— “If you spill the truth, they’ll lock me up,” Maria whispered to her son, looking around fearfully. “Mishenka, say that I fell in the entrance. I was running, tried to skip a step, and crashed down! Tell them that Senya found you and brought you home. And don’t even think about tarnishing Senya’s name! I’ll tear your head off for him, Mishka!”
Mishka was the happiest child in the world. He had a mom, he had a dad, both of them adored him, and he loved them with all his heart in return. In his ten years of life, he had never seen his parents fight. He was proud of them and always tried to be like his father — because he was so strong, honest, and just.
At school, many envied Mishka: every year, he went to the south with his parents, swam with dolphins in the sea, rode on a “banana,” and his father taught him different swimming techniques. They took him to the water park at the drop of a hat. In the fall, he went kayaking with his mom and dad, and in the winter, they always went ice skating in the park. Mishka was sure it would always be like this. That his mom and dad would be together, that they would love him just as much as they did now.
Mishka successfully moved up to third grade. He had grand plans for the summer: he was going to rest thoroughly, visit his grandparents, and swim to his heart’s content. At the beginning of the school year, they bought him a new phone and an amazing sports suit for the fall. He couldn’t wait for the moment when he could show his new acquisition to his friends.
The day before the “fateful” day, Mishka asked his mom to carefully pack the new sports suit into a bag. Maria laughed:
— “What, can’t wait? Mish, you’ll be too hot in it at gym class. It’s warm!”
— “Let it be,” Mishka stubbornly replied. “I want the guys to see me in it. Mom, remind me in the morning not to forget the bag!”
Mishka was preparing for his physical education class more carefully than ever before. He barely endured four lessons, and just before the fifth one, the entire class was told that there would be no lesson — the physical education teacher, Pal Gennadievich, had slipped on the ice, fallen, and broken his leg. Of course, the children were sent home. Mishka went home angry and upset. What a misfortune! Why was the PE teacher, Pal Gennadievich, walking so carelessly? Even third-graders were always reminded to watch their step.
Mishka arrived home an hour earlier, angry and disappointed. He opened the door with his key, threw his backpack in the corner, and loudly shouted:
— “Mom! Mom, there was no physical education! I didn’t wear the suit.”
His mom didn’t answer right away. Mishka listened carefully: there was some rustling behind the closed door of the parents’ bedroom. Mishka shouted again:
— “Mom! Where are you?”
— “Mishan, why are you home so early?” his mom appeared in the hallway in strange clothes, transparent and short.
Mishka was even embarrassed. He had never seen his mom dressed like this before. The boy, sniffling in offense, explained:
— “They let us out of the lesson. The PE teacher fell and broke his leg! How clumsy! And why are you silent? I called and called you…”
— “I…,” Maria hesitated. “I dozed off in the bedroom. I’m so tired today. Mish, go to the kitchen for now. Drink some tea, I’ll come to you soon.”
Mishka wanted to change and went to his room. Suddenly, a strange, rough male voice was heard:
— “Mashulya, my kitty, where are you? Did someone come to you?”
Mishka flinched and stared at his mother:
— “Mom, who’s that?”
His mother was silent, and the child’s mind was racing with questions: who was this stranger in their home? Who let him in? Why was mom dressed like this? Where was dad?
While Mishka searched for answers, the bedroom door creaked open, and a stranger came out of the room. Mishka, unashamed, examined the guest: he was quite tall, broad-shouldered, with surprisingly long hair. Mishka definitely didn’t know this man, he wasn’t one of his father’s friends. And with his child’s, but very sensitive heart, Mishka felt something was wrong. First and foremost, Mishka was scared for his mom. He quickly ran out of the apartment, went downstairs to the neighbor, Aunt Zina’s door, and rang the bell.
— “What happened, Mish?” the neighbor asked, becoming cautious.
— “Aunt Zina, can I call my dad? Please give me the phone!”
— “Of course, dear. Did you lose your keys?”
Mishka didn’t answer and started pressing the buttons on the phone. His fingers were trembling, he was nervous — his mom was alone in the apartment with this man! His father picked up the phone quickly:
— “Hi, Mish. Where are you?” Mishka’s voice trembled.
— “Hi, Mishuk,” his dad’s voice was cheerful and bright, “I’ll be home in two minutes. I decided to come home early today and take you and mom out to a cafe. We’ll have ice cream! And whose number are you calling from? Did you lose your phone?”
— “Dad, I don’t know…,” Mishka’s composure broke, and he started crying like a girl.
About two minutes later, his father entered the building. Mishka was waiting for him on the landing. His father opened the door with his key and slammed it shut right in front of Mishka. Mishka stayed on the stairs to wait. Only a short time passed before his father came back, holding a small suitcase.
Mishka was horrified and ran to his father to stop him:
— “Dad, where are you going?! I’m coming with you!”
Kirill hesitated. How to explain to his child what had happened?
— “Mishenka, from now on, your mom and I will live separately. I’m moving to grandma’s. We’ll meet often and talk on the phone,” the man said, trying to hide his tears as he turned and began walking down the stairs.
Stunned, Mishka couldn’t understand. He stood on the stairs for a while, then headed back to the apartment. The door was only ajar. He entered and noticed that many things had changed in his absence. Their neat and cozy apartment was now in disarray: the hallway chandelier had been ripped from the wall and hung by one wire, there were stains of some brown liquid on the floor, and a strange coat was lying around. The mirror was shattered, with pieces sparkling all over. The kitchen stereo was playing music, and strange noises were coming from the parents’ bedroom: either moaning or howling. At first, Mishka couldn’t tell what it was.
Later, Mishka would often remember this day and still couldn’t understand — why should he suffer? In the bedroom, he found his pale mother and a broad-shouldered man lying across the bed. As it turned out, his name was Senya. Mom said that Senya would now live in their apartment with her and Mishka. About two weeks later, Senya stopped showing his face in the street — both of his eyes were badly bruised by Mishka’s father.
When the swelling subsided and the bruises turned yellow, he started wearing dark glasses and went to the kiosks downstairs to buy stinky sticks and bottles of foul-smelling liquid. His father never returned home, and Mishka often visited him at grandma’s house.
When dad was at work, Aunt Zina would visit grandma, and they would talk about his mother. Mishka listened carefully, but he didn’t understand everything.
— “Galya, she’s like a daughter to me! I never thought she would do this to my son. I could strangle her with my own hands! What kind of woman is she after all this?”
— “And you know, she’s probably been lying to Kirill for a long time, the snake! She doesn’t even feel ashamed for her son. I saw a program about this recently. Experts say that the urge to cheat on husbands is a disease! They just can’t bear being with one man, they’re attracted to everyone. It’s a shame for Kirill… He loved her so much… Lid, but you knew what she was like when he took her to the altar! You warned him straight up. You were familiar with her mother, you saw everything happening right in front of you!”
— “Don’t say it. Kirill told Mishka that he can’t take him yet. Those are the laws in the state. He’ll have to live with his mother and this Senya for now. It’s a pity for the grandson, I just can’t take it!”
Mishka was, of course, grieving over this, but he loved his mother very much. He hoped she would come to her senses, apologize to his father, and everything would go back to normal.
Maria quickly recovered from what had happened. She didn’t feel guilty at all, neither to her husband nor to her son. She loved Arseniy far more than Kirill, even pushing Mishka aside in favor of him. At first, the stepfather behaved normally, exchanging a couple of phrases with his stepson over several days. His communication was only with Maria, his partner. Mishka didn’t mind that the new suitor was ignoring him.
The man started getting bolder a couple of months after the move. Arseniy decided that he was now the boss — fully settling in, he began “raising” Mishka. But he did it in his own way, nothing like his real father. For every little thing, Mishka would immediately get a slap. The stepfather would lash out over crumbs on the table, an unwashed mug, or a sock lying by the bed.
At first, the boy stayed silent, not telling his father anything. He was sure that if his mother found out about the harsh treatment of her son, she would immediately kick the rude man out. At first, Arseniy only acted this way when she wasn’t around, but soon he started doing it even when she was present, slapping Mishka and kicking him.
Maria ignored her partner’s behavior. Mishka decided to talk to his mother and somehow reach her, but he couldn’t:
— “Misha, Senya isn’t doing anything bad,” the woman explained to her son, “on the contrary, he’s taking care of you! He cares about you, wants you to grow up a decent person, to succeed. So what if he gave you a couple of slaps. You’ll get over it!”
Mishka didn’t plan to tolerate his stepfather’s abuse. Since his mother wasn’t going to protect him, he would protect himself. The chance soon presented itself: the family sat down for dinner, and Arseniy once again tried to poke at Mishka:
— “What, you got more twos? Sitting there like a fool!”
— “No, I didn’t,” Mishka muttered, “everything’s fine.”
— “Then why so gloomy?” the stepfather scowled. “Eat, don’t look around!”
Mishka kept spinning his spoon in his plate, not feeling like eating. Senya, after watching his stepson for a while, suddenly took his plate, where there was still enough borscht, and skillfully placed it on Mishka’s head. The boy froze and looked helplessly at his mother. He sat there for a couple of minutes with the plate on his head. The still-warm vegetables and pieces of meat scattered down his shoulders and got stuck in his hair, while Mishka just sat and waited to hear what his mother would say.
“Well, mom, why are you silent,” the humiliated child thought, “look at how he’s treating me! If dad were here, he wouldn’t let this happen! Dad wouldn’t let him mock me! Mom, say something to him!”
Maria didn’t move or say anything. Mishka noticed with horror that under her half-lowered eyelids, there was… indifference.
“Wow, mom! Didn’t expect this from you. You know what this is called? It’s called one word — betrayal,” but Mishka didn’t dare say this out loud.
Amid the stepfather’s laughter, he went to the bathroom, cried a little there, until no one saw. He calmed down, washed up properly, and began to think about how he would go on living. It seemed like he would have to grow up early and make decisions on his own. Since his mother didn’t want to defend him. Or — couldn’t.
He didn’t return to the table but went to his room. Half an hour later, Senya burst into the room with a large black garbage bag and began casually stuffing everything into it — game discs, tapes, comics, posters, stickers. All the things that are precious to any boy’s heart.
Mishka made a huge effort not to burst into tears:
— “Get out of here!” the boy tried to block the stepfather’s way, but he easily pushed him aside with his left hand. “Get out, you bastard! I’ll tell dad!”
Mishka clenched his fists and began to breathe heavily:
— “Shut up, pup,” the stepfather continued to shove Mishka’s valuables into the bag, “and you’ll still tell me what to do! One more word, and you’ll be out of here! You’ll live on the street, got it?!”
And then Mishka was overwhelmed with emotion. His vision darkened, and like a wild animal, he lunged at the offender. Senya quickly shook him off, but Mishka managed to sink his teeth into his hand.
— “You, …!” Senya screamed in pain, “first your father, now you! Get what you deserve, little bastard!”
Mishka felt a powerful punch to his stomach. Unable to keep his balance, he fell to the floor. The kicks from his stepfather didn’t register anymore — he lost consciousness.
The boy only woke up in the hospital. His body ached unbearably, and he couldn’t move. Outside the door, there were voices:
— “Ruptured spleen,” a male voice said loudly, “luckily, they brought him in time and operated on him! What happened to the boy? We have to notify the authorities. This kind of injury raises suspicions.”
— “Doctor, he just fell down the stairs, I swear! He’s always jumping around like crazy, can’t help it! Don’t call the police, please!”
A few minutes later, Maria ran into the room and whispered sternly to her son:
— “Don’t even think about mentioning Senya! I’ll send you to an orphanage, got it?” she whispered hurriedly.
— “Mom, where am I? In the hospital?”
— “Don’t pretend! Tell the doctors that you were running up the stairs, tripped, and fell. Otherwise, they’ll arrest me. Got it?”
Mishka didn’t want his mom to be taken to jail. The remnants of his former love for her still burned inside him, so he did everything she asked. But he couldn’t forget Senya’s cruelty. His love for his mother was still stronger than his hatred for his stepfather.
The boy spent two weeks in the hospital. His father visited him every day and tried to find out the truth. Mishka stood firm: he fell by himself, no one pushed or hit him. Kirill pretended to believe his son.
After his discharge, Mishka immediately began looking for a way to get rid of his stepfather from their home. Ideally, he needed to make sure this scoundrel never appeared there again. The minimum goal was to make him show some respect. The boy thought for a long time but didn’t come up with anything useful. What could a third-grader do against an adult man?
Then luck helped Mishka’s hopes come true. When he returned from school, Mishka tried to hang his keys on the hook, but the keychain his father had given him, shaped like a football, suddenly detached and rolled under the nightstand. The keychain was very dear to Mishka, so he went to search for it. With difficulty, he moved the nightstand and, along with the keychain, found a plastic bag. Inside was a driver’s license in the name of someone named Maxim, but the photo was Senya’s. Mishka was good at reading and analyzing, so he immediately called his father. Just in case.
In the evening, Senya, who resisted actively, was taken to the police station. A real drama began: Maria was panicking, crawling on the floor, grabbing Senya’s legs, and screaming for him not to leave her. Senya himself was kicking, biting, calling the police officers “shameful wolves,” and threatening to “take them all down.” The police promised to question him about the threats later, and Maria was told to stop the ruckus.
Mishka stood next to his father near the entrance, greedily inhaling the cold air and listening carefully to the conversation between the adults — his father and Uncle Sasha, his friend.
— “So, what do we have…” Uncle Sasha said, “Maxim Duyunov, alias ‘Ptenchik.’ He’s been on our radar for article 159. And Kirill, not once, but six times. Two convictions, in the other cases, the evidence was weak, but he got away with it. But he served four years fully.”
— “Sasha, thanks, man. Can we not drag Maria into this?”
— “I’ll try, but I can’t promise anything. It will be difficult to clear her name. She was complicit, and he was apparently collecting dirt on her. Have you seen the photos and videos? Looks like he was going to blackmail her. Why didn’t you take Mishka out of this hell right away?”
— “She didn’t give him to me. She kept pretending to be a perfect mother. I even offered her good money — no way. Looks like they had their plans for Mishka.”
— “I wouldn’t be surprised if that’s how it was. This crook pulled off a couple of scams a few years ago, we all caught him. Then he served his time, got out, and disappeared off the radar. Hiding at your place. Preparing a new case. Don’t worry, the investigation will sort it out.”
— “Sasha, help me officially take Mishka, will you? You’ve got connections, right?”
— “No problem, buddy, we’ll get everything in order. I’ll provide papers for court. The neighbors will confirm your words, if needed.”
Maria, Mishka’s mother, couldn’t handle the public condemnation and went up north. She now lives with another suitor, it seems already her seventh. She hasn’t been in touch with Mishka for many years.
Mishka grew up. His father helped him overcome the betrayal of his mother, surrounding him with care and love. It took a long time, but Mishka no longer held any resentment toward his mother. His only wish was that she never had more children. That’s understandable: Maria and motherhood were incompatible concepts. Although the pain caused by his mother had long since faded, he didn’t forget what had happened and made the right conclusions. He carefully chose his wife, so she wouldn’t be like his mother. He shared his family’s story with her and found sympathy and understanding in her…