Vasily Sergeyevich heard the phone ring from his pocket for the third time. Finally, he dismissed his subordinates, the employees of the women’s colony, and quickly picked up the receiver.
– Hello?
At first there was silence, and then the irritated voice of his son’s teacher was heard.
– Vasily Sergeevich, this is not the first time I’ve called you!
He immediately stopped short, realizing his guilt.
– Sorry, Ilona Danilovna, I had a meeting, I couldn’t answer. Did something happen?
– Of course it happened, but it’s nothing serious. Kostik’s temperature rose. It’s just a cold, but he can’t stay in the group so as not to infect the other children. You need to come urgently and take him home. He’s been sitting in the medical office for an hour already.
– Ilona Danilovna, you see, I’m also at work, I can’t just break down like that…
“That’s not my problem anymore, Vasily Sergeyevich. If you don’t feel sorry for your son, who sits alone in the office, then for God’s sake,” Ilona Danilovna answered with such firmness that sometimes it turned into rudeness.
Her parents forgave her for this, because she was completely different with children – caring, gentle, like a mother and mentor to each one. The children adored the young teacher, and at home they constantly discussed what Ilona Davydovna said or who she praised. Friendly, smart, well-mannered – her students were like family to her.
Vasily Sergeevich, hastily pulling on his jacket, ran out of the office and shouted to Rita:
– I’m going to pick up Kostya from kindergarten. He’s sick. I definitely won’t drag him to work, I’ll figure it out and call.
He didn’t even hear Rita’s reply as he walked away, he just sighed mentally, realizing that he always did everything on the run, like he had done since Tamara had passed away. It seemed like he just didn’t stop, as if he was afraid that thoughts of her would overwhelm him if he slowed down.
Tamara and Rita were friends, they came to work in this organization together. Tamara worked in the colony’s supply department.
By the time Vasily was transferred here, Rita already had a child and a husband. A year later, Vasya and Tamara got married, and he could not believe his happiness. He was lucky in life – at the age of 10, he was adopted by a good family with loving parents, which rarely happened to children his age. Thanks to his adoptive mother, who took care of him, Vasily was able to finish school, study, and serve. After several years of work, he was transferred here, where his new life with Tamara began.
When Kostik was born, Vasily Sergeyevich was beside himself with happiness. He joked about it with Tamara, and she, laughing, called him a fool, sending him to hang up diapers. Life seemed like a fairy tale to him, until Tamara got sick.
At first she said it was just a ailment, but Vasily noticed how she began to rapidly lose weight. He signed her up for an examination himself, leaving three-year-old Kostik with his godmother Rita. A few days later, the clinic called him and asked him to come alone, without telling his wife anything. Then he realized that the fairy tale was over. The doctor said it was too late, Tamara had only a few months left, not even six months.
When Vasily returned home, Tamara looked at him and understood everything.
“You’ve been to the doctor, haven’t you?” she asked calmly.
He nodded, feeling his heart squeeze with pain.
“That’s even better,” she replied, smiling sadly. “I didn’t know how to tell you this.”
“So you knew everything?” he asked, shocked by her calmness.
“Nobody can know everything,” she said, smiling sadly. “But I feel it. You understand that even from the tests you can guess what I have. There’s very little left,” Tamara said quietly, and Vasily, lowering his head, began to cry.
Two months later, she was gone. Literally a week before Kostya’s fourth birthday. They celebrated the holiday together, and when Vasily put his orphaned son to bed, tears gushed from him for the first time since Tamara had not woken up.
The next day, Ilona Danilovna met him at the kindergarten. She probably saw him approaching from the window.
“Vasily Sergeyevich, I understand that it is difficult for you. You are raising Kostya alone, but responsibility for your son requires a careful approach,” she said sternly.
Vasily smiled involuntarily, despite his grave condition. Ilona Danilovna, although she could be stern, adored her children and was like a mother to them.
When Vasily lifted Kostya into his arms, he asked:
– Dad, where are we going now? Home?
– I don’t know myself, son. I won’t hire you, and I can’t leave you at home either. I can’t even imagine what to do…
Vasily looked around, afraid to see Ilona Danilovna nearby, and whispered to his son:
– Maybe you should stay at home and watch cartoons? I’ll try to come back early.
Kostya smiled slyly:
– What if my temperature rises or I want to play with matches? Children can’t be left alone!
Vasily grinned: he was sure that Kostya wouldn’t touch the matches, but the thought of the possible temperature made him think.
– You’re right. It looks like I’ll have to take you with me to work and hand you over to Aunt Rita’s care.
Kostik frowned in fear:
– Just not Aunt Rita! She’ll send me straight to her girls, and they’re mean, they make me read!
Rita had two daughters, the youngest of whom was only six months younger than Kostya, but both of them constantly tried to command and “educate” him, as if he were their toy.
“Do you have another plan?” Vasily asked with a grin.
Kostik nodded, freeing his mouth from the scarf:
– Dad, call Aunt Lena.
– Aunt Lena? Who the hell? – Vasily was surprised, not immediately understanding who they were talking about.
“Dad,” Kostya said seriously, standing at attention, “prisoner Sokolova.”
Vasily smiled faintly, but then frowned. Sokolova was not convicted of anything serious, she simply found herself in the wrong place and with the wrong people, which is why she was not judged too much and was treated gently. She was allowed to help the officers – clean, cook, help in the medical center and in the kitchen. Sokolova was often sent to Vasily, and during all this time there was not a single complaint about her, thanks to which she was attracted to work for the authorities.
However, the idea of leaving his son with her was too unexpected. Vasily could not decide, so he dialed Rita’s number, knowing that she could give good advice. She listened attentively, and then answered cautiously:
– It’s an unconventional decision, but Lena is a really good girl. I’ve never seen her do anything wrong. She’s never broken any rules and always behaves decently. Okay, Vasily, bring her. Let’s talk.
Twenty minutes later the doorbell rang. Lena was standing on the threshold, her eyes expressing slight fear.
– Hello, did something happen, Vasily Sergeyevich? I just cleaned and cooked everything yesterday.
“No, everything is fine, Lena,” Vasily reassured her. “I have a situation here…” He hesitated for a moment. “Kostik is sick, but I can’t stay home with him – an inspection is pending, there’s a lot of work to do. If I ask you to stay with him…”
She smiled, relaxing a little:
– Of course, don’t worry, everything will be fine.
Vasily, having calmed down a little, nodded and handed her the medicine and the sheet of paper with instructions that he had been given in kindergarten.
– Here it is indicated what and how to take. I will be in touch, I will call.
“Don’t worry, Vasily Sergeyevich,” Lena smiled, and he thought to himself how much light and kindness she had, which could have been lost if she had found herself in a different environment.
He had so much work that he had to stay late. He called twice: the first time to find out how things were going. First Lena answered, and then Kostya picked up the phone, enthusiastically telling them that they were playing “bears”.
– Bears? What do you mean? – Vasily was surprised.
– Well, dad, all bears do is eat and sleep. They also growl if they don’t like something. So I eat, even though I don’t really want to, especially when I need to take medicine, and I sleep.
Vasily grinned, realizing that he himself would not have thought of such a trick to persuade his sick son to take the pills. He called a second time to warn that he would be late.
“Everything is fine, the temperature rose a little, but we managed it. Kostik is fine now, he is playing,” Lena answered.
– I’ll try to be there in an hour or an hour and a half.
Vasily arrived home only three hours later. He entered quietly, assuming that Kostya was already asleep. Lena’s gentle voice could be heard from the bedroom – she was singing a lullaby. Vasily froze, shocked. The melody was familiar, the same lullaby his mother had once sung to him. The song, as if on the border between Russian and Armenian, was part of his childhood. He stood in the hallway, holding back tears.
When the singing died down, Lena came out of the room and, seeing him, froze.
“Do you know this song?” Vasily asked in surprise.
She smiled sadly:
— My mother sang it to me when I was very little. I didn’t remember the words, but the melody was always with me. One day I decided that I had to find this song, it was my only connection with my mother, although I don’t remember her name. I was taken to an orphanage at the age of three, and I accidentally found this song in an old library that almost no one went to.
– So you… are from an orphanage? – Vasily, not knowing why, asked the question, almost not hearing his own voice.
Lena shrugged:
– Not exactly. I had foster parents, but they returned me after three years. Then I was adopted again, but those parents refused too. And so – several times.
Vasily caught his breath with difficulty.
“Lena, thank you very much,” he said quietly.
“You’re welcome, Vasily Sergeyevich. If you need anything, I’m always ready to help,” she answered reservedly before leaving.
Vasily sat in the kitchen for a long time, thinking about what he had heard. His own experience came to mind: he and his sister were brought to an orphanage after a tragedy, where a fire took everyone except the two of them. From the very beginning, he rejected his sister, considering her to blame for his misfortunes, although in reality she was not to blame. They had not seen each other since then, and Vasily always avoided remembering it.
His gaze fell on the phone and he decisively dialed Rita’s number.
– Rita, I understand it’s late, but is there any way to speed up the Sokolova case? I can ask Timofeev, and he’ll bring the documents in an hour.
After making himself a huge cup of coffee, Vasily sat for a long time over the documents, then went to the window and looked at his reflection. The next day, he filed a report, preparing to explain everything to his superiors when he was called.
– Vasily Sergeevich, what’s going on?
Vasily, knowing that an explanation would be required, sighed deeply:
“I just need time. I’ll see what can be done,” Vasily said quietly. “I’m from an orphanage myself, I know how fate can break a person there.”
Lena’s case was sent back for review after new circumstances came to light. This was a real shock for her, because she had long ago come to terms with the idea that fighting influential people was useless. One of them “hid” her, accusing her of embezzling other people’s funds in order to hide her own machinations. But a month later, Lena’s sentence was not only mitigated, but her criminal record was also expunged.
Vasily Sergeevich and Kostya were waiting for her at the gate.
– You? Did something happen? – Lena asked in surprise.
Vasily took a deep breath.
– Yes, Lena, it happened. You see… I need to apologize to you. Once, in the orphanage, I insisted that no one know that you and I are related. Forgive me if you can. If we had kept in touch then, you wouldn’t have found yourself in this situation…
Lena couldn’t hold back her tears.
“So it’s true… Nanny didn’t deceive me,” she whispered, wiping away her tears. “I have nothing to forgive you for, Vasily, because the most important thing is that you and Kostya are here. Everything else is unimportant.”
Six months later, Lena danced with joy and enthusiasm at the wedding of Vasily and Ilona Danilovna, rejoicing that her life, like her brother’s, had finally found meaning and happiness.
