З життя
ЩАСТЯ У НЕСПОДІВАНОМУ
— Та як же тебе затіяло, дурна ти козачеська! Кому ти тепер потрібна з дитиною! І як ти її виховуватимеш?! Я тобі не помічниця, так і знай. Виростила тебе, а тепер ще й твій довісок! Не потрібна ти мені, збирай речі й щоб духу твого в моїй хаті не було!
Соломія слухала крики, не піднімаючи голови. Остання надія, що тітка все ж таки прихилить її хоча б до влаштування на роботу, розсипалась на очах.
— Була б жива мати…
Батька дівчина не знала, а матір п’ятнадцять років тому збив п’яний водій на переході. Органи опіки вже готувалися віддати дитину в інтернат, коли несподівано зродилась далека родичка, якась троюрідна сестра матері. Вона й забрала Соломію до себе, адже власний дім і зарплата дозволяли оформити опікунство без затримок.
Жила тітка на околиці прикордонного містечка на півдні, зеленого й спекотного влітку, дощового взимку. Дівчина завжди була сита, охайно одягнена, привчена до праці — у хаті з подвір’ям та дрібною худобою роботи вистачало. Може, їй бракувало материнської теплоти, та кого це хвилювало?
Вчилась Соломія добре. Закінчивши школу, вступила до педуніверситету. Швидко промайнули студентські роки, і ось закінчилось безтурботне життя, здані іспити, а дівчина повернулась до рідного містечка. Та цього разу повернення не радувало.
Нарешті, накричавшись, тітка заспокоїлась:
— Геть іди з двору, щоб очі мої тебе не бачили.
— Тітко Ганно, можна хоч…
— Усе сказала!
Соломія мовчки взяла валізу й вийшла. Невже вона справді думала, що повертатиметься сюди так? Приниженою, кинутою, ще й вагітною. Строк був невеликий, та дівчина вирішила зізнатись одразу. Не хотіла й не могла брехати.
Треба було знайти житло. Дівчина йшла, заглиблена в думки, не помічаючи нічого навколо. А південне літо розпалювалось повною силою. У садах дозрівали яблука, груші, золотилися абрикоси. Важкі грона винограду звисали з навісів, а темно-фіолетові сливи ховались під листям. З подвір’їв пахло варенням, смаженим м’ясом і свіжими коржами. Солomія підійшла до калітки й кликнула жінку біля літньої кухні:
— Господине, чи не дасте напитися?
Галина, жінка років п’ятдесяти, міцна й спритна, обернулась:
— Заходь, коли з добром.
Зачерпнула з відра води й подала. Дівчина втомлено сіла на лавку й жадно відпила.
— Чи можна трохи посидіти? Спека невиносима.
— Сиди, доню. Ти звідки? З валізою, мабуть, не місцева?
— Закінчила університет, шукаю роботу вчителем. Жильла лишилась… Не знаєте, де можна зняти кімнату?
Галина уважно подивилась на дівчину: охайна, але знесилена, з тривогою в очах.
— Може, поселишся в мене? Платіж невеликий, але вчасно. Якщо згодна, покажу кімнату.
Жінка раділа: зайва гривня не завадить, а в їхньому глухому містечку підробітків мало. Син жив далеко, навідувався рідко. Соломія, здивована несподіваною удачею, пішла за господинею. Кімнатка була невеликою, але затишною, з вікном у сад. Столик, ліжко, старий шаф — досить.
Так і пройшли дні. Робота, дім, робота. Соломія ледве встигала відривати календарні аркуші.
Вона зблизилась із Галиною, яка виявилась доброю й уважною. Та й та прив’язалась до скромної дівчини. По мірі сил Соломія допомагала по господарству, а ввечері вони часто чаювали у садовій альтанці.
Вагітність проходила легко. Дівчина розповіла господині свою історію. На другому курсі закохалась у красунчика Дмитра, єдиного сина заможних батьків-викладачів. Вони вирішили тримати сина поруч: навчання, аспірантура, викладання. Розумний, легкий у спілкуванні, Дмитро був душею компаній. Та звернув увагу саме на скромницю Соломію.
Все змінилось, коли дівчина зрозуміла, що вагітна. Тест показав дві смужки. Дмитро, дізнавшися, приніс конверт із грошима й мовчки пішов. Батьки запропонували аборт. Та Соломія вже любила дитину.
У лютому вона народила здорового хлопчика.
— Юрчику, Юрко… — шепотіла вона, пестячи сина.
У пологовому відділі дівчина дізналась про немовлятку, від якої відмовилась мати. Соломія почала годувати її разом із сином.
На день виписки до лікарні приїхав капітан прикордонної служби Андрій Григорович Коваленко. Доньку він узяв під опіку. А через рік, коли Соломія вже працювала в школі, Андрій з’явився знову — з квітами й проханням.
Життя іноді дарує несподівані подарунки. І хто б міг подумати, що історія самотньої вчительки з прикордонного містечка обернеться щастям для чотирьох сердець?
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The Carer for the Wife — What do you mean? — Lida thought she must have misheard. — Where am I supposed to go? Why? What for? — Oh, can we just skip the dramatics, please? — he grimaced. — What’s not clear here? There’s no one left for you to take care of. Where you go is none of my concern. — Ed, what’s wrong with you? Weren’t we planning to get married…? — That was your idea. I never said any such thing. At 32, Lida decided to turn her life around and leave her small hometown. What was left for her there? Endure her mother’s nagging? Her mother simply couldn’t stop scolding Lida about the divorce, constantly asking how she managed to “lose” her husband. Yet Vas’ka wasn’t worth a kind word—drunk and a womaniser! How did she end up marrying him all those eight years ago? Lida wasn’t at all upset about the divorce—in fact, she felt she could finally breathe again. But she argued constantly with her mum about it, and they also fought about money, which was always in short supply. So, she’d head off to the county town and land a great job there! Look at Svetka—her old school friend—she’d been married for five years to a widower. Who cares if he’s 16 years older and hardly a heartthrob, at least he has a flat and a decent income. And Lida reckoned she was just as good as Svetka! — Well, thank heavens! You’ve come to your senses! — Svetka encouraged her. — Pack your things, you can stay with us for a bit, and we’ll sort out the job situation. — Won’t your Vadim Petrovich mind? — Lida was unsure. — Don’t be silly! He does whatever I ask! Don’t worry, we’ll get by! Still, Lida didn’t want to stay long at her friend’s place. After just a couple of weeks and her first wages, she rented her own room. And just a couple of months later, she had a stroke of luck. — Why is a woman like you working in the market? — said one of her regulars, Edward Boris, with concern. Lida knew all her regulars by name by now. — It’s cold, it’s hard work—not ideal. — Gotta earn money somehow, — she shrugged, — unless you have another offer? Edward Boris wasn’t exactly a dreamboat in her eyes—twenty years older, a bit pudgy, starting to bald, and with a shrewd look in his eye. He was always particular about choosing his vegetables and paid to the penny. But he dressed well and drove a nice car—definitely not a down-and-out, not a drunk. He also had a wedding ring, so she never considered him as husband material. — You strike me as responsible, steady, and clean, — Edward Boris switched to a familiar tone, — have you ever cared for anyone who was ill? — I used to look after a neighbour, actually. She had a stroke, her children live far away, so they paid me to help. — That’s great! — he exclaimed, and then put on a somber face: — My wife, Tamara, has had a stroke too. The doctors say she has little chance of recovery. I’ve brought her home, but I haven’t got time to look after her. Will you help? I’ll pay you properly. Lida didn’t have to think long—much better to be in a warm flat changing bedpans than freezing on the market for ten hours a day serving picky customers! He even suggested she live there, so no more rent. — They’ve got three spare rooms! You could play football in there! — she delightedly told her friend. — No children either. Tamara’s mother was a real madam—even at 68, she acted half her age. She’d just remarried and was busy with her husband. No one else to care for the invalid. — Is she really that sick? — Oh yes, poor thing can’t move or speak. She won’t get better. — You almost sound happy about it, — Svetka eyed her. — Of course not, — Lida looked down, — but once Tamara’s gone, Edward Boris would be free… — Are you for real, Lida? Wishing someone dead for a flat?! — I’m not wishing anyone dead—I’m just not going to miss my chance! Easy for you to say, you’ve got it made! They had a huge fight and didn’t speak for half a year—until Lida confessed to Svetka her romance with Edward Boris. They couldn’t live without each other, but of course, he’d never leave his wife—not that type! So for now, she’d remain his lover. — So you’re shacking up with him while his wife is dying in the next room? — her friend was appalled. — Do you even see how vile that is? Or are you that blinded by his money—if he’s even got it? — Trust you to never say a kind word, — Lida retorted. They stopped talking again, but she barely felt guilty—well, perhaps just a bit. She cared for Tamara with real diligence, and since her affair with Edward Boris began, she took on all the housework too. After all, a man needs more than just a woman in his bed—he wants a good meal, crisp shirts, a clean flat. Lida thought her lover was very content, and she was enjoying her life too. She barely noticed Edward had stopped paying her for caring for his wife. Not that it mattered now—they were almost like husband and wife! He gave her money for shopping, and she managed the budget, not realising it was tight. And his job paid well enough—but never mind, once they got married it would all become clear. With time, the spark between them dulled, and Edward lingered less at home, but Lida put it down to the strain of having a sick wife. She pitied him, even though he barely spent a minute a day checking on Tamara. Even so, Lida wept when Tamara finally passed away. She’d given a year and a half of her life to that woman—you can’t get that time back. She organised the funeral too—Edward was “too grief-stricken.” He gave her the bare minimum for expenses, but she did everything properly. No one could accuse her of a thing. Even the neighbours, gossiping about her and Edward—nothing escapes them!—nodded approvingly at the funeral. His mother-in-law too seemed satisfied. So Lida never expected what Edward said next. — You understand there’s no need for your services anymore, so I’m giving you a week to move out, — he said on the tenth day after the funeral. — What do you mean? — Lida’s voice faltered. — Where should I go? Why? — Please, do we have to have this scene? — he sighed. — There’s no one left for you to care for, and where you go is none of my business. — Ed, what’s wrong with you? We were supposed to get married… — That’s your fantasy. I never said anything of the sort. Next morning, after a sleepless night, Lida tried to talk again, but he just repeated the same words and urged her to move quickly. — My fiancée wants to renovate before the wedding, — was all he said. — Fiancée? Who’s that? — None of your business. — Oh, none of my business?! Well, I’ll move out, but you’ll pay me for my work first. You were meant to pay forty grand a month. I only got paid twice. So you owe me £8,000. — You can do the sums, can’t you! — he snorted. — Don’t get carried away… — And you owe for cleaning too! I won’t nit-pick, just pay me ten grand and we’ll call it even. — Or what? You’ll go to court? There’s no contract. — I’ll tell Tamila—remember, your mother-in-law owns this flat. Edward’s face changed, but he recovered quickly. — Who’d believe you? — he huffed. — You know what? I don’t want to see you. Get out now. — You’ve got three days, darling. No ten grand, and there’ll be a scandal, — Lida replied, heading for a cheap hostel. She’d managed to save some of the housekeeping money. On the fourth day, having had no answer, Lida went back to the flat. Tamila, the mother-in-law, was there. Lida could see from Edward’s face she’d never get paid. So she told Tamila everything. — She’s making it all up! Don’t listen! — the widower protested. — Well, well, I’d heard rumours at the funeral, but I didn’t believe them — Tamila’s stare was fierce. — Now it all makes sense. And you, my dear son-in-law, don’t forget who owns this flat? Edward froze. — So, I want you out of here within the week. No—within three days. Tamila turned to leave, then paused at Lida. — And you, standing there like you expect a prize? Get out! Lida bolted from the flat, realising there’d be no money for her—not now. Back to the market again; there’d always be work there… **The Carer’s Devotion: Betrayal Behind Closed Doors in Suburban England**
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