Valentina Ivanovna woke up early, as usual. Time was moving inexorably forward, and she needed to get up, despite her fatigue. She glanced around her small apartment – faded wallpaper, a shabby sofa and her favorite bookshelf, which was still standing by the window. In the corner, curled up, her faithful dog, Bim, was sleeping peacefully.
“And again the morning has come,” Valentina Ivanovna thought, trying to get up, but immediately feeling the heaviness in her whole body. Today she had neither the means nor the strength to think about anything joyful. Her pension was like the last thread, only a week left to go. And before that – only empty pockets. She looked sadly at Bim, who immediately caught her mood and looked at her with his warm, trusting eyes.
“What should I do, Bim? How can I feed both of us, you and me? How can I survive this week?” — Her thoughts were gloomy. However, she could not allow the dog to remain hungry. After all, Bim was her only companion, her only consolation after her husband’s death. He was a part of her life, a link with the past, with those happy days when her husband was still alive.
Remembering those times, Valentina Ivanovna felt her heart squeeze again. Her husband left this world 5 years ago. After his departure, everything changed. Her son insisted on selling the apartment, they divided the money, and he disappeared. After all, there was nothing more to take from her. Valentina did not understand how they had let their son go, that he had grown up like this. He cared only about himself and the money that he did not know how to earn and did not want to. But he spent it easily. He constantly got into debt, and then his mother had to solve his problems.
That is why, when she bought herself a one-room apartment on the outskirts of the city, she did not even tell him the new address. She had enough of his friends, who wrote on the doors and called at night, demanding that she return the money. Her son would get this apartment when she was gone, the will had been made long ago.
But she had no idea what to do now. She had nothing to sell. Her son had taken everything valuable for himself. Only the earrings her husband had given her were left in her ears. But this was silver, which no one else needed.
But first they would go for a walk, maybe a solution would come in the fresh air.
She was already thinking about maybe asking for alms. Thoughts flashed through her head about how she could go to the city center and start asking people for alms. There was no shame, no pride – only hopelessness. She glanced at Bim again and again, and then got up and headed through the park. This was her only route, which she was at least a little familiar with – along the alley, among the trees covered with the first frost.
Some time passed, and, a little tired, Valentina Ivanovna sat down on a bench to rest. Thoughts were spinning in her head again, but for a second she decided to just close her eyes and listen to people walking in the park, their steps mixing with the soft rustle of autumn leaves.
It was cold outside, and her feet were starting to freeze in the shoes that, like her whole life, had long since exhausted their resource.
Valentina Ivanovna sighed heavily and looked at her dog, who stood staring into space, as if he also felt the weight of their situation.
“What should I do, Bim? Where should I go?” she thought, reflecting on the fact that sometimes life makes a person do things that he would not dare to do before.
Suddenly a girl stopped next to her. She was about ten years old, with long pigtails and bright blue eyes. The girl was holding a pie in her hands and looked shyly at Valentina Ivanovna.
“Can I pet your dog?” the girl asked, smiling.
Valentina Ivanovna nodded, and Bim, hearing the child’s voice, happily wagged his tail and ran up to her. The girl began to gently pet him, and the dog affectionately rubbed his side against her hand.
But then Bim, smelling the pie, suddenly jumped up, grabbed it right from the girl’s hands and, happy, ran away. The girl froze, and a surprised but kind smile appeared on her face.
– Oh! – she laughed. – He took my pie!
Valentina Ivanovna jumped up, immediately apologizing.
– Oh, please forgive me, girl. We’re just hungry… Bim couldn’t resist. It’s not his fault.
But the girl just laughed, her laughter was light and sincere.
– Nothing terrible, grandma! Let him eat, he’s so funny!
The girl stroked Bim once more and, jumping up and down joyfully, ran further through the park, looking back happily at the elderly woman.
Valentina Ivanovna was a little embarrassed, but soon returned to her thoughts. A feeling of hopelessness was still burning in her chest. She did not expect that the meeting with this little girl would be so short, but warm. It seemed that at such moments the soul calms down a little, despite all the hardships.
When the girl returned with her parents, Valentina Ivanovna suddenly felt that something had changed in her mood. She did not notice how quickly those same people approached, and when they were next to her, the man with a good-natured look stopped in front of her.
When they had finished eating, Nikolai invited Valentina Ivanovna to go home with him. On the way, they stopped at a grocery store to buy a few items that could help her. He felt that she should not be alone, that she deserved more.
As she said goodbye to Nikolai, she reflected on how much in life is determined not by what we do for ourselves, but by what we do for others. All this time, she was sure that her good deeds had sunk into oblivion, but now she realized that they had returned, and this moment was something more significant than just support.
When Nikolai left, Valentina Ivanovna returned to her kitchen and saw Bim rise from the carpet and approach her, as if sharing her thoughts.
“Well, Bim, now we have provisions,” she smiled.
Returning home, Nikolai, still thinking about what Valentina Ivanovna had told him, talked to his wife.
“You know, Lyudmila, today I met Valentina Ivanovna. The same teacher who once believed in me when I was still a nobody. She… she is very lonely, and she needs help.”
Lyudmila raised her eyebrows, looking at her husband in surprise.
“Are you saying that she is in a difficult situation?”
Nikolai sighed, continuing:
“She lost her husband, her son took the money from the sale of the apartment and left. Valentina Ivanovna is left alone, and now it is very difficult for her. I thought that we should provide support. We can offer her to live with us. She will help our daughter with mathematics, as she used to help me. And we will become her family.”
Lyudmila looked at him with sincere curiosity. She knew that her husband had always been a man of high moral principles, but this proposal really surprised her.
– Do you think she will agree? It is not so easy to move in with us.
Nikolai shook his head:
– It is not easy, I know. But she should not live alone. She has already done enough for others. It is time for us to do something for her.
Lyudmila thought for a moment, and then took his hand.
– Okay, if you think this is the right decision, I agree. We will help her as best we can. I just hope that she will be comfortable with us.
The next day Nikolai went to Valentina Ivanovna. When he arrived at her door, she opened it, and a slight smile appeared on her face, as if she already had a premonition of something.
– Hello, Valentina Ivanovna, – he said, entering the apartment. – I was thinking about our conversation, and I have an offer for you.
She looked up, waiting warily for him to speak. Nikolai continued calmly:
“My wife and I have decided that it would be better for you to live with us. We can help you and Bim. Our daughter needs help with math, and I am sure that you can help her. You will not be alone, Valentina Ivanovna. We will become your family. You do not need to worry about housing and food. We will all support you.”
Nikolai’s words pierced her heart. She was silent, not knowing what to answer, and then, finally, she said quietly:
“But… I can’t. I am not used to being a burden to others. I have tried to be independent all my life.”
Nikolai gently placed his hand on her shoulder.
“You will not be a burden. We just want you to feel better. And your help will be valuable to us. We will all help each other.”
Valentina Ivanovna felt her heart fill with warmth and gratitude. It was something incredible – the thought that she would not be left alone.
– Thank you, Nikolai. I… I don’t even know how to thank you for your kindness. It’s so unexpected. But I’ll think about it, of course…
He smiled and hugged her.
– Don’t think for long, Valentina Ivanovna. We’re waiting for you.
At that moment, Valentina Ivanovna felt her life changing. She felt something thawing in her soul.