Asya worked for many years as an orderly in a maternity hospital. She had never been married.
Since childhood, she heard her mother’s lamentations: “Oh, Asya, you’re so unlucky, you’re ugly, and cross-eyed to top it off…”
Asya herself could see that she was different from the other girls. She had a potato-shaped nose, a squint, and a congenital leg injury, which made her limp while walking. Her hair was thin and reddish, and her eyes were a dull blue.
At school, they teased her for being cross-eyed. At first, she was upset, but then they stopped calling her names, getting used to it. No one ever cared for her in high school. Her classmates were always changing boyfriends, while Asya walked home alone after discos, crying into her pillow.
She planned to go to medical school after graduation, but her mother discouraged her.
“How could you be a nurse? You’re afraid of blood, and besides, you’d be better off cleaning floors. There’s always a demand for cleaners, no need for any education.”
Asya had gotten used to obeying without question. Who else would want her, except for her parents? She got a job at the factory where her mother worked, cleaning floors. The salary wasn’t much, but it was stable.
One day, her mother said:
“Listen, I’ve been thinking… There’s a man working with us, Semyonych. He’s single. Not young, of course, about my age, but quite interesting. Maybe you should get together and live with him? I’ve suggested it to him, and he’s not opposed. He and his mom have a big garden, they need workers. Look, you’ll have a family, kids will come. Just like everyone else…”
Asya shuddered. She had seen Semyonych—an enormous, bloated man who always reeked of alcohol. He was far too old for her.
“Mom, I don’t like him, he’s an unpleasant person.”
“In your situation, you can’t be picky. Look at yourself in the mirror! Who would want someone like you? At least this way, you’ll have a husband. You’ll have to work hard, of course. But what did you expect? No one’s going to marry you just for your pretty eyes…”
Asya was deeply hurt. Her own mother was saying such things… Her father was mostly silent, but Asya could tell he looked at her with pity, and that made it even worse.
For the first time, she disagreed with her mother and flatly refused to have anything to do with Semyonych. Her mother was upset at first, but then calmed down.
“You bring in money, you don’t hang around, you cook and clean. That’s some use. Stay single if you want, I don’t care. But don’t come crying later, when you have a child and no one to help.”
Asya didn’t want to live with her parents forever. This existence oppressed her. It felt as though they were just tolerating her out of pity. There were no other children, just her, the “ugly one” with defects.
Then, unexpectedly, her grandmother passed away, and Asya moved into her apartment. It was a small two-room flat, but at least Asya was the owner. Her mother had transferred the apartment to her name, which Asya appreciated.
Later, Asya got a job at the maternity hospital, and she stayed there. The staff was good, and they accepted her as one of their own. She had a kind, helpful nature, often doing work for others and assisting.
Love came into her life unexpectedly. The pensioner neighbor’s son came to visit, and he took notice of Asya, even inviting her to the movies. For her, it was a huge event. He started staying overnight, and Asya couldn’t believe her luck. He was a pleasant man, not an alcoholic, respectable… and he was with her…
He gained her trust and even said he wanted to marry her. The only problem was that she had to transfer her apartment to him for some of his own affairs.
When she told her mother, she quickly snapped her out of it.
“Are you completely stupid? What does he want you for? He wants to take your apartment. You’ve got your ears wide open, and the noodles are hanging down to the floor…”
And Asya saw the truth. She broke up with him. Later, she found out he had been imprisoned for fraud. He turned out to be a swindler…
She decided she would never have any relationships or men in her life again…
Asya worked the night shift. It was her favorite time of day. There was no hustle and bustle in the hallways, just pregnant women waddling by, with their legs spread out, walking like ducks. Or those who had already given birth.
Some walked briskly after delivery, while others still held their stomachs, walking slowly. They were all different… Asya treated these women with kindness and understanding, knowing the joy of motherhood.
Deep down, she too wanted to become a mother. But it wasn’t meant to be…
In the nursery, a baby was crying nonstop. Asya decided to check on who the noisy one was. By the time she reached the ward, the baby had stopped crying. She peeked inside and froze.
Standing by the incubator was a young woman in a beautiful blue dress, with long, light hair, gently stroking the baby’s head. She looked strange, almost translucent.
“What’s going on? Who are you?” Asya asked loudly.
The woman looked at her and placed a finger to her lips, signaling her to be quiet.
The other incubators were empty, the babies were with their mothers in the ward.
“Asya, what’s going on? Why are you frozen?” Valya, the pediatric nurse, touched her shoulder.
“Well… this… the baby is crying…”
“Oh, him… he cries, then stops. Poor thing, feels like he’s the only one in the world, all alone… I went to the bathroom…”
The woman was no longer in the room. Asya decided it must have been an illusion, a trick of her imagination. Who would be here uninvited? She was just tired…
The next morning, she came home after her shift and lay down to sleep, as she always did after a night shift.
Just as she was about to fall asleep, she suddenly heard a quiet woman’s voice: “Take Mishy.”
Asya opened her eyes. No one was there. Was it a dream? Or was it just the tiredness messing with her mind? She needed to sleep… Who’s Mishy? First, a woman appeared in the ward, now this voice… She must be overworked…
She fell into a deep sleep immediately.
The next night, she worked again. Her replacement asked her to cover for her. Money was tight, and Asya always agreed. What else would she do at home? Work felt like a celebration.
While cleaning the nursery, she looked at the incubator where the little boy, the orphan, lay. He wasn’t sleeping, frowning, his eyes darting around. Suddenly, he looked at Asya with an aware gaze and smiled with his toothless mouth. How could that be? Babies that young don’t see or look at anything… and he was smiling… It must have just seemed like that to her…
“Are you admiring Misha? Poor little guy, but maybe someone will take him soon. He’s completely healthy, Gleb Mikhaylovich said.”
“Misha?” Asya was surprised when she heard the name.
“We named him that. Chubby cheeks, always grumbling like a little bear.”
Asya remembered the voice and the words: “Take Mishy.” She hadn’t known then that the boy was called that. What a strange coincidence…
She thought about it all day. Her heart felt heavy. She felt sorry for the boy, all alone, no one to sing him a lullaby, no one to hold him close…
And then, she realized that she wanted to take him. She would be his mother! And she would love him deeply! Misha would be her little son!
She immediately went to the head of the department and announced her decision.
“Asya, why do you want these problems? You don’t know what his genetic background is, and you don’t have a husband. Can you handle this on your own?”
“That’s exactly it—he’s alone, and I’m alone. We need each other, do you understand? I have an apartment, I have money, I’ve been saving little by little from my salary, there’s nowhere to spend it, what do I really need? I’ve always dreamed of becoming a mother…”
“Well, it’s up to you… You’ll have to take maternity leave from work. You’re a good person, and you deserve happiness. I’ll help you with the paperwork.”
Once all the formalities were completed, Asya took Misha. She bought a crib, stroller, baby bathtub, and everything needed for the little one. She would be a mother, even if he wasn’t her biological child…
Asya’s parents reacted well to the news.
“Since you don’t have your own children, let Misha be yours. We’ll love him like a real grandson!”
Five years passed.
“Mommy, this is for you!” The light-haired boy ran up to the woman sitting on a bench in the park and handed her a bouquet of small daisies.
“Thank you, my little one! This is the most beautiful and best bouquet for me!”
The woman bent down and hugged the boy tightly, and he wrapped his arms around her neck in return. Their faces beamed with genuine joy and love.
An old woman walking by smiled. How much tenderness and warmth there was in this pair, mother and son.
Asya could no longer imagine life without her little son, Mishy. Her eyes shone with happiness, the happiness of being a mother!
“Mommy, you’re the most beautiful to me. I love you so much!”
“Thank you, my dear! I love you more than life itself! Let’s go home now, my son, it will start getting dark soon…”
Mishutka took his mom by the hand, and they slowly walked home. Two kindred souls…