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.
«Vera is gone. Without my consent, they cant send Dima to the orphanage.»
Nina had known about Victors son long before their wedding. A common enough tale. During his army days, Victor had fallen in love, and after his service, he brought the girl back with him. They rented a small flat, but before long, she packed her bags and returned home. Months later, a telegram arrived: 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 appeared unexpectedly with little Dima in her arms. She made a scene, demanding to rekindle what theyd had. Victor sent her away, choosing his wife instead.
Nina hadnt blamed himhow could she hold against him what had happened before theyd even met? Vera filed for child support, and Victor paid dutifully. She never wrote or called again. Later, they learned she had married twice and, unable to survive the second divorce, had taken her own life.
By then, Nina and Victor had two children of their own: a boy, William, just a year younger than Dima, and little Alice, barely a year old. Theyd decided on a second child after buying their own homea modest wooden house with four rooms, a garden, and a small bathhouse. After years in a cramped rented flat, it felt like heaven. William had raced through the rooms like a wild thing for days.
Raising another womans child That was something Nina had never expected. She had seen the boy only once, seven years earlier, 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 get along? Victor worked long hours; the children would be her responsibility alone. All these thoughts flashed through her mind in an instant. Victor sat silent in the hall, his face ashen.
Her heart ached as she imagined herself in his place. What if it were William facing such a fate? The answer came at once.
«Vic, of course well take the boy. Hes your sonour childrens brother. How could we live with ourselves if we refused? If two can make do, so can three. Well manage.»
A month later, Dima arrived. Quiet, timid, obedientnothing like bold, boisterous William. Perhaps that difference saved them. The sudden arrival of an older brother who made no claim to leadership, who followed rather than fought, meant the boys soon found their rhythm. And little Alice, sweet and cheerful, seemed to love the whole world, easing every tension.
In autumn, Dima started school. He did wellhis mother must have taught him well before she passed. Money was tight, but Victor worked tirelessly, and eventually Nina found work too. The children grew, becoming true helpers around the house. In time, they became a family, never drawing lines between «his» and «theirs.»
When Dima went to university, Nina fell gravely ill. Long weeks in hospital, an operationit was a frightful time, but she refused to despair. She thought of her children, still finding their way, and clung to the hope of recovery. She wanted to see them grown, happy, to hold grandchildren one day. But the ordeal broke Victor. He began drinking heavily.
At eighteen, Dima became the familys rock. He switched to evening classes, took a job, and visited Nina nearly every day, reading to her, asking how to cook William and Alices favorite meals, then bringing her samples. He shielded her, too, from the worst of itWilliams brush with the law, his narrow escape from prison.
Nina recovered. Her marriage did not. She couldnt forgive Victors weakness in her darkest days. Still, the house was large enoughthey lived as strangers under one roof. He tried to quit drinking, but the bouts returned.
A year ago, Dima brought home his bridea girl hed loved since nursery school. A psychology student, she set to work at once, helping her father-in-law fight his demons. Life moved on. And soon, grandchildren would race through the housethe newlyweds were expecting twins.
Every day, Nina thanks God for her eldest son and believes she lives only because she once found room in her heart for another womans child.
