Anya was setting the table, preparing for dinner with her husband. Suddenly, the doorbell rang. They weren’t expecting anyone.
“Maxim, open the door, who could that be?” she called to her husband.
Reluctantly, Maxim got up from the sofa and went to open the door.
“Aunt Tamara? Where are you from?” Maxim was genuinely surprised to see his mother’s sister. She had aged, of course, but still looked well for her age.
“Hello, Maxim. I’m here to see you. May I come in?”
“Of course, come in. Why didn’t you give us a heads-up about your visit? I would have met you…”
“Well, it just happened this way. I was staying with Kolya, your uncle, and now I’ve decided to come here.”
She timidly entered the hallway, placed a large bag on the floor. Anya came out of the kitchen, wiping her hands on her apron.
“Hello, Anya! Sorry for coming so late, but the train arrived this way. It’s been a long time since we’ve seen each other, I thought I’d drop by.”
“Hello, Tamara Semyonovna! This is unexpected… Will you stay for dinner?”
“I wouldn’t mind. Thank you.”
The woman went to wash her hands in the bathroom. Anya raised an eyebrow and looked questioningly at her husband.
“I didn’t know she was coming…”
“Just what we needed—relatives… How long is she staying? And why, exactly?”
“How would I know… She’ll probably explain soon enough…”
“And I’ve brought you some gifts. Here’s some honey, garlic, and a few other things. All natural. It probably costs a fortune in your city. So, tell me, how are you living? How’s your son? The author of this story is ‘Notes of an Optimist.'”
“We’re doing fine, just took out a mortgage for the apartment, so we’re working hard. Lyonya is in school, in the ninth grade, and he’s interested in computer science. He’ll be home soon, from a friend. How about you? How’s everything with you?”
“Smart boy, that’s good. I decided to visit relatives, since I have no one else besides you. After your mother passed, we lost touch. You don’t visit, it’s far, and you have your own things, I understand. But I’m very lonely. Old age is no joy, as they say…”
“Very tasty cutlets, Anya, you’re a great hostess. And your apartment is lovely. You’re doing well.”
“Are you staying long? We’re leaving in a few days,” Anya asked. Maxim shot her a disapproving look.
“Just for three days. I want to see the city. Then I’ll leave. I wanted to catch up with my nephew, your son, and with you, Anya. You’re so sweet, and incredibly beautiful…”
Anya smiled. It had been a long time since anyone had said such things to her.
“You’ll have to sleep in the kitchen, on the fold-out bed. There’s no other place. We have two rooms, one for us on the couch, and the other for Lyonya.”
“Wherever you put me, I’m not picky. Thank you so much for the meal. It was all very delicious.”
Lyonya arrived.
“Son, this is Aunt Tamara, your Aunt Svetlana’s sister. You were just a little kid when we visited her, you probably don’t remember.”
“Hello. I don’t remember. Nice to meet you. You really look like Aunt Svetlana…”
“Likewise, Leonid. You’re such a grown-up boy now… I heard you’re interested in computer science?”
“Yeah, the computer’s old, my parents can’t buy a new one. I write programs myself…”
“Good for you. Keep it up. It’s a much-needed profession these days.”
“And what did you do before?”
“I was a surgeon once… Then I injured my hand and couldn’t operate anymore. I taught at the university. Then I got married and moved to a remote village. I really liked it there…”
“Oh, that must be interesting, being able to help people.”
“Yes, it’s an indescribable feeling, when you can help people and save lives…”
“Well, let’s get your bed ready, rest. I can show you the city tomorrow, I have the day off.”
“Thank you, Maxim… I’d love that.”
That night, when they went to bed, Anya began whispering to her husband.
“Who does that? Shows up late like that! Brings honey and garlic and thinks we’ll jump for joy! Now we have to feed her and entertain her! What kind of people!”
“Anya, she’s my only aunt. Actually, she raised my mother, their parents passed away early. She’s had a pretty tough life. She had a husband and a son, they were in a car accident and died, she survived but injured her hand badly. She didn’t remarry until many years later, and they moved to a village, bought a house, started a farm. We visited them then. My mom really loved her. Then Uncle Yuri unexpectedly died, a heart attack. Imagine how she felt? But she’s doing well, doesn’t give up. She’s coming to relatives, and there’s nothing wrong with that. So, please be patient.”
“I know her story, your mom told me. Still, she shouldn’t be doing that. You entertain her, I’m going to my mom’s tomorrow until evening.”
“Okay, Anya, she’s my aunt, I’ll handle it.”
The next day, Maxim, Aunt Tamara, and Lyonya went to tour the city. Anya went to her mother’s.
In the evening, when she entered the apartment, she heard her son’s joyful laughter. The kitchen table was covered with purchases and groceries.
“Oh, what’s going on here?” she asked, surprised.
“Anya, I bought you some gifts. Beautiful dishes, bed linens…”
“Mom, Aunt Tamara bought me a new computer, can you believe it? I didn’t even dream of one this good, it’s amazing!” Lyonya came out of the room.
Anya looked at him and Aunt Tamara in surprise.
“Why did you spend so much? This is all so expensive…”
“It’s fine. I have the money. I don’t have anywhere else to spend it, you see… And Lyonya is so happy. We had a wonderful day together! I’m so grateful to you! Even though we haven’t talked much before, you’re still family…”
Anya put away the gifts and made dinner with the groceries they had bought. She was amazed at the pensioner’s generosity. Just the computer alone…
During dinner, they opened a bottle of champagne. Tamara Semyonovna made a toast:
“I want to drink to your close and strong family. And thank you for the moments of happiness you gave me. It’s very valuable. When I visited Kolya, your older brother, I was received very poorly, to put it mildly.”
“I went to stay at a hotel. They literally told me they weren’t expecting anyone and asked me to leave. That’s Kolya for you… I took care of him more than anyone when he was a child. And his wife behaved rudely. It was unpleasant.”
“I wanted to see what kind of person he had become, how he treated his relatives. He didn’t pass the test. In such unexpected situations, a person’s true nature comes out.”
“And what I want to say is, Maxim, you grew up to be a good person. Your parents would be proud of you. You didn’t kick out your aunt, you took care of me, fed me, and entertained me all day. And you can’t buy that with money, it’s human decency. Let’s drink to that!”
“Aunt Tamara, thank you for your kind words! Anya and I are glad you came! Family… As for Kolya, we don’t talk to him. That’s how he wanted it. He always thinks we want something from him, now that he’s a big shot. That’s why he treated you like that. He thought you might ask for something or who knows what… That’s what money does to people.”
“Well, forget about him. Here’s what I want to say… Many years ago, I saved a life. I performed a complex surgery on my own risk. Years passed, and I learned that he left me a nice three-room apartment in Moscow as a thank-you. He’s a rich man, so he can afford it.”
“The apartment came to me. I don’t want to live there, I don’t want to sell it, and I don’t need the money. I have enough of what I already have. And I want to make a gift deed to you, Maxim. If you want, you can move there, or you can sell it and pay off your mortgage. It’s up to you. Tomorrow, we’ll go to finalize the paperwork and then I’ll leave.”
Maxim and Anya looked at each other, stunned. This announcement was so unexpected… An apartment in Moscow…
“How is this possible? Me? An apartment?”
“Yes, Maxim. Besides you and Kolya, I have no close relatives. Your brother doesn’t deserve such a gift… And I’m not asking for anything in return. I’d be happy if you visit me, even once a year…”
Anya broke into a cold sweat. This was quite the aunt…
They spent the rest of the evening talking in the kitchen. Tamara Semyonovna reminisced about her youth, her sister, and it turned into a heartwarming evening.
Anya felt ashamed of how she had treated the woman, not just because of the generous gift. She turned out to be an interesting person with a rich life experience and a great sense of humor.
After finalizing the paperwork, Tamara Semyonovna took the train back home. Maxim and Lyonya saw her off, but Anya couldn’t, as she was working.
They still couldn’t believe they were now the owners of an apartment in a good area of Moscow. They decided to go see it and possibly move to the capital, now that the opportunity had presented itself. They would sell this apartment and pay off the mortgage.
So, an unexpected guest changed the course of their family’s life. Fantastic, you might say? Maybe so, but anything can happen in life…