— Girl, who are you going to? I asked.
— I’m looking for my mom, have you seen her? – a little girl about six years old looked at me. I thought about it, I lived in this house quite recently and as far as I knew, the apartment in front of which she was standing was empty all this time.
«But no one lives there,» I replied to the girl.
In response, she burst into tears and sat down on the stairs.
— Auntie, we really need Mom! Only she can change everything, Dad misses her very much
I was confused, not understanding how to help this wonderful creature, I didn’t have any children myself, so I didn’t know which side to approach. Hug her, invite her to tea, but she is unlikely to go to an unknown aunt. At this time, my phone rang, asking the girl not to go anywhere, I ran to answer. And when she came back, there was no trace of her.
All evening she did not get out of my head, then I decided to call the landlady from whom I rent an apartment and ask who my neighbors on the landing were.
— No one has been living there for five years, – Lyubov Ivanovna said.
— A girl came today, looking for her mother.
Susidka pomovchala, nibi schos prigaduyuchi.
— It’s probably Katya’s daughter, so she’s been gone for a long time. Her husband alone, and even with a baby in his arms, apparently could not live in this apartment, he moved out. She’s been naughty ever since. You know, Ir, they are living not far away now, if they come running again, take them home,» and the woman dictated the address to me.
Over time, this story began to be forgotten, I worked, came home late, left early in the morning. One day, on the eve of the New Year holidays, I again heard a quiet knocking and sobbing. I rushed to the door – there she was, the same gray-eyed girl, crying.
— What happened to you? Where’s your dad?
«He’s at home, I’m looking for Mom,» she said quietly.
Remembering that I had her address written down somewhere, I ran to look for her, this time asking the girl to wait at my place. She went in, looked around, sat down on an ottoman in the hallway. And when I finally found the cherished piece of paper, I was already sleeping sweetly, curled up. Carefully transferring the child to the living room on the sofa, I dialed the hostess’s number again.
— Lyubov Ivanovna, forgive me for caring, do you remember I told you about a child who comes to an empty apartment opposite? So here I have it. I wanted to take her home, but while I was looking for the address, the girl fell asleep. I’m afraid Father will be looking.
— You know, Ir, I live not far from them, I’ll try to go now, be in touch.
– Okay, – I hung up and involuntarily admired the girl. She straightened an unruly strand, stroked her shoulder.
I dreamed so much about my children, but, unfortunately, my dream was not destined to come true. My husband and I once lived soul to soul, the time came and we thought about children. I hesitated immediately, but after a while I lost the baby. Apparently the stress at work affected us, we were waiting for the check, were nervous, worked without rest. When I found out that I was expecting a baby again, I quit my job, but apparently fate had other plans for me – I lost this baby again at an early date. And then, no matter how hard we tried, I couldn’t get pregnant anymore.
Soon my husband left me, I know that his daughter is growing up in his new family, but I haven’t heard anything more about him, deliberately excluding him from my life along with mutual friends and acquaintances.
So she lived for more than seven years, alone in rented apartments.
My thoughts were interrupted by a soft knock on the door. I rushed to open it and couldn’t believe my eyes – my ex-husband was standing on the threshold.
— Yura? How did you end up here?
– I came for my daughter, wait, Kirova 5, right?
— That’s right. So this is your daughter? Come in, she’s sleeping, – we went into the kitchen, I put the kettle on. That’s really who I didn’t expect to see on the threshold of my apartment, but life sometimes throws us not such surprises.
– Mi not zavadimo tobi? I can wake up Anya and take away dodoma.
– Do not want to sleep, do you have a steel? Vona vzhe kilka raziv come I knock on the door navproti.
Yura vtormleno prikriv ochi, and potem pochav rozpovid:
– Kilka rokiv that mi lived in a qi apartment z Kateyu. Tse zhitlo, dystalosya yy u spadok vid dida. Pislya vesillya mi v’ykhali in qiu apartment. And it’s not for nothing that Katya zavagitnila, I’m buv on a familiar sky right now! Pam’yatayu, yak vidviz squad on the curtains, vona cried, worried, mabut vidchuvala. She took me by the hands and asked me to tell her about Ditina, because she had to be married. Pid hour pologiv pochalisya uskladnennya, the squad was not vryatuvali.
– I’m sorry, I’m very sorry, – I patted Yura on the shoulder, I saw how he was getting stronger, but treacherous tears flowed down his cheeks again and again, as if he kept all this pain inside, and now he ran out of strength, and he broke out.
Then I heard the patter of children’s feet in the hall.
– Tattoo?
Yura rushed to his daughter, hugged her and hugged her to him.
– Anya, I was worried, why did you leave without warning?
— I just want to find my mom.
– We will definitely find her, but a little later, we’re going home.
— Thank you IRO, here’s my number, – Yura handed me his business card – call me if Anyutka suddenly comes running here again. We live nearby, she knows the way well now.
– And how did she find out the address of this apartment? I asked.
– I showed it myself, – he sighed, – I had to pick up some things, Anya saw Katya’s photos on the walls and since then she has been dreaming of meeting her mother. I told you that Katya just left, but she will definitely come back someday.
They left, and a few days later Yura called me. So we began to communicate with him again, on weekends the three of us went to the park, cafe and cinema. Anya became attached to me and even called me mom somehow.
– Ir, – Yura once said, – move in with us, stop wandering around other people’s corners, Anya misses you, often asks.
— And you?
– And I-he lowered his eyes and took my hands in his-missed you very much. I’m sorry for everything.
We’ve been together ever since. We bring up our little happiness – Anyutka. Every day I thank fate for a gift that has no price – to be a beloved wife and mother. And even if Anyuta is a non–native daughter, this does not prevent me from giving her all my unspent maternal love and tenderness.