Don’t play dumb! You found out I’m selling the apartment and decided to grab some money. Well, know this: you won’t get anything! This is my apartment, and I won’t give you a penny!» her mother glared maliciously at Yulia and pointed towards the door.
Yulia had always felt that something was off with her family. They were very different from others. In other families, fathers would disappear to work, seeking happiness at the bottom of a glass in the evenings. But her father was cheerful, always coming up with something. On weekends, he would take Yulia and her younger sister Tanya on hikes, to their grandmother Olya’s place – they always affectionately called her «grandma.» On weekdays, he would drop his daughters off at their various clubs and pick them up after.
«Yulia, leave me alone! Why do you always cling to me?» her mother would get annoyed whenever Yulia approached her.
«I missed you! Let’s chat?» Yulia would smile.
«Better go play with your sister, and don’t bother me,» her mother would distance herself. «Tanya, my sunshine, come here. How was your day? Good? Well, go with Yulia…»
Only when Yulia was ill would her mother sit by her bed, stroke her head sadly, and truly worry.
Yulia’s family didn’t interact with relatives. Sure, there were obligatory holiday cards. But guests never came over, nor did they mingle with aunts, uncles, or cousins. Tanya only found out about the existence of cousins when she was about 12 years old. Even with Grandma Ira, her mother’s mother, they only occasionally spoke on the phone.
«One day, grandma Ira invites the grandchildren to the countryside for the summer. Do you want to go?» her mother once suggested.
«Yes!» Tanya jumped next to her mother. «Of course, let’s go! Hooray!!»
«Yes, but when are we going?» asked Yulia.
«Yulia, grandma Ira only invited Tanya.»
«What about me?» Yulia asked with tears in her voice.
«You’ll go to grandma Olya,» her mother dismissed. Yulia smiled: she loved her grandmother very much.
«I want to go to grandma too!» Tanya whined.
«Fine, both of you will go. It’s far, but what can we do…» her mother shrugged. Grandma lived in another city, not a place you could visit every day…
So it turned out: the family did not interact with relatives on the mother’s side, and from the father’s side, there was only grandma. When the girl visited her, they would cook together, grandma taught her granddaughter to knit and embroider. In the mornings, the girl was awakened by the smell of pancakes and the playful saying: «Water, water, wash Yulia’s face!» Grandma’s hands were tender and very soft, and the deep wrinkles on her smiling, tanned face were white.
«My girl, write more often!» grandma would say each time they parted.
«Grandma, but there’s the phone! We can talk every day!» Yulia laughed.
«Yulia, I really love paper letters. Sometimes, paper can be trusted with the most secret thoughts. You’ll understand this soon!» grandma smiled then.
Yulia and Tanya, sisters close in age, looked very different. Yulia was slender, with blue eyes like her mother’s and light hair like her father’s. Tanya was chubby, with dark eyes and dark hair. The father always favored Yulia among the two daughters. He loved Tanya too, but seemingly less so. Her mother hardly noticed her elder daughter, yet adored Tanya. When Yulia was 17, their father passed away.
Grandma came to say goodbye to him – for the first time, she crossed the threshold of their house. The mother was not too pleased to see her, interacting with her coldly. Then they locked themselves in a room and discussed something emotionally, in whispers. Grandma came out crying, and the mother was red as a lobster. That same day, grandma Olya left.
«Mom, I want to enroll in university. It’s almost 400 kilometers away,» Yulia shared her plans after graduation.
«Go ahead, what do I care,» her mother shrugged indifferently. «Tanya will also apply next year. We need to think about tutors. So don’t expect any help from me.»
«I’ll try to get a scholarship…»
«You better try,» her mother said sarcastically and glared maliciously. «Here, grandma left you some money, told you to buy a computer. I give it to you, choose whether you’ll buy a computer or keep it for food for the first time.»
Yulia used the money to buy a laptop – it would come in handy for her studies! Then she sent a paper letter to grandma with a photo, boasting about her new purchase. Grandma was very happy for her granddaughter.
«Grandma! Look at the room they gave me! We’ll be living here four together, I arrived the first,» Yulia started a video call and gave a full tour first of the room, then of the block, then of the hostel floor.
«Oh, my granddaughter, how beautiful! And the furniture, you can tell it’s good. Do you have a shower for four rooms? Wow!»
«Yes, grandma! I’ll show you the lecture halls later, I’ll send you a video!»
«Of course, Yulia!» – her face covered with a net of wrinkles as she smiled. «But don’t forget the letters, write!»
And Yulia wrote. She thought over each word, wrote the letters in her calligraphic handwriting, and even drew patterns and pictures on the margins. Grandma was the first to find out from the letter about the existence of Zhenya – a young man resembling a teddy bear. Zhenya was big, with a short haircut, tricky eyes, and a completely bandit appearance. He studied a year above her.
«Hey, are you Yulia?» one day he approached the girl.
«Y-yes, me,» the girl was startled. She barely reached his shoulder.
«I was told you need help.»
«Yes, I’m moving to another room,» Yulia smiled. She realized what her friend meant by promising to send a «strong good guy.»
«Did you already pack your things into bags and boxes?»
«Packed, we can move,» Yulia smiled again.
«Well, let’s go then… Thumbelina,» Zhenya smiled back.
The guy turned out to be not a bandit at all, but a very intelligent young man. And very strong. Like fluff, he moved Yulia’s things to another floor, and when they went up together for the last time, he picked up Yulia along with the box and, looking into her eyes, declared:
«Do you want me to carry you like this every day?»
«Every day?» Yulia didn’t understand.
«Yeah, for the rest of your life.»
«Are you proposing to me?»
«Why not?»
«But I can’t marry you – I lost my passport!»
«No problem! You’ll get it replaced – and we’ll file the application right away. You can keep your last name if you want.»
Yulia stared wide-eyed at this huge man and couldn’t tell if he was joking or serious. So, she just laughed in response. The next day, the young man brought a huge mirror: he thought that was exactly what was missing in Yulia’s room. A day later – a beautiful vase and a huge bouquet. Then there were walks, cinema, a lot of talking.
«Yulia, I’m so happy! – grandma cried. – Zhenya is such an interesting young man!»
«Yes, grandma! I love him, from the very first day, from the very first minute,» Yulia’s ears turned pink from this confession. She had never told anyone about this before.
«Granddaughter, can I talk to Zhenya alone for a minute? I need to tell him something important…»
«Of course, grandma!»
Yulia was a bit puzzled, but she still gave Zhenya her phone and left the room. When she returned, Zhenya looked slightly bewildered.
«Something happened?»
«No. Yulia, grandma won’t be able to come to our wedding. She asked us to come to her afterward.»
«That I know, did she say anything else? Maybe that you’re not worthy of me?»
«What, no, of course not!» – Zhenya laughed. – «She told me to keep you safe and protect you from any misfortune!»
«And you?»
«And what about me? I promised!»
Zhenya insisted that they visit Yulia’s mother together and personally invite her to the wedding.
«Why did you come?» her mother asked dryly, opening the door.
«Mommy, I’m getting married!» Yulia squealed joyfully and hugged her. She didn’t catch the intonation of the first words.
«Well, get married, what do I care?» her mother squeezed out, stepping back, and Yulia felt as if doused with icy water.
«Aren’t you coming to my wedding? You, Tanya, grandma Ira?»
«I don’t think so,» her mother shrugged. «By the way, you can’t count on the apartment.»
«What apartment?»
«This one. You came here for that, didn’t you?»
«Mom, I don’t understand… What are you talking about?»
«Don’t play dumb! You found out I’m selling the apartment and decided to grab some money. Well, know this: you won’t get anything! This is my apartment, and I won’t give you a penny!» her mother glared maliciously at Yulia.
«Mom, I didn’t know about the sale…»
«Whatever, knew or didn’t. Nothing here belongs to you. It’s all mine and Tanya’s. Here, take this.»
Her mother nodded at a box. Yulia opened it: inside were photographs, trinkets, and most importantly – two of her father’s shirts, her favorites.
«Mom, why are you driving me away? I’m your daughter…»
«Leave. And don’t come back. Leave us alone with Tanya: we live well without you.»
«Mom…»
«Don’t ‘mom’ me!» her mother yelled angrily, but then softened slightly. «Alright, go. Here’s some money. Consider it a wedding gift.»
The wedding was celebrated lavishly: the first day in a cafe with parents and Zhenya’s relatives. The second – at the cottage with friends. The in-laws immediately took to Yulia, started calling her daughter.
«If you want, call us mom and dad. If it’s uncomfortable – by name and patronymic, Lidia Ivanovna and Artem Nikolaevich,» the parents offered even before the wedding.
«Alright, but I need to get used to having a dad again,» Yulia smiled.
«Of course, call as your heart tells you!» – the mother-in-law was a very sweet and sociable woman, she immediately endeared Yulia to her.
They began living together with Zhenya’s parents: the apartment was large. And two housewives felt very comfortable in one kitchen. The young couple worked, saved for their own housing, thought about children. They often called grandma, and every two weeks Yulia wrote her letters: she trusted paper with her most secret thoughts. Just recently, grandma’s handwriting became uneven, and sometimes it was hard to decipher the words.
«Yulinka, I’m going to a sanatorium, the connection there is bad, I’ll call when I return,» grandma said one day.
«Alright, dear, is it two or three weeks?»
«Two, my granddaughter, that’s how the vouchers are now,» grandma laughed.
«When are you going?»
«In a week.»
«Oh, then we’ll see each other soon! Zhenya and I wanted to rush to you the day after tomorrow! Will you welcome us?»
«Of course! I’ll bake my signature pancakes!»
«And pies?»
«And pies! Which ones does your Zhenya like?»
«He? Can’t you tell by looking at him? Any and lots!» – Yulia laughed.
«Come soon!» – invited Grandma Olya.
Alas, they didn’t get to see each other. When Yulia and Zhenya arrived, there was an ambulance near the house, a crying neighbor next to it.
«Yulinka, hello… How did you find out?»
«About what?» – Yulia was frightened.
«Your grandma… she felt ill in the morning, they called an ambulance. Then another one. They didn’t make it… They say it’s just old age,» the neighbor cried.
In grandma’s apartment, it smelled of medicine. On the table was a pot with dough. Left by the hostess, it had already started to go sour. Next to it on a plate, covered with a towel, was the prepared filling. Grandma had been waiting for her granddaughter. She missed her by just a few hours. Yulia called her mother, but she, apparently, had changed her number. Tanya also didn’t answer. Grandma Olya was escorted on her final journey only by Yulia, Zhenya, and the neighbors and friends of grandma Olya.
Home, Yulia and Zhenya returned devastated. But the biggest shock was yet to come.
«Daughter, just don’t worry,» Lidia Ivanovna said with a trembling voice and handed over an envelope. – We received it this morning.
«What is this?» Yulia asked in a dull, indifferent voice.
«It’s a letter… from grandma…»
«From grandma?!»
«Yes, she sent it the day before… Perhaps, she sensed something.»
Yulia opened the letter. There was a copy of the will and a sheet written in grandma’s neat handwriting. Apparently, the letter had been written a long time ago but for some reason was not sent. Yulia read it, then sat down and stared at one point. She couldn’t comprehend what grandma had told her. Zhenya approached.
«So, you knew all along?»
«Yes, grandma told me. Remember, we spoke with her over video call?»
«Why didn’t you tell me?»
«You see, she wanted there to be peace in your family. She promised that I would tell you, when she was gone. And if she couldn’t tell you everything herself…»
«But it turns out, now I really have no one…»
«What about us?»
«You – are here. And that’s my greatest joy!»
Soon, Yulia contacted a notary to claim her inheritance. The will listed the apartment, the cottage, a bank account, and listed valuable items for grandma – including jewelry. Yulia was the sole heir.
The girl began cleaning in grandma’s – or rather, now almost her – apartment. Unexpectedly, someone rang the doorbell. On the doorstep stood her mother, Tanya, grandma Ira, and some two men and three women.
«Well, welcome the relatives!»
«Hello, mom, grandma Ira, Tanya,» Yulia greeted and looked questioningly at the rest of the guests.
«These are Uncle Tolya and Aunt Marina, their children – Nikita, Nadya, and Sveta, your cousins.»
«Yulka, how big you’ve grown!» a woman they called Sveta shrieked and hugged Yulia. – «Do you remember how we…»
«No, I don’t remember, we met once. On the street. So, besides the name – I remember nothing,» Yulia cut her off.
«But how?!» – Sveta continued to cling.
«Just like that. Why did you come?» – Yulia turned to her mother.
«What do you mean why? To support you!» – her mother unexpectedly responded sweetly and even tried to hug Yulia.
«In what? – Yulia moved away from her mother.
«So, grandma…»
«Grandma passed away a month and a half ago. Why only come to support now?» – Yulia sneered.
«Oh, don’t pick on her, sister,» – Tanya flopped into a chair.
«Sister?» – Yulia laughed. – «I would argue!»
Mother looked at Yulia in surprise, shook her head.
«And don’t argue. Alright, no point in hiding it. The old lady left an inheritance. You should renounce it in favor of your sister,» her mother suddenly declared.
«Should? Why?»
«You have a husband, you will buy everything yourselves later. Tanya has nothing, she needs it more,» her mother declared.
«Really? So, I should give her the apartment?»
«Yes.»
«And these people – why are they here?»
«They also need to be thanked, I suggest giving them the money from the accounts.»
«Interesting, in honor of what?»
«As a token of gratitude!»
«Gratitude for what?! For never interacting with me, shunning, avoiding? They invited Tanya over, not me… They sent her gifts on holidays, and me? Was it too much to even send a chocolate bar?»
«Yulia! You are ungrateful, malicious, envious, like your mother,» Aunt Marina hissed venomously.
«Ha! Are you still taking revenge on her?» – Yulia laughed.
Grandma’s letter turned Yulia’s life upside down. In it, a girl named Nina – whom Yulia always thought was her mother – was in love with her young and handsome father. But the father liked her sister, Anya. They got married, and Yulia was born. Nina could not get over this and out of spite and envy got pregnant by some random young man a year later and had Tanya.
«Anya was ill, very ill. You were three years old when you were orphaned. Nina immediately clung to your father. Attached like a leech. Her relatives didn’t like your father. Some blamed him for Anya’s death. Others – that Nina married a man with baggage,» grandma wrote. – «I never divided you and Tanya, but Nina’s relatives didn’t accept you. When your father passed away, Nina suggested taking you in. Or to send her money for your upkeep. I sent it every month. Then she told me she was selling the apartment, and you wouldn’t get anything. That’s why I want to leave everything I have to you. Tanya’s mother will help her, I have no doubt about that.
Grandma wrote a lot more: about what Yulia’s mother was like, how relatives persuaded to put the girl in an orphanage, how they argued with her father, considering him a betrayer. How they told her she had raised a bad son…
«Granddaughter, I think a day will come, and all this kin will swoop down like crows. I told your Evgeniy everything, he will protect you from them. Zhenya – he’s a good guy,» – grandma ended the letter.
«Why is our door wide open?» – Evgeniy entered the hallway, and the apartment immediately seemed less bright.
«Zhen, well, relatives came.»
«Which ones?»
«The ones I’ve never seen.»
«That is, you don’t know these people? Maybe, they’re fraudsters?» – Zhenya looked suspiciously at the relatives.
«Who knows…» – Yulia yawned.
«What do they want?»
«To renounce the inheritance. And they themselves have absolutely no relation to it!»
«Oh, then – definitely fraudsters! Should we call the police?» – Zhenya winked at his mother-in-law.
«No, we’re leaving,» – unexpectedly, the relatives started to gather.
«The road is your tablecloth!» – Zhenya yelled after them and closed the door.
Yulia cried: she had been very afraid of this conversation. And it was unpleasant that people, who could have been close to her, not only turned away from her but also tried to rob her. And Zhenya stroked her head and was glad that he was there in such a difficult moment to protect his Thumbelina.
They sold grandma’s apartment, the cottage too. With that money, they, together with Evgeniy, bought a large apartment near his parents. They were very happy: Yulia had long become a family member to them. Yulia now has a mom and dad – that’s how she calls her in-laws. And soon, there will be a new addition in their family with Evgeniy. And Yulia is happy that her children will have the best grandparents.
