Tatiana watched sadly as the workers from the funeral agency tidied the grave—she had just said goodbye to her only close family member. Tatiana understood that it had not been easy for her grandmother to live with her illnesses and at such an age, but the tears still flowed relentlessly. Her grandmother had always hoped that Tatiana would sort out her personal life, find stability. But Tatiana always rushed home after work to avoid leaving her grandmother alone.
Tatiana had turned 30, and she increasingly doubted she would ever find a way to connect with men. She was used to interacting with elderly women—in the pharmacy, in the welfare office—but men had never worked out.
After returning from the cemetery, Tatiana sat down at the table in the empty room and, unable to hold back, burst into tears.
By evening, the neighbor dropped by.
“How are you, Tanya? Let’s remember your grandmother,” she suggested, sitting down in the kitchen. “Stop crying; she’s free from her suffering now. Do you think it was easy for her? She couldn’t even die without worrying about leaving you alone. Now she’s probably worried wherever she is that she didn’t get the chance to marry you off.”
“I’m not a little girl,” Tatiana sighed, remembering her grandmother again.
“Did she make a will?” the neighbor asked, sighing. “Oh, she should have signed over the house to you while she was still alive. Otherwise, once the inheritance comes up, everyone will be after it, and you’ll be left with nothing.”
“Who’s ‘everyone’? We didn’t have anyone,” Tatiana retorted. “The house was built by grandfather with joint funds, and when he left for another woman, he left it to grandmother. Everything was fair.”
“Well, yeah, your grandfather was a good man, even though a bit of a jerk,” the neighbor chuckled. “He said he left the house, but there were no documents. Who knows, maybe in his new family, there are five kids, and they’ll come for the inheritance?”
Tatiana smiled involuntarily.
“Oh, please, grandfather passed away a long time ago. Grandma forgave him and even went to his funeral. But she never talked about it. I was 13 then, and it didn’t interest me much.”
“Well, God willing, everything will be fine,” the neighbor sighed. “Maybe there was a child where your grandfather went, but that child has nothing to do with the house.”
The neighbor’s words weighed on Tatiana so much that, that night, she dreamed of people trying to drive her out of the house. She woke up several times in a cold sweat but fell back asleep, exhausted by her thoughts.
A month passed, and Tatiana finally decided on something she had been thinking about for a long time. She counted all the money she had with her grandmother, put it into her purse, and headed to the hospital.
“I don’t understand you,” the doctor said. “You’re still young, you could conceive a child naturally.”
Tatiana blushed, and the doctor, clearing his throat, added:
“Of course, I’m not here to discourage you, but if your life hasn’t changed within six months or a year, come back, and we’ll discuss it further.”
Tatiana nodded with relief. She really wanted a child. However, she didn’t even think she could meet a man she’d want to live with, someone good enough for her to trust. It seemed impossible, like a fairy tale.
About a week before inheriting, Tatiana received a call.
“Yes, I’m listening?” she answered.
There was static on the line, a grinding noise, and a beeping sound.
“Is this Zinaida Markovna?” she barely understood.
Tatiana made out that the caller wanted to speak with her grandmother, but she was no longer there—her grandmother had passed away.
Tatiana hung up the phone, feeling a light confusion. It was strange because all of her grandmother’s acquaintances knew she was gone. Shrugging, she dismissed the call and soon found herself at the doors of the notary office.
She stood outside for a long time, contemplating, until the cold wind made her go inside.
As soon as she grabbed the door handle, she heard a voice:
“Wait, are you Tatiana?”
Tatiana turned around, and her gaze fell on a man in clothes clearly too big for him, holding a four-year-old boy by the hand.
“Excuse me, who are you?” she asked.
“I’m your grandfather’s grandson,” the man replied.
The secretary, standing nearby, looked at Tatiana in surprise.
“You said there were no other heirs,” he remarked.
Tatiana was taken aback and shrugged:
“I’ve never seen this person before.”
The secretary nodded and gestured for them to come inside.
The man seemed about to say something but just nodded and followed Tatiana. The notary listened carefully to the secretary’s explanation, then turned to the man:
“Do you have any documents?”
“Unfortunately, no,” the man shook his head. “They were stolen on the train. I will get them replaced, but right now, I have nothing. And don’t think I’m claiming the inheritance, because your grandmother wasn’t my blood relative. I just came to honor the memory of Zinaida Markovna, who was kind to me. The journey was long and exhausting, and I fell asleep on the train. When I woke up, both my belongings and money were gone. The conductor gave me clothes and some money for the ticket…”
Tatiana stared at him in surprise. Noticing her look, the man smiled:
“Sorry, I didn’t mean to be a burden, but I have no other choice. I ask you to take me in until my father sends the money. I would have stayed at the station, but Vasya…”
Tatiana snapped out of her confusion.
“Of course, come in. Is this your son?”
“Yes,” the man answered. “His name is Vasya. His mother passed away, and we try not to be apart for too long.”
“Well, alright,” the notary sighed. “I’m glad everything worked out so simply; I was beginning to think your case would drag on. It’s common for people who had no interest in the deceased while they were alive to show up when the will is read, just to claim a piece of the inheritance.”
Half an hour later, they left the office. Tatiana was still somewhat confused, not fully understanding what was happening.
“Dad, I’m hungry,” came the voice of the little boy. Vasya looked at her with his clear blue eyes.
Tatiana wasn’t supposed to feed this boy, but she felt sorry for him. He wasn’t lucky with his father.
“Let’s go, it’s not far, about ten minutes to my place,” she invited.
On the way, Tatiana stole glances at the boy. He was light-haired, with barely noticeable freckles on his nose.
When they entered the house, Maxim, as the man was called, looked around:
“You know, I’ve never been here, but my grandfather talked about this house so vividly, it feels like I’ve been here many times before.”
“I barely remember it,” Tatiana confessed. “Grandma always got upset when anyone mentioned him. It was impossible to learn anything about grandfather.”
Tatiana sat them at the table and began to lay it out, catching herself thinking that she was glad to have guests. Just then, there was a knock at the door.
“Of course, the ever-present neighbor,” Tatiana sighed. “Who else?”
“Tanya, I came to see how everything went… Oh, you have guests!” the neighbor remarked, looking over Maxim and Vasya, then staring at Tatiana. “Looks like everything turned out just as I thought.”
“It’s fine, don’t worry,” Tatiana smiled.
It took ten minutes to see the neighbor off. Maxim, watching this with a smile, remarked:
“Looks like you’re under constant surveillance.”
That evening, he called his father to explain the situation. His father promised to send the money, but when he asked how Maxim planned to buy tickets without a passport, he was confused.
“Oh, I hadn’t thought of that,” Maxim replied, a bit more relaxed. “But we can try to get the documents replaced here, as long as my father sends the necessary papers.”
“Yes, but it could take a while,” Tatiana said, embarrassed. “Sorry, I didn’t think of this earlier. Do you have a job?”
“Don’t worry, I’m on vacation, so there’s no problem. If you’re worried that I’ll be a burden, I give you my word, I’ll be as quiet as a mouse, and Vasya will be, too,” Maxim answered with a smile.
A week passed, and Tatiana couldn’t imagine how she would live without Maxim and Vasya when they left. Vasya kept getting closer to her, and she spent hours with him, teaching him letters and buying him children’s books. Maxim wasn’t idle either—the house was in order, and everything that needed repair for years had finally been fixed.
One day, Maxim asked her:
“Tanya, sorry for the possibly improper question, but do you not want children yourself, or is there another reason…?”
“It just didn’t work out… First, it was school, then work, and then grandma got sick,” Tatiana answered with a light sigh.
“Were you married?” he asked cautiously.
Tatiana shook her head:
“You know, it might sound strange, but I never even had any serious relationships.”
They never returned to that topic, but Tatiana felt that from that moment, there was some kind of tension between them. The thought that Maxim would soon get his passport and he and Vasya would leave kept bothering her.
The neighbor kept whispering to her:
“Tanya, look at how he looks at you! Can’t you see it? The boy is drawn to you, and you don’t want to try a family life?”
Tatiana only waved her hand:
“No, you’re wrong. Maxim looks at me like a normal person, and Vasya—he’s just a child.”
Tatiana was embarrassed to think that Maxim liked her as a woman, and not just because he needed a place to stay.
When it was time for them to leave, Tatiana laid the table, Vasya ate, and quickly fell asleep. She and Maxim were left alone. Maxim poured some wine and, raising his glass, looked at her sadly.
“Tanya, do you know what I want most?” he asked, looking her in the eyes.
“What?” she asked quietly.
“I want to hug you and never let go,” he said.
Tatiana looked at him in fear:
“But… why? How is this possible? We can’t be together…”
And then she started crying. Maxim approached her, hugged her, and whispered:
“Everything will be fine, I promise.”
“Come in, Tatiana, have a seat. Have you decided?” the doctor smiled and started writing something, simultaneously saying: “I’ll give you a referral for tests, and then we’ll set a time for further steps.”
“No, doctor, I’m here for another reason,” Tatiana replied, slightly embarrassed.
The doctor raised his glasses and looked at her in surprise:
“And for what reason?”
“I think I’m pregnant. My husband doesn’t know yet, and I would like… if it is true, for you to help me.”
The doctor removed his glasses and smiled:
“So, it looks like something has changed in your life after all?”
Tatiana nodded, slightly embarrassed.
“That’s wonderful! I’ll write you a referral for the tests, you’ll take them, and then come back to me.”
A few days later, Tatiana was back in the doctor’s office, watching his eyebrows slowly raise.
“Is something wrong?” she asked, worried.
“On the contrary, everything is great. Your tests are excellent, and judging by everything, you’re going to be a mother not once, but twice.”
“Twins?” Tatiana gasped. “Are you serious?”
The doctor laughed:
“You should see the look on your face!”
Tatiana, Maxim, and Vasya stood by her grandmother’s grave.
“Well, grandma, everything is just as you wanted. I’m married, and soon we’ll have children. Too bad you won’t see it,” Tatiana said, looking at the grave.
Maxim gently hugged her shoulders and added:
“Yes, Zinaida Karpovna, by her actions, made everything happen as she dreamed. I came here not knowing you, almost homeless, and you were kind enough to take us in.”
Tatiana turned to him and asked:
“Do you think she knew?”
“I’m not sure,” Maxim replied, “but I’m sure that without Zinaida Karpovna, I wouldn’t be the happiest man on earth right now.”