The sun, like a golden disk, slowly rose above the horizon, flooding the village roofs with warm, gentle light. The air was filled with the scent of morning dew, blooming clover, and freshly turned earth. But in this peaceful, cozy morning landscape, an impatient voice of young Nadya was heard — a girl with eyes like the summer sky and hair braided into two light braids:
— Grandma, how long will this take?! I promised my friends I’d come! We want to go to the river — to swim, splash, sing songs by the shore! The water there is so clear you can see every little fish! Please!
Klavidia Timofeevna, sitting on a wooden stool by the garden, wiped the sweat from her forehead and sighed heavily. Her hands, covered with wrinkles like a map of lived years, held a hoe. She looked at her granddaughter with a sad tenderness mixed with fatigue, love, and deep worry.
— Nadya, my bright one, — she whispered, — your friends have big, noisy families full of caring parents. But we only have each other. Who will help if you don’t work? Who will bear this burden if we both indulge in worldly pleasures? The garden — it won’t weed itself. The bread on the table — it won’t appear by itself.
Nadya lowered her eyes, but there was no submission in them — only determination. She understood: if she finished weeding quickly, she would still have time to spend the day with her friends. Gritting her teeth, she got to work — her hands flew over the garden beds, pulling out green parasites that stole strength from the fragile cucumber vines. Each weed was like a symbol of deprivation she endured for the chance to smile under the sun.
When the last blade of grass was pulled out, Nadya stood up, brushed her knees, and shining, said:
— Grandma, I’m done! Can I go now?
— Go, my little bird, — the old woman nodded. — Just don’t stay out too long. What if it rains?
Nadya ran like the wind along the dusty road, her laughter spreading down the street like a little bell ringing in the morning silence. And Klavidia Timofeevna watched her with her eyes, her heart tightening. “Where does she get so much fire from? — she thought. — Where does this boundless energy come from, this light that doesn’t go out even on the hardest days?”
At that moment, the neighbor approached the fence — Lidiya Borisovna, a woman with kind eyes and a heart full of compassion.
— Klav, — she whispered, — today I saw your Galya at the market. She was standing with some thugs, wearing a short skirt, makeup up to her ears. And she said: “I need Nadusha.”
Klavidia went cold. Something inside her seemed to snap.
— She’s appeared… — she whispered. — After so many years of silence, after she abandoned her son, abandoned the child… And suddenly — she’s needed?
— I told her, “You haven’t shown up for twelve years, and now suddenly you want to take your daughter?” But she just laughed. As if it’s a joke. As if Nadya is not a living heart but a thing you can take whenever you want.
— What am I supposed to do now? — Klavidia cried. — She’s the mother on paper… And who am I? Just a grandmother. Not a real one. Not a legal one. But my heart — it will tear apart if they take Nadya away. I raised her from infancy. I fed her when there was no milk. I stayed awake at night when she was sick. And now — she comes and takes her?
Her heart began to race, pounding in her temples, black spots floated before her eyes. Her blood pressure shot up like a rocket. Klavidia sat down on a bench, clutching her chest. One thought spun in her head: the law is on her side. But what does love mean before the court?
Galina… This woman crashed into the family’s life like a hurricane. Klavidia’s son, Tolya, fell hopelessly in love with her. And she — grabbed everything she could: money, attention, gifts. But not love. Not a soul. Klavidia immediately sensed — this is not a wife for her son. This is a predator in silk. She sucked strength from him like a leech.
And how everything turned out… Galya gave birth, handed Nadya to the grandmother, and disappeared. And Tolya… poor, kind Tolya… came sometimes, exhausted, wearing worn clothes, with eyes that had no light left.
— Son, — the mother once asked, — why are you dressed so poorly? You had a good salary!
— Mom, — he answered quietly, — that money only lasts to keep Galya happy. And I get nothing.
— Then let her live more modestly! — Klavidia exclaimed.
But the conversation didn’t take place. Soon Tolya was hospitalized. Oncology. A hopeless diagnosis. Before death, he confessed to his mother:
— Mom… Nadya is not mine. Galya… she cheated on me with Vovka. My best friend. I knew… but I accepted her. For Nadya’s sake.
Klavidia wept. Everything was falling apart. But she did not give up the girl. Nadya became her sun, her meaning, her pain, and joy.
And now — Galya again. And again the threat to lose everything.
At that moment, a taxi stopped at the gate. A tall woman in expensive shoes and carrying a bag like a socialite’s stepped out. Galya. Cold, confident, with a smile that had no warmth.
— Hello, Klavidia Timofeevna, — she said, not looking into the eyes. — I have come for Nadya. It’s hard for you, an old woman, to take care of her. I will take her. In the city, she will have the best school, clubs, and activities…
The conversation lasted for hours. Galya demanded, threatened, manipulated. In the end, Klavidia gave her all her savings — money saved for school uniforms, books, winter boots for Nadya. Now the house was empty. For lunch — only potatoes from the garden. Candy disappeared. Joy too.
But Lidiya Borisovna didn’t let them fall.
— Klav, — she said, — you have a cellar full of jars! Preserves, pickles, jams — all that can be sold at the market. You’re an expert!
So a new chapter began. Nadya, with her grandmother and Aunt Lidiya, put jars of cucumbers, tomatoes, and adjika on the stall. And the girl, despite being only seven years old, turned out to be a real salesperson. Smiling, polite, with eyes glowing with the desire to help, she attracted buyers.
— You’re such a good girl! — Lidiya admired. — You sold so much in one day! Now we can buy you boots, you’re walking in rubber ones like you’re at a dacha!
One day, a tall man in jeans and a leather jacket approached their stall. His face seemed familiar to Lidiya. She looked closely — and her heart stopped.
— Vov? Vladimir? It’s you! — she exclaimed. — Tolya’s friend!
The man nodded, looking at Nadya in amazement.
— Whose girl is this?
— This is Nadya. Tolya’s daughter.
— And he?
— Died. Cancer.
Vladimir was silent. Pain flashed in his eyes. Then he looked at the girl — and something clicked in his soul.
— Nadya, — he said softly, — what if I buy everything from you? And then we go to grandma’s? Talk?
She nodded trustingly.
When they entered the yard, Klavidia saw him — and immediately understood. That gaze… those features… they were Tolya’s, but even brighter — Nadya’s.
— Oh, Vova, — she whispered, — don’t separate us. I won’t survive without her. She is my soul.
— Don’t be afraid, Timofeevna, — he replied. — I won’t take her. But we’ll go to the store. Let Nadya choose what she wants.
In the store, the girl modestly asked:
— I’d like 200 grams of candy…
— No, — Vladimir smiled. — We need a cake, candies for the whole table, sausage, cheese, lemonade, pastries! Today is a celebration!
They returned, and a real feast began. The village buzzed. People gathered to see “that very Vova,” who, it was whispered, was Nadya’s real father.
— Dad… — Nadya suddenly whispered, looking at Vladimir. — If you take me away, will grandma cry? Will she die of longing?
— Never, — he said, hugging her. — I won’t take you away. I want you to be together. I want to be with you. We are one family.
At that moment, a car stopped at the gate. Galya. She stepped out, arrogant, ready to take “her property.”
But Vladimir went out to her. His voice was calm but thunderous.
— Galya, — he said, — I did a DNA test. Nadya is my daughter. You will be deprived of parental rights. And for extorting an elderly woman — I will sue. Leave. And don’t come back.
She went pale. The car left, leaving only dust behind.
Vladimir entered the house.
— Klavidia Timofeevna, — he said. — I can’t live without Nadya. But I have a job, a house in the city. I don’t want to separate you. So… move in with me. I have a big house. There’s enough room. We’ll live together. Like a family.
The old woman sat holding the tablecloth she had embroidered herself once. Her fingers trembled. Tears rolled down her wrinkles.
— I agree, Volodya, — she whispered. — Just let Nadya be near. And let Lidiya Borisovna not be alone. We will take her with us. She is like a sister to me.
Nadya rushed to her grandmother, hugged her, then — her father. Laughter, tears, happiness — all mixed in one moment.
And the next day, Vladimir helped them pack. In every box — memories. In every scarf — love. And now — a new home, a new life. But the main thing remained the same: family. Real. One bound not by papers, but by heart.