A woman with a little son came to a small village to raise a new farm, settled on the edge of the village, in a small clay hut. It was hard for one woman with a child, very hard, all people saw it. She had no husband. People clucked their tongues and finally quieted down. Because it was necessary to look for such a hard worker like her. And the woman had a good nature, knew how to joke, was sincere to people.
Therefore, she took root, a foreign village became her native one, and once strangers became so close and kind. And her son grew up. He had already finished school and wanted to enter the institute. He was good at sciences, so the mother went out of her way to give her only son a better chance in life. She wanted him to study, have a job in the city and not return back to the village to work. And she begged the Lord – her boy became a “scientist”. Less and less often his road led to his mother’s village, because he was already working at the institute, which he graduated with honors. The woman did not even know when he got married. Because her son brought her daughter-in-law “to see” her, as they had been married for almost a year. She looked at her: tall, beautiful! As if she should be happy for her son. But her heart ached so much that they went to marriage without her mother’s blessing. Therefore, in response to her son’s greeting, she shed only tears, not words. She stood like a stone and cried. She did not even invite me into the house. “Why are you crying, mom, – the son reassured her, – I brought you my daughter-in-law. Soon you will have grandchildren. Be happy for me! – Forgive me, son, it’s my love for you that cries for my old age. It’s been so long since we’ve seen each other. Give me a hug. Otherwise, there will be a flood – the son joked, and without waiting for his mother to come, he stepped to her, hugged and kissed her – and she cheered up. Although at the dinner table, the woman cried more than once.
She could not understand how the children got married and did not marry in the church – What wedding, mom? Because, you see, I have no father. And I never had one. His wife stopped him at these words. She saw that her mother-in-law felt very bad. She poured a sedative into her glass and took her to the room. There she helped her mother to lie down on the bed, covered her with a warm scarf, which she brought as a gift. And, having waited until the woman fell asleep, she returned to the kitchen. – Why did you do that? You see, the mother is already bitter. Don’t bother her, – the wife said sharply. – And so all my life. How many times I asked her, how many times I begged: well, tell me who my father was! And she is silent. Do you think I am not bitter? Not to know what kind of family I am. In the evening, the woman got out of bed, and the guests were gone. And again she washed her face with tears. She revealed the secret on her birthday. Next time the son brought his daughter-in-law with her grandson, a little daughter. Later they came with two children. So the woman saw her son once or twice a year. She only heard excuses to her question why her son was not leaving for a long time: either the bus rarely runs, or there is no time, or the road is bad, and young people do not want to beat their car. She tried to understand and accept everything. And again her mother’s heart cried. The years flew by, as if on the wings carried her years away, into the whirlpool. During this time, the woman grew old. She was already seventy, and her 90th birthday was approaching. And the son of the mother decided to make a surprise – probably for the first time in his life. He had already become a grandfather and began to understand how important it is to have children come to visit you. As always, on her birthday, the woman went to church in the morning. Although it was not Sunday, she knew that the priest would open the church for her.
She barely limped, opened the door – and inside stood the whole family: her son and daughter-in-law, their daughters with their husbands and children! Every single one of them came. And the woman did not know what to rejoice more: that the Lord had sent her such a long life or that she finally saw all her dearest and dearest together? From the church they took the mother to a restaurant. The old woman had never seen such dishes that were served there and had never tasted such a good cake made in her honor. The fun was coming to an end. It seemed that everyone had already made toasts to the honorable jubilee. Then, by the way, the son asked again: The mother stood up from the table, looked around confused. Dozens of eyes were looking at her. It seemed that everyone was waiting for an answer from her. She took a breath and confessed: “And I, son, not only do not know who your father is, but also who … your mother is. And she cried bitterly. Silence reigned in the hall. Everyone seemed to be petrified in their seats, afraid to even move. Only my son stood up. – What are you saying, mother? – The truth, child. Once I was walking from the forest, I heard a boy crying somewhere. I looked around and found a package in the grass. So you were lying swaddled, and there was no one around. Your mother did not want to lose you, but probably could not raise you. Once she put you where people go, so that someone could take you away. So I took you. I made documents for you and ran away with you so that no one would ever tell you the truth. The son rushed to kiss his mother’s hands, to ask for forgiveness. But she stopped him: “All my life I was afraid of this day, that I would tell you everything and you would leave me. Because who am I to you – you are my mother. I have no one else. After his mother’s revelation, the son began to visit his mother more often. Because he understood the value of maternal sacrifice.
