It so happened that little Taya’s parents divorced and left their daughter in the care of her grandmother Agnessa. Taya’s mother moved to St. Petersburg to be with a new lover who did not want someone else’s child. Grandmother Agnessa sighed heavily and condemned her wayward daughter, but she took Taya in and took good care of her.
They lived in a small urban-type settlement, with just a few thousand residents. In the town, everyone knew each other, and if someone sneezed at one end of the town, at the other end they already knew who sneezed. Rumors that Agnessa’s daughter had divorced, abandoned her child, and left for her cohabitant spread quickly. But Grandmother Agnessa did not give reason for gossip and sharply answered every unsolicited question.
«What, Agnessa, babysitting now? Your daughter has run off after new happiness, she didn’t even ask if you wanted to fuss over your granddaughter!»
«It’s none of your business,» Agnessa would angrily reply, and turn away if she was going somewhere, or she would show the uninvited guest the door if she was at home.
Taisiya was a good student, but she had one problem—she was very beautiful. Her classmates were green with envy, boys followed her around and wrote love notes. Taisiya didn’t date anyone, but somehow every boy thought she preferred a rival, and sometimes serious fights would break out in the class.
«Taya, here’s what I’ll tell you, my girl. You are very beautiful, and beautiful people, like beautiful flowers, have a hard time. Everyone wants to pluck this flower and claim it for themselves. It will be the same with you. There are many good people, but also many bad and envious ones. People will try to drag you down to their level by slinging mud at you. But know your worth and don’t settle for less. Wait for someone who will love you not for your beauty, but for your soul and intelligence,» Grandmother Agnessa advised.
«Oh, grandmother, how difficult it is. I have no friends, each girl wants to be near me only because the best boys pay attention to me. But all the girls are so empty and deceitful,» Taisiya lamented.
«Don’t worry, you’ll find a friend, I feel it will be soon,» the grandmother comforted her as best she could.
Indeed, when primary school ended and middle school began, a new girl joined their class. She was a red-haired, freckled girl, very lively and giggly. She immediately became popular in the class because she took no one’s side but was herself. She was seated next to Taisiya.
«I’m Marta, and what’s your name?» asked the red-haired girl.
«Taisiya,» the girl replied.
«Let’s be friends! My parents and I recently moved to your settlement, and I don’t know anyone here,» Marta offered.
«Let’s,» Taisiya agreed unexpectedly, but inwardly expecting Marta to be just as hollow as the others.
Unexpectedly, Marta turned out to be a good friend and an interesting conversationalist. She told Taisiya the story of her short life in the big city, about her favorite books and movies, that she practiced karate and would like to continue. The girls were inseparable. After school, the friends went either to Tasya’s house or to Marta’s. Their parents had no objections to their friendship. Marta didn’t care that Tasya was beautiful; on the contrary, she was even proud of it.
«Looking at you, Taya, makes my heart happy. God created such beauty! Well done!» Marta praised her friend.
The girls finished school together, Marta entered a university in St. Petersburg and went off to study, while Taisiya stayed in the settlement, dreaming of becoming a confectioner. She got a job at a local cafe and prepared desserts, both for the cafe and to order—for birthdays, weddings, and other occasions. Soon her desserts became very popular, and everyone came to order cakes only from her cafe.
At eighteen, Tasya became even more beautiful. Not a single man in the settlement could pass her by without a compliment. She took compliments calmly and gave no one preference. However, soon an unpleasant thing emerged—married men from the settlement started visiting her cafe and flirting with her. Tasya rejected their advances, but the suitors were very persistent. Some even made bets on who the girl would spend her first night with.
«Tasya, maybe we could walk along the river tonight? I would love to spend time with you,» said Nikolai, a father of three.
«Stop it, aren’t you ashamed!» Tasya reproached him.
But the men did not give up. Soon they started waiting for Tasya after her shifts at the cafe and offered to escort her home. Some were angry that she refused them (and she refused all of them) and cursed:
«We know such impregnable types! Yeah right!»
It was hard for Tasya to hear such things about herself, but she clenched her teeth and walked home. But soon, other troubles began. The foolish husbands dared to reproach their wives for not being as beautiful, which caused their lawful halves to hate the unfortunate girl.
«Look, Galka, how beautiful Tasya from Agnessa’s has grown. Just a candy! A feast for the eyes! I could just eat her up.»
The wives learned where their husbands went every evening and came to sort things out. Instead of holding their husbands accountable, they unleashed their anger on Tasya.
«Don’t make eyes at my husband, do you hear? Or I will pull out your beautiful hair!» one of the wives shouted, coming into the cafe.
At that moment, Agnessa appeared at the cafe door.
«Better keep an eye on your own husband, Ira, and Tasya is not to blame! And stay away from my granddaughter!» she exclaimed and threatened the raging wife with her fist.
The grandmother placed great hopes that Tasya would marry a good boy, but the trouble was that such boys were even afraid to come close, considering themselves unworthy.
When the harassment by the wives became unbearable, the girl decided to leave the settlement. She was already twenty years old, she found a job in a cafe in a big city, they were already waiting for her there. How Tasya did not want to leave her native settlement and her beloved grandmother!
She cried a lot before making the final decision. But her grandmother supported her.
«Go, granddaughter, everything is different in the big city, and your beauty won’t stand out so much,» Agnessa consoled, barely holding back tears.
«Grandmother, I will call you and come on weekends,» Tasya promised her.
«Don’t worry about me, granddaughter, I’ll manage. I really want you to be happy, you have golden hands and a golden heart!» the grandmother struggled to hold back tears.
Tasya left and got a job at a French cafe. All the pastries there were made according to recipes by chef Pierre, who was French. He strictly followed the recipes of French cuisine and did not like when someone corrected them or added something. But, to everyone’s surprise, Tasya’s corrections were unconditionally accepted. He was a fan of female beauty and adored the new employee, allowing her everything that he did not allow others. He even used her as an example.
«Watch and learn from Mademoiselle Taisiya, repeat after her,» he told the employees. They had no choice but to obey. However, this did not add to their love for Tasya.
Pierre himself was divorced, in France he had a former wife and daughter. He fell in love with Tasya with all his heart and started dedicating his desserts to her, but he openly dared not confess his love to the girl. Tasya felt everything, but did not have reciprocal feelings for Pierre, rather, she regarded him as a father. Pierre saw this and sighed aside.
One day Tasya after work was walking along the avenue to her home, to the room she rented from one grandmother, and suddenly unexpectedly bumped into a guy from her settlement nose to nose.
«Tasya? Is that you?» he asked in surprise, seeing her in the cafe.
«Yes, it’s me,» she smiled. «And you, I think, are Kostya?»
«Yes, I’m Kostya, we studied in parallel classes, but you probably don’t remember this, you were always surrounded by boys,» said Kostya. «I recently moved here, enrolled in university. I have never met such beautiful girls as you, and for some reason, I was sure that you were dating someone. And my friends thought so too.
«You know, beauty constantly creates problems for me in life that ordinary girls don’t have,» Tasya complained to him. «And I am still alone because every suitor thinks that I am with someone else. But I’m just lonely.»
«I never thought about it from that angle, but now I understand you,» said Kostya. «I was very pleased to meet you here, Tasya. You are like a native to me because you are from our settlement, and besides, I have long been in love with you. If you don’t mind, I invite you for a walk this evening.»
«I don’t mind,» said the girl and laughed. With Kostya, she felt at ease, she did not feel obliged to be someone else, strict and impregnable. She became herself, and Kostya really liked that.
They started a relationship, and one day Kostya and Tasya came for the weekend to their native settlement. Some of Tasya’s former neighbors, finally realizing that the girl was not to blame for their husbands «falling» for her, themselves approached her and asked her for forgiveness for everything.
«Tasya, forgive us,» said one of the women, looking down. «We were wrong.»
«It’s alright,» the girl replied, hugging her. «The main thing is that it’s all behind us now.»
The next day Tasya and Kostya decided to take a walk through the settlement. They went to the local park, where they met another former neighbor, Marina, who had once been among those who condemned Tasya.
«Taisiya, can I talk to you?» Marina timidly asked, approaching the couple.
«Of course, Marina,» the girl replied, letting go of Kostya’s hand.
«I wanted to apologize for how we girls behaved before. We were unfair to you,» said Marina, lowering her head.
«I understand, but it was very unpleasant. Besides, I didn’t do anything bad to any of you!» Taisiya emotionally said. «I’m not to blame for my appearance attracting your husbands.»
«You’re right. When you left, the passions subsided. Are you two together now?» one of the neighbors asked, looking at her and Kostya.
«Yes, we are a couple now,» said, blushing Tasya.
Taisiya and Kostya returned to the city, where they continued to build their relationship. Kostya successfully graduated from university and found a good job, and Taisiya continued to work in the cafe.
One evening, as they were sitting on a bench in the park, Kostya took Taisiya’s hand and said:
«Tasya, I want you to know that you are the most important and beloved person to me. I want to spend my life with you. Will you marry me?»
The girl, without hesitation, replied:
«I agree, Kostya.»
They were married in a small church in their native settlement. Friends and relatives attended the wedding, including Grandmother Agnessa, who could not hold back tears of joy. Marta came from afar, who sincerely rejoiced for her friend and shed tears of joy at the ceremony.
«Well, friend, congratulations!» Marta hugged her friend.
After the wedding, Taisiya and Kostya returned to the city, where they started a new life. They often visited Agnessa, who could not take her eyes off both of them and quietly rejoiced.
Over time, Taisiya became a famous confectioner, opening her own cafe, where her baking was hugely popular. She often took baking to orphanages because she had a very kind heart. Kostya always supported her in all her endeavors, and she finally found her own happiness, which she carefully protected.
