katya if she wanted to take you. Well, bunny don’t be selfish, ask Katya permission! — I changed my voice to a thin squeak, depicting the voice of a bunny.
— Katya, do you want me to be yours? Katyusha nodded energetically, which caused the hat to move into his eyes. I smiled.
— That’s it, Katyusz, now it’s your bunny! I handed the toy to the girl, she grabbed him and hugged him.
— Thank you, Uncle! You’re mean! Grandma, can we help your uncle not be a faux?
— Of course, Katiusz! Thank you, good man, thank you, our savior! — Grandma began to bow to me, and I was so confused that I did not know what to say.
— I didn’t let it freeze, you saved us! – continued my grandmother, in addition to overshadowing me with a cross.
— You are kind to us and we will thank you.
Grandma began to quickly dig into the depths of her suma. I thought there would be money to offer, and I had already come up with a couple of phrases to avoid taking them, but my grandmother took out an ordinary transparent package full of ordinary colorful candy — lollipops, and gave me as a thank you.
— This is our thanks to you son!
We will also pray to God for you! I’d go to the temple myself!
God will help you if you just knock on him.
And it’ll be all right soon! Your house will be full of children’s laughter and the warmth of love.
— All right, honey, we’re going now! Be happy!
— Good luck! Goodbye, Katyusha! Katya waved a pen to me, and with her grandmother they went to the wicket.
I got in the car, turned around and went home.
A few days later, returning from work, I decided to stop at the temple, put a candle. I have almost never been to church. I didn’t know what to do. Fortunately, in front of the temple, seeing my confusion, a nun met me (which seemed strange to me, very similar to the grandmother I was giving). She told me how to behave in the temple. She also showed me the icon of Seraphim of Sarov, and advised me to pour out all my sorrows before him. I did that. I asked him for help. I was still standing in front of the icon. It turned out that there was an evening service, and I decided not to leave until after it was over. (I would say that in the future I would go to church more often.) As soon as the robot allows.
After a couple of days at work, I was pleasantly surprised: it turns out that our construction company took patronage of one of the orphanages in our city. I was appointed the head of the organization of procurement of everything necessary for children, and most importantly gifts for the New Year. I contacted the director of the orphanage on the phone, she set a meeting time. After lunch, I drove up to the orphanage.
— Danil Andreevich? — A woman asked me on the porch.
Yes. Who do I have the honor with?
— Svetlana Petrovna is the director.
She invited me to her office on the second floor. Near the stairs, a teacher passed by us, which was held by the hand of a girl of 4 years old with a huge white plush rabbit in an embrace. The hare was exactly like the one I gave to another girl recently. As she passed me, the girl looked me in the eye with surprise.
By the way, it should be added that this girl was very similar to Katyusha from the village of Filippivka, but younger, and the eyes are brown, not blue, and so very similar! Even pigtails and bows are the same. We were already ten meters apart, when I heard a thin cry from behind: “PAPAAA!” I turned around and saw a girl rushing at me with all her legs, breaking out of the hands of the teacher, and dragging the poor rabbit by the ear on the floor. I got on one knee, the girl jumped at my neck, hugged me and put her head on my shoulder.
— Dad! Dad, did you cry after me?
My heart immediately melted, beads of tears appeared in my eyes. The teacher and the headmistress, also feeling this scene, stealthily wiped away tears.
— Yes, daughter. I’ll follow you!
I could no longer hold back the tears that flowed down my cheeks. I even forgot why I came to the orphanage: my thoughts were only about what documents were needed for adoption. A little later I learned that the girl’s name is Irina, that she was found on the threshold of a year and a half, she had no documents, only a note with her name and date of birth. The police did not find any parents or relatives of the girl, she was left in the orphanage.
Twice Ira tried to adopt, but she arranged wild tantrums, clearly not wanting to leave with those people. And in general, she shunned adults, only for some reason she accepted and even called me Dad. For two months, I was collecting the necessary certificates, discharges and other waste paper necessary for the adoption process. But everything was resolved safely, and I became a father, and Irinka had a father.
On this occasion, the parents arranged a small feast. Ira was already familiar with her new grandparents, with her aunt and older brother Vova (all came to get acquainted in the orphanage), so at home she, without embarrassment, ran around the rooms, jumped on chairs and couch with Vovka, trying to knock down the TV, then break the forehead. Mom and dad were from Irinka in wild delight and almost succumbed to death.
I left my daughter with my parents when I left for work, but it couldn’t go on like this, so I found a good kindergarten. Ira categorically refused to go there, thinking that I would leave her there forever, my heart was bleeding when she begged in tears not to leave her.
But within a week, she realized that no one was going to leave her alone, calmed down and even began to communicate with other children. And a little later, she started waking me up at 4:00 a.m., demanding to pack her up for kindergarten!
It has been almost a year since Ira was adopted. We were fine, but sometimes my daughter would ask me a question that I couldn’t answer: “Dad, why aren’t we mom?”
So what do you say to a five-year-old? One day, leaving from work to kindergarten for Ira, I got into a wild traffic jam: cars are standing at stake, snow, blizzards around, and everyone calls me from kindergarten when I come and pick up my daughter.
I didn’t get to kindergarten until nine o’clock in the evening. I thought Irina would write me the first number in tears, but it was much more interesting. The caretaker took me into the children’s dressing room, in which my daughter sat and listened to fairy tales that a young and very beautiful girl read to her.
— Dad! — Ira shouted, seeing me.
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I ran up to me, I grabbed her and put her in my arms.
— You didn’t bully today? Eating well? Irka nodded.
— Hello, I’m Alina. New teacher. I’m raising your daughter’s group. You’re too late!
— Alina, I’m sorry for God’s sake! Traffic jams, blizzard… Ooh! Thank you so much for sitting with this guy! How much do I owe you? By the way, I’m Danil.
— Nice to meet you! Alina smiled and somehow blushed.
— I don’t need anything, I was even more interested in sitting with your daughter. It’s just gold! It’s not like I’m crazy! When Ira heard this, she showed me her tongue, and I answered why we all laughed.
— You have a son?
— Yeah, there’ll be four soon. I wonder if a taxi will come in this weather. I’m going to take the groom from my parents…
— What about the husband?
— Husband ate pears! I left when I found out I was pregnant.
I stopped talking. What’s to say in such moments?
— Well, Alina, with your permission, I’ll take you home!
— Wellooh. She smiled and ran to get dressed.
“Dad, can Aunt Alina become our mother?” said Irka, making a grimace.
— This, my daughter, no longer depends on me, or rather not only on me.
A year later we got married, and a month later Alina said she was pregnant! I almost made a scandal! I can’t have children! Who did my young wife go left with? But Alina assured that she never cheated, that even in her thoughts there is nothing like this. I asked for tests that showed I was perfectly healthy. How is this possible, even the doctors did not know! And we had twins: a boy and a girl.
That night in July, I couldn’t sleep. My wife was asleep, my kids were sang, and I don’t have any sleep in my eye. Turned, tossed, and now began to pile pleasant nap, as I clearly heard from the street through the open window a girl’s baby voice:
Grandma, there is an uncle who drove us in the winter. Remember?
— I remember, Katyusha.
— Isn’t he a fake anymore?
— No, Katyusz, he’s normal.
— Holosha!
I immediately recognized those voices, rushed to the window — no one! Nobody on the balcony, either! Quickly pulled his pants and, jumping into his slippers, rushed into the street — the street was absolutely deserted and soundless. Returning home, Alina, apparently, waking up from my running, stood in the corridor and looked at me frightened. I told her about my grandmother and granddaughter. To my surprise, Alinka reacted to my story more than seriously, in the morning we took the children to her parents, and we went to Filippivka in search of an old woman and a girl.
Alina insisted that they should be thanked. Arriving in the village, we began to ask the locals where to find a grandmother and granddaughter, but not knowing the name of the grandmother, but only the name of the girl, the task was not easy (the village is a big one — a hundred yards). We were lucky in a small shop. Alinka rushed to buy water, and I started a conversation with the saleswoman, trying to find out about Grandma. After my description of my grandmother and granddaughter, the saleswoman suddenly waved her arms, jumped and sat down on a chair.
— When did you say they were taken?
— About three years ago…
— Oh, it can’t be! What are you saying?
— What is it?
— So Raisa with Katyushenko for five years… do not live
— How? Why?
— They crashed on the bus when they drove from Nadezhdinsk. To say I’m crazy is to say nothing.
— Where are they buried? she asked.
— It’s three miles behind the village.
— Thank you, thanked Alina and led me to the car. We searched the graves of our grandmother and granddaughter for a long time, but we found them. Overgrown with a weed and with rickety crosses, on which there were faded ovals photos of a very small Katyusha and her grandmother… I didn’t know what to say and I was completely distraught. Alina said for me:
— Thank you, good people! Thank you for making us and our children happy!
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