Nina Petrovna still remembers the day she had to decide the fate of another womans child. It was a Wednesday, and her husband, Victor, came home from work earlier than usual, his face darker than a storm cloud. Without a word, he handed her an envelope.
«Whats happened?» she asked.
«Veras gone. Without my consent, they cant send Dima to the orphanage.»
Nina had known about her husbands son long before they married. A common enough story. Victor had fallen in love during his military service, brought the girl back with him, and rented a small flat. But the romance didnt lastshe packed her things and returned home. Then came the telegram: congratulations, you have a son. Whatever had gone wrong between them, Victor never spoke of it, and Nina never pressed. Some things were best left in the past.
When Nina was four months pregnant, Vera arrived unexpectedly with little Dima, barely a year old. She made a scene, demanding Victor take her back. He sent her away and stayed with his wife.
Nina held no grudgehow could she blame him for what happened before they met? Vera filed for child support, which Victor paid faithfully, and after that, she never wrote or called. Later, they learned she had married twice, and the second divorce had broken hershe took her own life.
By then, Nina and Victor had two children of their own: William, just a little younger than Dima, and little Lily, who had only just turned one. Theyd decided on a second child after buying their own housea modest wooden home without modern comforts, but with four rooms, a garden, and even a small bathhouse. After years in a cramped rented flat, it felt like heaven. William had spent the first week running wild through every room, overjoyed.
Bringing up another womans child That, Nina had never expected. Shed last seen the boy seven years ago and knew nothing of him. What was he like? What had he endured? The thought terrified her. Her own William was already a handfulhow would two boys so close in age fare? Victor worked long hours, leaving the children mostly to her. These thoughts flashed through her mind in seconds. Victor sat silently in the hallway, his face ashen.
Her heart clenched as she imagined herself in his place. What would she do if her own William faced such a fate? The answer came at once.
«Victor, of course well take him. Hes your son, and a brother to our children. If we turn him away, how could we live with ourselves? Where theres room for two, theres room for three. Well manage. Well raise him right.»
A month later, Dima arrivedquiet, timid, obedient, nothing like bold, rough-and-tumble William. Perhaps that difference saved them. The sudden older brother made no bid for dominance, content to follow, and the boys quickly became inseparable. And little Lily, sweet and cheerful, seemed to love everyone, smoothing over any tension.
That autumn, Dima started school, doing wellhis mother must have prepared him. Money was tight, but Victor worked tirelessly, and Nina later found work too. The children grew, becoming real helpers around the house. In time, no one spoke of «his» or «hers»they were simply theirs.
When Dima entered university, Nina fell seriously ill. Long hospital stays, an operationit was terrifying, but she refused despair, thinking only of her children, still finding their way in the world. She was determined to recover, to see them grown and happy, to hold her grandchildren one day. But the ordeal broke Victor. He drank heavily.
At eighteen, Dima became the familys anchor. He switched to evening studies, found work, and visited Nina nearly every day, reading to her, learning to cook Williams and Lilys favourite dishes, bringing her samples. He shielded her from the worst, hiding that William had fallen in with a bad crowd and faced charges. Thankfully, it never came to prisonjust probation.
Nina recovered. Her marriage did not. She couldnt forgive Victors weakness, his betrayal when she needed him most. Still, the house was large enoughthey lived as uneasy neighbours. Victor tried to quit drinking, but the binges returned.
A year ago, Dima brought home his bridea girl hed loved since nursery school. Training as a psychologist, she set to work at once, helping her father-in-law fight his demons. Life went on. And soon, grandchildren would fill the housethe newlyweds had just learned they were expecting twins.
Every day, Nina thanks God for her eldest son and believes shes alive only because she once made room in her heart for another womans child.
