Denis, she’s just a kid. And where did you find this beggar?» Tatyana Viktorovna looked at her son with fright.
After work, I stopped by the church to light a candle for the repose of the late Olenka. When I came out, the beggars were refreshed, but this big-eyed Yulia stood off to the side, looking at me shyly. I approached her and offered to take her home to feed her well. Go heat up the dinner, and I’ll call our son from the yard. I’ll also heat up the bathhouse. This little urchin needs a wash.
«I’ll feed her, but then you escort her out,» the mother insisted.
«Don’t command me in my own house, maman. I liked her on the way here. I’m tired of sleeping alone in a cold bed,» he looked at the girl who clung to him, seeking salvation from his displeased mother. She didn’t understand what this man wanted from her when he mentioned the bed out of fear.
Denis left, and Tatyana Viktorovna, realizing she couldn’t argue with her son, led the girl to the kitchen.
«Well, tell me, how did you end up at the church?»
«I already told Denis.»
«Now tell me, you can’t get a word out of him,» Tatyana Viktorovna insisted.
I lived with my parents in a village not far from your town. Dad went to work abroad, and then he disappeared. Mom was worried but knew where to look for him, so she went after him. She was gone for a long time, and I almost ran out of money. With the last of my coins, I went to the district police to ask them to find my parents. They found out that I, a ten-year-old girl, was alone and took action. That’s how I ended up in the orphanage.
«And they never found your parents?» Tatyana Viktorovna was intrigued by the girl’s story.
«I often asked the caretakers, but they said they were looking. And I still don’t know anything about them.»
«What brought you to the church?»
It was hungry in the orphanage, and the older girls tried to earn money for better food. They would run off to the highway in the evening. There was a truck stop there. Once I followed them, but it was in vain. I’m small and skinny, like a teenager. The men laughed at me, and none took me to their room. I waited for the girls, hiding in the bushes. When they came out one by one, I called them to me. With the last one, we had a nice dinner at a roadside café. They didn’t take me with them anymore. When they returned, they treated me to chebureks and shawarma. I then realized that no man wanted such a little girl.
«And then? Did you run away from the orphanage?»
«No, I was a poor student. They gave up on me. When I turned eighteen, they sent me back to the village, to my home.»
«So you’re an adult, but so small and skinny. I would never have thought. Why didn’t you stay in your own home and came to our city?»
«Well, while I was in the orphanage, my house was so defiled inside that it was hard to enter. I cleaned up the rubbish, wanted to wash everything, and went out into the yard. Only then did I notice that the wires from the pole to the house had been cut. There were no gas and water pipes outside, where the street faucet was. And they cut out all the metal in the house too.»
«Who would do such a thing?» Tatyana Viktorovna was surprised.
«I don’t know. The neighbors are strange. I knocked on their gates to ask for water, but no one opened. I went to the district and applied to the relevant services for restoration. They demanded such a sum that I had nowhere to get it from. I gathered currants and gooseberries from the bushes and took them to the highway, where I sold them. I saved on food, but the berries were few. Then the apples ripened. I sold them too. It was still not enough. I decided to beg at the church.»
«Did you try to find a job?» Tatyana Viktorovna couldn’t understand how they just threw the girl out.
«I tried to find one, but they advised me to grow up and gain strength.»
«Why didn’t they send you to study?»
«I don’t have a diploma. I couldn’t pass the exams.»
Denis entered the house with his eight-year-old son, Lenya, and they all sat down at the table.
After dinner, Denis ordered.
«Old woman, take Lenya to the bath, then steam yourself, and I want to be with Yulia. She knows nothing.»
«With me?» the girl paled.
«Don’t despair in advance. You’ll get used to it and like it. We were all young once.» Denis went to his mother’s room, then returned with a towel and a colorful robe. Tatyana and his son were no longer in the kitchen. He sat down with Yulia.
«Well, have you settled in? How do you like mom’s dishes?»
«Delicious!»
«Of course, she used to work as a cook and lived with a man in Moscow. I stayed here with my father. The house was small and had partial conveniences. After finishing college, I got a place. There I was able to unwind and started my own business. I have an online store and employees. I gradually increased the number of pickup points. Now I manage. I built the house five years ago, and at thirty, I got married. Darya died during childbirth, and I had buried my father earlier. Left with my son, I called my mother, as she and her stepfather were already not getting along. Since then, we have lived in this house. Lenya is already eight years old, and I am still alone. I hesitated to bring a woman into the house, but I liked you.»
Yulia shrugged her shoulders.
«You have to start sometime, Yulenka, so why delay?»
A flushed Lenya ran in.
«Dad, awesome! You promised a pool. When will you start digging?»
«Too late, Lenka, the frosts will soon hit. We’ll start with you in the spring.»
The boy ran off to his room, and Denis went out to the yard. In the anteroom, he checked the stove and sat on the bench.
Tatyana Viktorovna came out of the bathhouse.
«Surely, son, you’re not planning something bad? She’s just a girl and doesn’t know what happens with a man. You need someone equal.»
«Mom, she’s an orphan, and it’s unknown what will happen to her next. I don’t need a burden in the house. Don’t think bad. I’m not completely crazy, I’ll take her gently.»
Tatyana Viktorovna shook her head and went into the house. Soon Denis appeared there too.
«Yulia, come with me to steam,» and, taking the girl by the hand, led her into the yard.
It was not as hot in the bathhouse as Denis liked and always steamed first. This time he was worried about Yulia. Suddenly steam was harmful to her?
«Undress and lie on the shelf on your stomach. I’ll lightly hit you with a broom. And don’t be afraid of me.»
Yulia complied, and Denis also undressed so his clothes wouldn’t get wet, and began working with the broom.
«That’s good, girl, and now hit me with the broom on the back as hard as I did you,» and he lay on the shelf.
After that, Denis scrubbed the girl with a washcloth, then poured water over her from a basin. Her shoulder-length hair curled into rings, and he admired her. Then he dried her off like a child with a towel and, wrapping her in his mother’s robe, sent her to the house. Nothing else happened in the bathhouse, nor had he planned it.
«Mom prepared my bedroom for you. She probably got clean bedding ready, and I’ll come soon.»
Yulia was already in bed, shivering, waiting for Denis. She thanked God that the truckers had laughed at her then, not touching the innocent girl. Now it awaited her. But she believed in the decency of this grown man and no longer wanted to go home. Let everything be as Denis wants.
Soon Denis appeared and, throwing off his bathrobe, lay down next to her. He started with a kiss…
Denis and Yulia registered their marriage when she was already pregnant. The husband carefully monitored his wife’s health. He didn’t want a repeat of the tragedy with his son’s mother.
Everything turned out as well as possible. Yulia gave birth to a girl, and later another. She gained weight and grew a bit.
Denis renovated Yulia’s house in the village and rented it out to tenants. He didn’t want someone to habitually break into Yulia’s house and wreak havoc again. He wasn’t planning to sell. He planned to build something big and good for the children there. Time will show who will stay with them.
