Yegor stood on the threshold of his grandmother’s old house. In his hands, he held an envelope with his savings accumulated over the past few years. He had been saving money for a new laptop for work and a trip abroad; he had always dreamed of spending at least a week on tropical islands. But he left his dreams behind. His grandmother was more important to him than temporary pleasures. The house she lived in needed repairs. The stovepipe was about to collapse, and water leaked through the roof into the house, causing the walls to start rotting. Yegor understood that besides him, there was no one to help his grandmother, and there was still time for him to earn a living.
“Yegor, come in already, the tea will get cold!” his grandmother shouted from the kitchen. Despite her age and health problems, Valentina Andreevna continued to manage the household on her own.
Yegor sighed, squeezing through the narrow door. The smell of tea and fresh pastries instantly took him back to his childhood. His grandmother stood at the stove, sprinkling sugar on the dough as she used to when he was little. He glanced at the shabby walls, the old carpet, and the rotten windowsills, inwardly indignant. The thought flashed through his mind: it was time for a change.
“Grandma, I’ll start the repairs. Workers will come tomorrow, we’ll move some things out, and then tackle the big tasks,” he said, sitting down at the table.
“Repairs? Oh, Yegor, no need,” replied the grandmother, wiping away a tear. “You better buy something for yourself. You have so much work already, and now you’ve come up with something else.”
Yegor knew she didn’t want to upset him, but the decision was made. Looking at his grandmother, he replied:
“Grandma, you’ve always done everything for me, now it’s my turn. I saved up to get it all done at once and not put it off for later.”
“You gathered your money to help me?” his grandmother asked in surprise. “Oh, son, you shouldn’t have.”
The next day the work began. Yegor brought two friends, Ivan and Maxim, who agreed to help with the renovation. The house filled with noise and laughter. Grandma sat on the porch, watching the boys work.
“Look at them, such good boys…” she whispered, watching Ivan dismantle old wooden beams while Maxim and Yegor took apart an old partition.
“Grandma, we decided to update the kitchen,” Yegor shouted through the window. “The furniture is old, and the stove barely works.”
“Don’t spend money, boys,” grandma stirred. “I’ve lived with that stove.”
“But we want you to be truly comfortable, grandma,” said Ivan with a smile.
“Exactly!” supported Maxim. “We’ll even change the roof, put in new windows.”
The renovation took almost a month. Each day began early in the morning. All that month, Valentina Andreevna stayed with her friend, Nina Anatolievna.
Yegor and his friends worked from morning until evening, but the result was worth it. The house was transformed: the walls became bright, the roof reliable, and the windows plastic. Yegor was proud of his work—now grandma could live in warmth and comfort.
When grandma returned, she couldn’t hold back her tears as she walked through the rooms, touching the new walls with her hands:
“Lord, how beautiful… How nice…”
Yegor was sure he had made the right choice. Even though he had to temporarily put his plans on hold. Grandma had taken care of him since childhood, when his parents were gone.
“Yegorka, dear, I don’t even know how to thank you…” Valentina Andreevna hugged her grandson.
“This doesn’t even cover a fraction of the attention you gave me in childhood,” he said, hugging her back. “The main thing is that you’re happy.”
Several weeks passed. Yegor continued to come every day after work to help around the house. Grandma once again filled the home with warmth. She cooked favorite dishes, baked pies, and although it was getting colder outside, the house was warm and cozy.
One evening, grandma called Yegor to her room. In front of her was a box wrapped in velvet.
“Yegor, come here,” she called.
He approached and sat down, looking at the box.
“What is this, grandma?”
“This is for you, my grandson,” she said quietly, opening the lid. Inside were antique jewels. “These are from my mother. I’ve kept them to pass on to you. You are my treasure, Yegor, and you deserve this.”
Yegor looked at his grandmother and the jewels in astonishment.
“Grandma, but this is yours, you don’t have to…”
“I have to. You’ve done so much for me that words can’t express my gratitude. Let these jewels bring you happiness.”
Yegor closed the box and squeezed his grandmother’s hand, his eyes filling with tears.
“Thank you, grandma. I’ll take care of them, I promise,” he said, feeling the true connection of generations, a symbol of love and gratitude.
Time passed, and life went on. Yegor worked, and on weekends, he visited his grandmother. People passing by the house admired his work. But Yegor knew he did it all not for the praise of others, but so that his grandmother could be happy.
However, soon there were problems at work. He was informed that he was facing a layoff. Financial difficulties became a new reality. One day, coming to grandma, Yegor told her about the problems at work.
“Grandma, they warned me about the layoff… I don’t know what will happen now.”
Grandma nodded and smiled in response:
“Don’t worry, Yegor. Everything will work out. And if something happens, we’ll cope. We have a home, we have warmth, and that’s what matters.”
These words were a real consolation for him. For several days, Yegor pondered what to do when unexpectedly, one of his acquaintances offered him a job at his construction firm. It was a salvation.
He gladly accepted the offer and started working with the new team. The work was tough, but he didn’t complain. Every day spent on the construction site brought him closer to his goal—to make his grandmother’s and his own life better.
Two years after the renovation, grandma passed away… It was a quiet morning when she simply fell asleep and didn’t wake up.
Grandma’s departure was hard for Yegor. But he knew he had done everything to make her final years happy. He kept the jewels grandma had passed on to him, promising to pass them on to his children.
Now an old man, Yegor, sitting in the kitchen of the same house, remembered the day he began the renovation for his grandmother. No money could compare with the feeling of duty fulfilled to a loved one. Yegor preserved his grandmother’s traditions and baked pies for his grandchildren every weekend, brewing herbal tea collected with his own hands.