– You should have felt sorry for yourself! Left alone with three children, in a dilapidated hut.
Karen, the old woman, walked down the path with her head down. She gave the impression that she wanted to curl up into a ball, to shrink, to remain unnoticed. The woman seemed to be afraid of people, looking around like a hunted animal…
– Good afternoon!” said Eva softly. The young woman stood at the gate and watched the old neighbor.
Karen gave her a wicked look, and walked even faster. “Why is she so strange? All her life she lives alone, does not communicate with anyone in the village. And people treat her like she’s nothing. Are they afraid of her?” – the woman pondered.
From the house came the crying of a baby, which roused Eva from her stupor.
– Eva! Why are you standing there like a stone? Chris is awake, don’t you hear? – shouted his mother.
– Coming, Mom, coming…
The woman fed the baby and put him in the cradle.
– Mom, why is our neighbor like that? – decided to ask her mother. – Is she strange or is she rejected by people? Has she never had children? Why is she alone?
– Eva! Take care of the kids! It’s better than to fill your head with nonsense! – the woman got angry.
– I feel sorry for her… She’s lonely and very unhappy. Imagine, a person does not even talk to anyone!
– You should have felt sorry for yourself! Left alone with three children, in a dilapidated hut. Where’s your handsome man? I warned you not to marry Nick! After all, everyone knows that he has the wind in his head!
– Mom, I loved him very much…
– She loved him! And he ran away quietly, left you with the kids. How are you going to live? How are you going to feed the boys? After all, I’m not eternal! I won’t always be around…” cried the mother.
– Mammy, don’t get upset! We’ll get by somehow! The main thing is that we have our health, – Eva tried to reassure her mother.
– You mustn’t be so naive and kind, my daughter! Tomorrow you’ll have nothing to feed your children, and you’re worried about the old woman!
Eva had been like that since childhood. She knew how to enjoy life, for no reason at all. The girl was very naive, she trusted everyone unconditionally. This is what the local Lovelace took advantage of.
He took advantage of a local Lovelace, Anatoly, who took advantage of a girl’s confidence. Four years later he ran away from the village, leaving his wife and three sons to fend for themselves. Eva lived with her elderly mother. They lived very poor, almost starving…
Winter came. It was the hardest time for them. The roof of the house was completely leaking. There were cracks everywhere. The stove had to be turned on around the clock to keep the house warm. As bad luck would have it, her mother began to get sick.
One day Eva was running to the store to get sugar and remembered that she hadn’t seen her neighbor in a long time. “Is anything wrong?” – The girl was frightened, and decided to go in to see her.
The old lady opened the door and was surprised to see an unexpected guest on the threshold.
– You? What do you want?” she muttered in a rough voice.
– You are not angry with me. I just haven’t seen you for a long time, so I got worried. By the way, I’m going to the store, maybe you need something to buy? – Eva smiled.
Her sunny smile radiated peace and kindness. The old woman’s heart softened.
– Buy me some flour and sunflower oil. I can’t walk to the store in this snow…” said the old woman.
– Yes, I’ll do it! – The girl rejoiced for some reason. – I’ll be right there!
A month later, difficult times in Eva’s life began. Her mother passed away. The young woman was left all alone with her children. The heavy snowfalls almost made the roof collapse. It was very cold and damp in the house. They were out of food and out of money. After all, the whole family lived on their elderly mother’s pension…
– Mommy, my hands are frozen,” complained the four-year-old son.
– Son, let me give you another blouse. Lie down in bed, I’ll wrap you in a blanket – sighed heavily said the woman.
– Are we not going to eat anymore today? – Quietly asked the boy.
– Are you hungry? We have two pieces of bread, I’ll get them… Tomorrow maybe I’ll ask my aunt for some potatoes…
Eva gave her son some bread and poured hot water into a mug. Out of despair, the woman cried. She understood that she could not spend the winter with the children in this house. She had to go to work as soon as possible, but she had no one to leave her children with. Total hopelessness…
At the sudden knock on the door, Eva shuddered. An old woman stood on the doorstep…
– Are you there? Please come in! – The woman was surprised.
– Hello there! It’s been a long time since you came to see me. Are you all right? – asked the old woman.
Eva looked at her and cried.
– No, we are very bad! The roof leaks, it blows from all sides. And there is nothing to feed the little ones…
The old woman looked around the house and frowned.
– Gather the children! You will stay with me until spring! – the old woman said sternly.
Eva was glad, not expecting such a deed from her neighbor. In an hour, the children were asleep on the warm stove, and the women were having tea.
– Thank you! You’re just our savior, I do not even know how to thank you … – said Eve excitedly.
– Come on… We are not strangers. We’re relatives after all…
– What do you mean relatives? What do you mean, relatives?” said the woman, astonished.
– I’m your aunt! You know, when you came to me to see if I was all right, I knew at once that you were different from your mother and the others … you were completely different. It’s time I told you the truth. I have kept this secret for many decades, but now, with your mother gone, it is time to tell you about our family relations.
The old woman was silent, remembering the past. Tears glistened in the old woman’s eyes. Eva looked at her not knowing whether her grandmother was telling the truth or whether she was out of her mind … Then she did not know that just in a month her life would change abruptly …
– Our family had once belonged to a wealthy family. This village, and the surrounding land was ours. Our forefather, was one of the rich men in the county.
Eva listened spellbound with her mouth parted in wonder. According to the old woman’s story, there were two brothers in their family. One of whom, was smart and clever, and the second led a dissolute life, wasting her father’s money left and right.
One day, the father got tired of the antics of his unfortunate son, and threw him out of the house, leaving him with nothing. The old man left all his property to his eldest son. Blood feud between the brothers began.
After things had settled down. Eva’s mother returned to her native village, hoping that her husband would return to his family. But all the young woman’s hopes were in vain. She never saw her husband again.
His own brother, was very proud of himself and was glad that he got even with his brother and his family. The brother built a house next door to the unfortunate woman, and mocked her all her life.
– So that woman was my great-grandmother! – The old woman finished her gruesome story.
Great-grandmother once cursed her brother and all his family, and the villagers, who plundered their goods like kites.
– Because of this, no one communicates with you in the village?
– Yes. What was our fault, though? That we were rich? But my family has never done any harm to anyone… I cannot understand why they have done this to them! I knew at once that you were a kind and just man,” cried the old woman.
– Don’t cry! Don’t cry now… The main thing is that you’ve opened up to me. I won’t leave you now, because I don’t have any more relatives. We’ll stick together…” smiled Eva.
– That’s not all. I thought I would take the secret with me. But I see that you have a hard time with children. I’m rich, aren’t I? Very rich! – The old lady whispered.
– Auntie, you must be mistaken …” said the woman softly.
– No. I am not …
That night, Eva could not sleep. She was dumbfounded by her aunt’s story. She had no idea her family kept such cruel secrets. Now she understood why her mother never told her anything about the neighbor, but only got angry when her daughter started talking about the old woman.
The next day, the old woman spent a long time poking around in the garden.
– Phew, I could hardly find it! Good thing it was thawing, or I wouldn’t have dug it out…
The old woman put on the table a small box, wrapped in some rags and oilcloth.
– Is this your treasure? – Luba asked.
– Yes. Only now they are yours. Lock the door, so that no one comes in! – whispered the old woman, unwrapping the box.
Such beauty, Eva had never seen. The woman was numb with delight, looking at the family riches. The trunk contained jewelry, and several bars of gold.
– What a beauty! I thought such things only existed in fairy tales!
– I give you all this goodness, with peace of mind! – said the old woman. – You can sell the gold, the proceeds will be enough to buy you a new house and a comfortable life, and the jewelry you keep… It is, after all, the memory of our ancestors! – cried the old woman.
– All right. I will do as you say!
– You can go to town tomorrow. I’ll give you the address of an old jeweler who’s a proven man. I had to go to him once. He’ll buy bullion from you. And then you can look for a nice house, too. You and the kids can’t live in a shithole. Mine’s a shithole, too, and it’s too small for your family.
Eva did as the old woman had taught her. Of course, the woman was afraid to deal with such money, but there was no other way out, she had no helpers.
After selling the gold bars, Eva looked for a nice house in a neighboring village. It was much larger than their village, with well-developed infrastructure. Everything was close by: a school, nursery, health center, store and post office.
The woman was in good spirits. She was packing her things, humming a jolly song under her breath. The old woman was sitting by the stove. The old woman was silent and sad.
– Auntie, why are you sitting idle? Pack your things, a car will soon come to get us,” chirped Eva cheerfully.
– May I help you? – The old woman asked at a loss.
– No, I’ve already packed everything. Are you going to pack your own things? Or will you go in just one dress? – Eva laughed.
– Are you taking me with you? – The old woman was surprised.
– What about it? Did you think that we would leave you alone? – The woman was surprised. – You are going, I will not go anywhere without you!
– Thank you, Eva, thank you, dear! I never dreamed that I would be lucky to have a family in my old age.
