Ania was returning home from work, feeling exhausted, but she had stopped by a store to buy groceries for the week. There was no rush to get home since no one waited for her there. As she stepped out of the store, she heard a child’s voice call out to her:
— Ma’am, would you happen to need a little child? Please take my little brother to your home. He’s only six months old, and he’s very hungry. I have no food to feed him.
Ania was shocked by these words. She turned around abruptly and saw in front of her a small thin boy, dirty, with serious grey eyes filled with pain and loneliness. He seemed to carry a burden far too heavy for his small shoulders. His clothes were dirty, not suitable for the weather, torn in places and hastily stitched. He looked no older than six. The little boy held in his arms a baby crying bitterly, wrapped in an old and dirty blanket.
The older brother was awkwardly trying to comfort him, rocking him gently and murmuring:
— Igorek, don’t cry. We’ll find a solution soon.
Ania looked around, astonished at the indifference of those passing by. Everyone was busy with their tasks, not paying any attention to the two miserable children, who were hungry, dirty, and shivering from the cold. The older boy approached each passerby with a plea to take his brother and feed him.
But everyone who passed by hurried to distance themselves from this odd child, dismissing him with remarks such as:
— Leave us alone, don’t bother us. Go and do something with your life. Why are you begging around here?
Ania felt the helplessness of these children and the cruelty of the world towards them like a tightening knot in her chest. A small, scrawny boy with a baby in his arms kept repeating his plea to strangers, but nobody seemed to care about these poor children. When the boy made that strange request to her, Ania was paralyzed. Images from her own hungry childhood flooded her mind…
She remembered her mother kneading flavorless flatbreads instead of bread… Watching with hungry eyes a handful of candies in the store that her family couldn’t afford… Then going to school in old, shabby shoes, a gift from a kind neighbor who had passed them down from her own daughter… She even missed school for two months at times when she didn’t have shoes to wear. Only after her mother received a meager salary did she buy Ania a pair of rubber boots, which she wore throughout the fall and spring…
Yet, despite everything she endured in her childhood, the young woman always hoped for better and believed her life would change. Through hard work and perseverance, she graduated high school with honors and got into college on a scholarship. She studied diligently, knowing her parents couldn’t afford to pay for her education. She was able to live modestly on her scholarship, which covered her needs. After graduating with distinction, Ania quickly found a job because she had proven her skills during an internship.
In her final year of college, she met Sergei — an attractive and well-off man. Their relationship developed rapidly. He was very romantic, surprising her with flowers and gifts, and taking her out to cafes. Although Ania earned a good salary and could finally buy quality clothes and shoes, Sergei often took her to boutiques, wanting to lavish his chosen one.
After three months of a passionate relationship, Sergei proposed. Ania joyfully accepted. She was thrilled to have met Sergei. She felt his sincere love and reciprocated it. However, she feared meeting his parents, coming from an intellectual family of three generations. His mother was a renowned surgeon in the country, a PhD holder, and his father was a philosophy professor and a dean. They wanted a suitable partner for their son.
But he brought home a simple girl from a modest family — her mother worked as a seamstress at a factory, her father as a factory worker.
Most displeased with this turn of events was his mother, Evghenia Pavlovna. Ania felt like she was being interrogated all evening. At one point, when she went to the restroom, his mother said:
— Son, this country girl isn’t good enough for you. We’ve already found a bride from a good family for you. Say goodbye to your country bumpkin.
— Mom, I love her! — Sergei responded indignantly. — I’m going to marry her whether you like it or not.
— Are you sure about your decision? — his mother narrowed her eyes. — Make sure you don’t regret it. You don’t even know whom she was with before you.
— Mom, those details are none of your business. But since you bring it up, let me assure you that Ania, at the age of twenty, has kept her chastity. So stop speaking ill of her.
Eventually, Sergei married his chosen one, much to the dissatisfaction of his parents. For Sergei, it was important that Ania was a virgin at her age. That, in his eyes, meant she was pure and inexperienced and would not behave like most girls her age, who only sought a well-off man to latch onto in the capital. The wedding was grand. Ania, in a voluminous white dress with a floor-length veil, was a true beauty. The young newlyweds were happy.
Sergei’s mother and father stayed only a short while at the ceremony, leaving early under the pretense of being busy, with tight lips. Despite their dislike for their daughter-in-law, Sergei’s parents reluctantly gifted the couple a three-room apartment they’d had in reserve for their son, ensuring that it would not fall into her hands in case of a split.
After the wedding, Ania moved in with her husband. She was happy. Her husband pampered her, took care of her. She took care of the house, awaited him with warm and delicious meals, and continued working. Two years passed, during which the couple tried unsuccessfully to conceive a child. It wasn’t working.
Ania visited a clinic for an examination, which revealed minor hormonal imbalances, and she pursued treatment. But it was in vain. Sergei became distant somehow, more quiet, more somber. Ania couldn’t understand what was happening to her considerate and loving husband. She was worried and sensed that something was wrong but couldn’t find out what.
Eventually, the truth emerged months later. Evghenia Pavlovna had paid a visit. She couldn’t wait to “open Ania’s eyes” about her “unequal” marriage to Sergei. She began with hints, mentioning Ania’s parents — simple workers. Just then, Sergei arrived from work. Seeing his mother, he felt backed up.
And then he told Ania:
— I know everything, don’t bother excusing yourself. It’s just sad you deceived me for two whole years! Two years wasted with you!
— Sergei, what do you mean? — Ania’s face turned pale.
— I know! Your doctor told me everything. About your failed abortion and your lie about being chaste. How could you? You knew how much that meant for me!
— Sergei, there’s been a mistake, a confusion — Ania tried to defend herself. — I’ve never been with anyone before you! And I haven’t had any abortion!
— I don’t want to listen to you! I believe the doctor over you. So you can pack your things and leave my house.
Thoughts flooded Ania’s mind. She couldn’t understand why her husband distrusted her. What abortion? Sergei was the first and only man in her life. How could he think such a thing? She looked at her mother-in-law, Evghenia Pavlovna, who was smiling with satisfaction. Ania realized that woman was behind everything, but she had no way to prove her innocence.
Eventually, she packed her belongings and moved to the studio apartment she’d inherited from her grandmother a few years before. Ania cried all night. The next day she called Sergei, trying to explain that everything he’d heard was a lie, slander. But he didn’t believe her and told her to forget his number. He said he had already filed for divorce.
Ania didn’t want to give up. She visited her doctor, seeking explanations. The doctor, an elderly woman, responded:
— I’m very sorry it came to this. But my grandson is studying on a fee basis, and your mother-in-law offered a sum that covers all his school years. You’re young; you’ll find love. But regarding your health, you truly need treatment.
After the divorce, Ania needed a long time to recover. Her ordinary world crumbled instantly. Betrayal everywhere. Just three months after the separation, her former husband Sergei married a colleague, who later gave birth to a son. He felt no remorse. Throughout the divorce proceedings, he loudly declared what a ‘base’ wife he’d had. Not only couldn’t she give him a child, but she also deceived him!
Ania continued her treatment with another doctor. Her hope was to bear at least a child for herself. But she hadn’t yet met a man who could be a worthy father for a child. She put away the wedding photos that reminded her of unfulfilled familial happiness.
The idea of adoption grew stronger daily, as doctors consistently told her the chances of conceiving were slim. Her desire for dating had vanished. Ania was fully prepared to go to an orphanage and started gathering the required documents. The thought that somewhere a child also dreams of a family, a home, a mother, filled her heart with warmth and reassured her she was doing the right thing. She was determined and hopeful that she could provide a home and family for a little soul in dire need of love.
And then one day, while heading home from work, she encountered two miserable children abandoned by their mother.
— Little one, what happened to you? — Ania asked, bending down to them.
— Mom left home, and we haven’t seen her in days. Ma’am, we have nothing to eat. I can eat a piece of dry bread, but my brother can’t. I have no milk to feed him, — the boy replied sadly.
— Where is your father?
— I don’t know, — said the sad child, clutching his brother to his chest. — I don’t remember him. Never seen him.
— Take him with you; he’s still small. He doesn’t ask for much. Just milk, and he sleeps half the day. Igor is well-behaved, not fussy. He’s only six months. Please, take him, — the boy implored, extending his brother towards her, and Ania couldn’t hold back her tears. She felt all the responsibility weighing on her shoulders. If she walked past them, these children might starve and freeze. She feared especially for the baby, who no longer had the strength to cry, merely sobbed weakly. But what had happened to their mother, why did she leave them? Ania, who had struggled for years for the right to be a mother, couldn’t find an answer.
— But your mother? Where is she? — Ania asked again.
— She’ll be happy if a kind ma’am takes Igor. He’s always crying from hunger, and mom doesn’t want to care for him. A neighbor said Child Protection would take us away anyway if mom doesn’t change. I’m scared…if they take him, I’ll never see him again, — the boy burst into tears.
— Don’t cry; everything will be alright. Where do you live? Maybe we can talk to your mom. Perhaps she won’t mind if I take you, — Ania suggested without realizing.
To her surprise, the boy energetically started down the road, pointing towards a nearby three-story building. He seemed sure of the direction. Ania carried the baby with difficulty. The little one had been crying from hunger for a long time and now only whimpered weakly, exhausted.
They reached the building and went together to the second floor. Before them was a door where the boy rang the bell first. Both froze, waiting, but no response was heard. Nonetheless, from beyond the door, there were sounds, as if someone was inside but trying to stay unnoticed.
Ania, wasting no time, tried the door. She pulled gently on the handle and, to her surprise, found it ajar. It was an encouraging sign, so she gently opened it and called, “Hello! Is anyone home?” But nobody responded.
Entering the apartment, Ania heard the unpleasant, alcohol-soaked voice of a woman:
— Jenca, where’s my mug?
The boy ran joyfully to the kitchen, handing his mother a dirty, gray mug.
— Here, mom. Here’s your mug.
— Where have you been, lad? Mom’s not well, and you don’t care at all! – the woman began to scold with an alcohol-laden voice of uncertain age.
Ania stood in the middle of a grimy, neglected room, holding a little child. Her eyes widened in horror and despair as she observed that dreary and foul apartment. Chaos and disorder reigned in every corner. The floor was covered with a thick layer of dirt, with the original color barely distinguishable. A worn, ragged carpet lay across it, maybe once beautiful, now absorbing all the gloom of that place.
The curtains covering the windows were in a pitiful state too — dirty, stained with grease, they barely let any light in, enhancing the somber and oppressive atmosphere of the room. The table cover hadn’t seen soap and water for ages, with spots and marks of daily life painting a picture of absolute neglect.
The walls seemed grey and lifeless, as if they absorbed all the sadness and despair of the place. The air was heavy with an unbearable smell of insecurity and squalor, making even a simple breath an effort. Ania’s heart clenched with pain and compassion for those who had to live in such conditions. She tightened her hold on the child, trying to protect him from this heartrending reality, while tears welled up in her eyes.
In the middle of the room sat a sagging old couch, piled with bed linens of an indeterminate color. Judging by the appearance, the furniture dated back to the ’80s. The stove was covered with dirty dishes. Packaged food wrappers were strewn through the kitchen. Everything was in an advanced state of decay. Empty bottles of cheap liquor lay around.
Next to the sink blackened with grime lay a piece of bread full of flies. Cockroaches crawled unperturbed across the windowsill, while the house reeked of dampness and mold. Ania wouldn’t have been surprised to see rats there, though thankfully, there were none. The mistress of this chaos inspired nothing good. The acrid smell of an unwashed body and dirty clothes was nearly unbearable. Pointing a finger at Ania, she mumbled something indecipherable through the haze of drunkenness.
Ania, trying to ease the tension, spoke first.
— Hello. I’m sorry for entering uninvited. Could you spare me a minute?
— Who are you? What do you want? – the woman asked harshly, swaying on her feet.
— Perhaps you need some help, some medicine? I can buy it for you.
— Oh, medicine… wouldn’t hurt — the woman chuckled drunkenly. — They sell it at the corner shop. Will you go? — she asked with hopeful tulip-less eyes.
Then, suddenly, she sobered:
— Kidding, girl. What, are you from Child Protection? But why do I care… Anyway, I need “medicine.” Give me some money. I’ll pay you back… someday. Or I’ll send Jenca, it’s not the first time.
— I can give you money, but first, let’s make you a strong coffee and then talk — Ania said, eyeing the dirty coffee jar. She prepared a strong coffee and handed the cup to the mother. Seeing the drink, her eyes lit up.
— Why did you come? Looking for something? Want to dig through my house? — the woman suspiciously asked. Then her gaze locked onto the baby whining on the couch. She lunged at the elder son:
— Jenca, you scoundrel! Put Igor down to sleep. He’s been crying all morning, and mom has a headache. You’ve all exhausted me! — she yelled with an irritating voice. Ania restrained herself from slapping her to bring her to her senses. When she heard the shout, the baby fell silent. Probably drifted off from hunger. Ania, composed, said calmly:
— He’s asleep; don’t wake him. Stop shouting. I think he’s too weak from hunger — she added. A peculiar expression crossed the woman’s face: perhaps regret, perhaps pity.
— Just cries all the time, I can’t take it anymore. Look at how we live. The government’s to blame. Doesn’t give money, doesn’t give work. How can I live? Just survive, that’s all. No social assistance either — she rhetorically said.
Ania could only listen to this mother’s grievances.
— Listen, your children are constantly hungry. The house is a total mess. The little boy needs special care and proper food. You know Child Protection could take them? You risk losing your parental rights!
— Eh, let them take them! Who needs them anyway? If not with me, they can live in a children’s home. It’ll be easier for me. The crying and screeching will stop — the woman said indifferently. Then she looked at Ania and added: — Looks like you have money. Gold earrings, chain around your neck. Fashionable coat. I have nothing. I used to have gold earrings — Igor’s father drank them. He made the kid and left. I don’t even know who Jenca’s dad is, haven’t a clue who I made him with. So there’s nowhere to get child support money from.
— I can help you with the money. But I can’t take the children without your consent — Ania said. — Think about it carefully. If you give them up, there’s no going back.
The woman gave a cold, silent look in return. She was quiet for a few minutes, then slowly said:
— I need time. — Looking around, at Jenca, gnawing a piece of dry bread, then at the smaller child, she added: — Fifty thousand. For both. That’s my price. With that money, I can live half a year. After that, somehow, I’ll manage. And if not, I’ll make another one.
Hearing these words, Ania was struck by disbelief. Then she gathered herself and replied:
— I don’t have that sum on me now. I’ll withdraw the money and bring it to you the day after tomorrow. Until then, prepare the renouncement papers. I’ll take them as soon as I return. Here’s five thousand as an advance. — she said, placing the note on the table. — And one more thing — she handed Jenca two thousand with the words — go now and buy some food for yourself and formula for your brother, best to ask at the pharmacy.
The mistress of the apartment stood by the table, carefully scrutinizing the banknote Ania held out. Greed and interest were evident in her eyes, as if she’d never seen so much money before in her life. Without saying a word, she wrote a receipt and handed it to Ania. Meanwhile, Jenca, Ania’s little son, understood he had to act quickly. He snatched the banknote from his mother’s hand and ran to the store — before she could change her mind and take the money back!
Ania hurried out of that nightmare!
Realizing the situation was becoming increasingly tenuous, Ania decided to report it to the police! She detailed the struggling family situation, including the mother’s complete incapability of caring for her children! The police opened an investigation — and eventually, the mother was stripped of her parental rights! The court gave her a suspended five-year sentence — for negligence of parental duties! Prosecutors tried to add charges of child trafficking — but there wasn’t direct evidence. The judge, seeing the pitiful state of the woman, decided a suspended sentence was sufficient — still giving her a chance to mend her ways!
Three years ago, Ania never would have imagined her life would become so full of color and meaning. She sat confidently behind the wheel of her car, driving through the city while her two sons, Jenca and Igor, were having fun in the back seat. Jenca, the elder brother, had already graduated school and actively participated in a football club, relishing every moment spent on the field. He was also fond of cycling — because the speed and the wind in his face brought him special joy.
And little Igor was a happy visitor to the kindergarten, where he made his first forays into art, bringing his mother colorful drawings. His changes were the most visible: from a skinny child, he grew into a lively and well-built boy, always ready to cheer.
Evenings in Ania’s family were full of warmth and cheer. She enjoyed strolling through the park with the boys, shaping clay, cooking tasty pancakes together, and laughing amidst board games. Dancing to childhood tunes filled the home with giggles and joy.
On weekends, Ania preferred staying active — venturing with the kids into the forest or amidst nature. This summer, they even managed to go to the beach, which was a real adventure for both. It was Jenca’s first time seeing the ocean, and he couldn’t contain his excitement, playing in the water like a small child. Though Igor initially feared the waves, he soon got caught up in the fun, especially when his mother taught him to swim.
Every day in the lives of Ania and her sons was filled with bright moments, simple joys, and unforgettable memories, transforming them into a truly happy and united family.
They were even now together at the supermarket, buying groceries for the week. Jenca, as the older brother, pushed the cart filled with goods. Little Igor helped with the packaging. Together they left the store, heading towards Ania’s car. When she happened to lift her gaze towards a passerby, Ania recognized her former husband — the one who’d hurt her so much.
Sergei didn’t hide his surprise.
— Ania? You have children? Did you adopt someone?
— And what’s so surprising? I’ve always dreamed of having children. Now I have them. Rejoice for me and our united family — she replied.
Sergei sighed heavily and said:
— I divorced my wife. It turned out those kids weren’t mine. Actually, I can’t have children, you know? Who would’ve thought? And I accused you back then… I didn’t know my own mother could stoop to such a vile act. Forgive me, Ania. I was unfair to you.
— I hold no grudge. Go on, Sereja, where you were heading — she said calmly. She took the little son by the hand, while the elder helped carry the bags to the car. Sergei watched sadly as the united family walked away.
Ania didn’t rush into remarrying, although many tried to win her over. The girl decided to fulfill an old dream. She left the boring office job and boldly opened a toy store, crafting toys by hand. Her passion for creative work was evident in every detail. The workshop became a place not just for colorful toys to come to life but also for sowing a warm and welcoming atmosphere. A corner of happiness filled with warmth and smiles, becoming a favorite place not just for Ania and her sons but for many parents searching for special gifts for their children.
Ania not only continued working on developing her business but became an inspiration for many women yearning for personal fulfillment. And Jenca and Igor supported her vigorously, always lending a helping hand.
Over time, Ania developed not just her business, but became an example for other women who, seeing her success, found the courage to pursue their dreams as well. Her story proved that everything is possible when you have the will and genuinely desire success.
Jenca and Igor, Ania’s sons, were proud of their mother and supported her in everything. They helped in the shop, interacted with customers, and even took part in creating the toys. This family business became for them not just a workplace but an important part of their lives and a source of true happiness.
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