«Nina, why all this?»
Nina Grigorievna sat down next to her husband and sighed.
«Kolya, to be honest, I myself don’t know. It seems all good, but I just don’t trust him, I don’t believe in his sincerity. Obviously, Katya is in love and sees no flaws.»
«I understand. I myself have mixed feelings. But I just write it off as us not wanting to give our Katya away to anyone.»
Nina stubbornly shook her head.
«Kolya, if everything is good, then let’s say we were just joking. I don’t know, we’ll come up with something.»
«Shall we go, Nina?»
«Alright, let’s go. I really feel uncomfortable in this cheap outfit. God forbid someone sees me.»
«Oh, believe me, no one will recognize you. And they won’t be looking at you. People from our circle rarely notice those who are somewhere below.»
Nikolay sighed: his wife had been helping exactly those people who were ‘below’ for many years, helping them restore documents, helping them find jobs. Some fell off and slid down again, while others lived, worked, sometimes quite successfully. But she wasn’t always doing this.
There was a time, many years ago, when Nina, having despaired of having a child, threw her hands up and just, as she said, went off the rails. Back then, their family life was hanging by a thread. Nina just didn’t hear Nikolay, came home later and later, getting shaken up each time in increasingly dubious companies.
Then she realized that it was time to stop. She swore to herself that if she got out alive and unharmed, she would not take a single drop in her mouth again.
In that bad company were people for whom the sea was knee-deep, and alcohol didn’t interest them much because they were long since attached to completely different substances.
And there was also a pregnant woman. She, painfully grabbing Nina by the hand, whispered:
«Save me! Save me and my girl!»
Her contractions began right on the street. While they were waiting for the ambulance, the young woman explained that she was an orphan, that she had fallen in love, but her chosen one turned out to be like this. She lacked the courage to leave because her housing had already been sold.
The woman died in childbirth.
That’s how Katya appeared in their family. They moved, and no one could even think that Katya wasn’t their own.
Since then, Nina couldn’t pass by someone else’s trouble. Nikolay forgot everything that had happened. They started from scratch. He loved Katya dearly, loved Nina. He did everything for them and achieved a lot. Now their daughter, their little girl, who was actually already 24, was about to marry some unknown guy.
They were always aware of all her affairs, all her acquaintances. Nina called her daughter several times a day, and the father also constantly worried. But now everything was quiet, in secret from them. This was very alarming. Most likely, this Nikita persuaded her, so the girl did not inform the parents, as they were always aware of all her affairs.
At first glance, Nikita was a perfectly normal guy, treated Katya very well, smiled. But they understood: all this was not just so. If Katya hid him, it meant this secrecy was not without reason…
Nina did not expect such a thing from her daughter, because a couple of times when Katya started dating someone, they managed to open her eyes to the chosen one before it went too far.
Nikita’s parents lived in the suburbs, and Nina and Nikolay decided to take the train. Just like people with almost no money would. They were sure: as soon as this family finds out that they have no money, their attitude towards Katya would immediately change, and Katya would find out who is next to her.
Then everything would fall into place; they would save their girl from an ill-considered step. Katya would again spend evenings at home with them, and everything would be very good, just as it had been before.
In the train, smiling, Nikolay said:
«I had almost forgotten how all this is thrilling. Almost a ‘survive the adventure’ quest.»
Nina smiled back:
«Nothing, sometimes it’s useful to go out among people, otherwise you sit in your office, see nothing but papers.»
Nikolay became more serious.
«No, what I was thinking. Maybe we shouldn’t have started this after all. Katya is already an adult, she will be offended at us.»
«How is she adult? For me, she is always a child.»
«I understand, but we don’t let her make decisions on her own.»
Nina turned to her husband:
«What are you talking about? We only wish her well, these are not just our whims.»
Nina turned away to the window and snorted offendedly. Nikolay shook his head and also looked out the window. There’s still half an hour to go—time to think about how to negotiate with the boy’s parents.
After a short time, he realized, opened his eyes, and saw that he had fallen asleep. Beside Nina stood a girl. She, smiling, looked at his wife, who did not see her, lost in thought, staring out the window.
He gently nudged Nina with his elbow. She started as if frightened, and finally saw the girl. She obviously lived on the streets, or if at home, that home was little different from the streets. Light hair, bright blue eyes, dirty clothes, obviously bigger than she needed, and a bright scarf tied in a gypsy style. Nina smiled cautiously.
«Hello, who are you?»
«Hello,» the girl said cheerfully, «I’m Sara. I can tell your fortune.»
«Tell fortunes?»
Nina looked at Nikolay in surprise, but he just shrugged. He didn’t know much about this.
«Well, tell me. But let me guess your fortune first.»
The girl looked puzzled.
«Do you know how?»
Nina confidently nodded her head:
«Of course, do you doubt it?»
The little girl was clearly confused, then cautiously looked around and nodded:
«Go ahead, but quickly, or they’ll see me.»
Nina spiritedly began:
«You really want a big doll with the same blue eyes.»
The girl suddenly sobbed:
«How do you know?»
Nina pulled out a chocolate bar:
«Do you want it? I don’t have anything else. Sit down, eat.»
She moved over and sat the girl between herself and Nikolay, who watched the scene with interest. Sara said she lived with gypsies and that they often beat her, calling her a stray. And she didn’t know anything else, she couldn’t really read. They taught her to say what was necessary to please people and to make them give money, but she had to bring all the money. If she brought even a penny less, she could get beaten very badly.
Nina listened and nodded sadly, then asked:
«Do you actually want to live with them?»
The girl replied in surprise:
«I don’t know, I’ve always lived there. Rosa said that if I end up in an orphanage, they will beat me to death.»
Nina sighed.
«Oh, what nonsense! In an orphanage, everything is clean, lots of kids, they play, study, rest. Don’t listen to Rosa, she’s deceiving you.»
The woman looked at her husband. Kolya shivered. Oh, he knew that look well. After such a look, Nina came up with the most unreal, the most fantastic ideas.
«Kolya, we’re getting off at the next station. Call your driver to come for us.»
«But we’re almost there!»
«It doesn’t matter.»
«Nina, but Vasily is in the city, it will take him an hour, if not more.»
«So what?» — Nina looked sternly at him.
Kolya cautiously coughed:
«Listen, we’re almost there, Nikita lives in this town. I could call Katya.»
Nina glanced at him quickly:
«Kolya, figure this problem out.»
20 minutes later, an old but lively foreign car pulled up next to them. Nikita jumped out.
«Nina Grigorievna, Nikolay Nikolaevich, did something happen to you?»
They had completely forgotten that they were dressed like hobos.
«Nikita, we’ll explain later, let’s go quickly! Get in the car, Sara.»
The little girl said in a thin voice:
«Oh, that’s Rosa, she’ll kill me!»
Nina looked in the direction the little girl pointed: a woman accompanied by two tough-looking guys was hurrying towards them. Nikita quickly took action:
«Alright. Get in!»
The guy accelerated from the spot, and only after the city was behind them, he asked:
«Did we just kidnap a child?»
Nina and Kolya looked at each other. Nina replied:
«I didn’t think about how this would look. Wait, if you thought so, why did you help us?»
«Nikita agreed to the crime because he trusts us.»
Nikita nodded, and the parents exchanged glances.
«Nikita, let’s go to our house.»
The girl fell asleep on Nina’s shoulder, and she looked at the little girl tenderly. How could it be, why does a child live there? Well, no matter, she’ll take care of Sara’s fate. Nina looked at her husband. He was quietly talking to Nikita. What a good man he is, always helpful, reliable as oneself!
«Nikita, stop here.»
He stopped the car, surprised, looking at the house:
«You live here?»
Nina replied:
«Yes, didn’t you know?»
«No. Katya never allowed me to escort her home.»
Nikita was silent for a moment, seemingly digesting the information, then glanced at the girl:
«And her?»
«Well, she’ll stay with us today, I’ll wash her and feed her. Tomorrow I’ll call child services, we need to help her. She doesn’t look like a gypsy at all, maybe she was stolen once.»
They had already gotten out of the car, but Nina suddenly turned around:
«Nikita, we need to apologize to you.»
He raised an eyebrow in surprise:
«Apologize to me?»
«Yes, you see, we suspected you didn’t love Katya, that you wanted to be with her only for the money. You see, we dressed up like jesters, wanted to go to your parents’ place like this. I… I’m ashamed now.»
Nikita smiled:
«I’m not offended at all. In fact, I was against hiding our meetings from you for so long, but Katya insisted, said you would find a lot of faults in me and convince her to break up with me.»
Nina said awkwardly:
«We love our daughter too much, just don’t want to let her go.»
3 months later… «Mom, I’m so happy!»
Nina wiped away tears.
«The most important thing for me is that you’re happy, darling.»
Katya quickly hugged her:
«Mommy, why are you crying? Don’t you like Nikita?»
«I like him very much!»
«Then what?»
«It’s tears of joy! Honestly, forgive me, daughter, for suffocating you. You know, parents always think they know better what their children need.»
Katya laughed:
«Oh, if it weren’t for your 100% control, I would have married some swindler like Denis, remember him? He’s now in jail for theft… And I wouldn’t have met Nikita. So, I’m thankful to you.»
Nina had no time to reply: the door to the room burst open, and, rustling with voluminous skirts, Liza virtually flew in. Once, Liza was Sara, which they tried to forget as quickly as possible. Nina truly took care of the girl’s fate. It turned out that Liza had no parents, she disappeared from the scene of an accident where her father and mother died. Initially, she was searched for, then they stopped. All this time, the little girl had been helping gypsies earn money.
The more Nina communicated with the little girl, the more details she learned about Liza, the better she understood that she couldn’t give her up, but what to do, she had no idea. Kolya, her wise and understanding husband, saved the situation.
«Nina, I see how hard it is for you. And I’ve already grown accustomed to Liza’s voice. Maybe…»
Nina then threw herself around his neck and burst into tears…
«Mom, Katya, look what I made! I did it myself! Honest!»
The girl handed them a card, where in uneven block letters was written a greeting to the bride and groom. Katya hugged her:
«Liz, you’re so smart! To learn to write and read in such a short time. I’m very proud of you, sister!»
Liza’s eyes sparkled with pride.
«Sister…»
Nina sighed. A long time ago, they had agreed with her husband to tell Katya the whole truth on the very day she would get married. Today was that day.
«Katya. We need to talk very seriously. I don’t know what will happen after our conversation, I don’t know how you’ll take it, but we’ve decided. Decided that you need to know. But before that, I want to say: we love you more than our lives.»
Katya nodded seriously:
«That’s very important to me. Mom, I love you too, and if anything, I know that I’m adopted.»
Nina collapsed weakly into the chair:
«And how long have you known?»
Katya shrugged:
«Well, a few years. Mom, I really want nothing to change between us.»
They sat for a long time, hugging, and just silent. Liza’s voice broke the silence:
«Mom, when I went to the tutor, I met a boy! He’s so nice, can draw a crocodile.»
Nina immediately sat up straight:
«Lizonka, sit down. Tell mom about this boy. Everything, everything about him! You understand, mom needs to know everything, absolutely everything!»
Behind her, Katya chuckled softly and then whispered to Liza:
«Well, I’m with Nikita now, and you’re the older sister…»
