A neighbor’s boy whose life is both tears and love. His parents were simple laborers. His father worked as a watchman and his mother was a nurse in a kindergarten.
Needless to say, the family income was small. And if there was always something to eat in the fridge, there wasn’t enough money for good clothes or a trip to Turkey. When the boy was seven years old, he had a little sister.
My husband and I lived in the house next door. Our sons already grew up and left the family nest, but they didn’t forget about us and came to visit us often. They brought their grandchildren on vacations.
At first it was hard to accept the fact that the house was deserted, but gradually I got used to it. What could I do? The children had grown up and had the right to decide their own fate. As the boy’s family lived next door, willingly or unwillingly, their life was in our sights. Somehow I immediately fell in love with the boy.
The boy was short, skinny and seemed unhealthy. But looking into his piercing eyes, I realized that this boy had great potential and an iron will. I met him every day. The boy was kind and sociable. He used to come home from school with a heavy briefcase on his skinny shoulders, and I’d call him up and ask:
– “How was school?
He always stopped and happily started to tell me about his school problems. And then he would get up and yell:
– Oh, I have a lot to do. I’m gonna run…
And the boy had plenty to do. The boy’s father had started drinking by then. For that, he was soon kicked out of work. The mother moved from babysitting to work in the kitchen to be close to the products, and the boy is the boss of the house.
And he was a great host. I saw him tidying up the yard, heating the stove, and taking his little sister to kindergarten. He would cook a simple meal and feed his family. When I look at the boy, my heart is glad to see a good man growing up!
The boy’s father went bad, drank every day. Sometimes he even laid hands on his wife. She struggled for a few years, and then she got addicted to drinking herself. Vanya started sixth grade when his father passed away. My husband and I took pity on the children, invited them home, fed them plenty.
Sometimes I’d give him money, but he’d refuse:
– “No, I won’t take any money. He didn’t earn it.
And the boy got a part-time job when he was thirteen. He could help unload the goods at the store, or dig up the garden, and there’s not much to do in the village. He loved his mother, very much, despite the fact that she had already drunk and lost her feminine appearance.
One day he came to me and asked me in his heart:
– How much money do you need to cure my mother? I agree to work day and night just to get her back to her old life.
He said, and he had tears coming out of his eyes. I hugged him and we cried together.
The next day my husband and I decided that we should try to cure the boy’s mother. Who will help them if not us? Our sons supported us and didn’t stay away.
At the appointed time the older son came and took his mother to the doctor in town, and I stayed behind to take care of my little sister. They came back late. The boy came to me and said:
– “Thank you. I’ll pay you back all the money when I grow up!
Is money the only thing that makes you happy? I see his happy eyes and my heart sings. So with God’s help and through our joint efforts our neighbor got well, started to think and after treatment she gave up drinking altogether. Over time she got a job, and the family life gradually improved.
The boy, like a real man, continued to work part-time in his free time to help his mother. This boy learned early the value of money and real family happiness. He graduated from school, then college, and got a profession that helped him provide for his family.
One day on the eve of March 8, I was waiting for my sons to visit and was preparing a festive table, when suddenly there was a knock at the door. There was a boy standing on the doorstep. He was a grown-up guy, but with the same honest noble eyes and nice smile.
He handed me a bunch of flowers, a box of chocolates and an envelope with money in it. It made no sense to refuse. So as not to offend a real man, I took the money and then gave it to his mother, they needed it more.
The guy’s life has turned out quite well: he has a beloved family, a child, and a job. Whenever possible he visits us for tea, and just to brighten up our retirement life. His attention, help and kind word are always pleasant.
