The old woman sighed hard and thought about how to start tidying up. But her thoughts were interrupted by a light knock at the door and a tall gray-haired man – Hello, Stepan! – Rosa Markovna shouted, rising from her seat and rushing to her savior with a wide smile. Stepan gently pressed to her, saying, – And you’re in a hurry! You should still walk with a cane for caution! The old woman only waved and then, shrewdly shrugging, said, – Well, you should walk with this cane! You’d better help me tidy up the house! I can’t do all this Stepan looked around, assessing the scale of the work and, rolling up his sleeves, took up the task.
The cleaning took several days, because it was necessary to clean each corner, to return home to its former coziness and warmth. And in the evenings, after a long day of work, the woman treated Stepan to her signature pies and sweet raspberry jam. He visited her every evening, clinging to the old woman with all his heart, and she, in turn, waited for his arrival with impatience.
The old woman could not help but notice how much she liked this tall, gray-eyed man. In his eyes there was a living sadness, like a person who has experienced a lot of misfortunes. But despite everything that he had gone through, his soul remained pure, and this warmed her heart.
– So what? What was he doing in the prison? – she thought. – His soul remained pure. And my son, even though he is pure before the law, how did he treat his mother? Go and find out who is a real friend and who is an enemy.
Rosa Markovna sat in her kitchen, watching the sunbeams break through the clean windows, filling the whole room with light. The house was filled again with warmth and coziness, and her heart was filled with sincere gratitude. Stepan, her new friend and savior, became an integral part of her life.
He came every evening, helped with the household, always supported her with a kind word. Looking at him, Rosa Markovna realized that true kindness and support can come from there, from where you do not expect them at all. She learned to forgive and let go of pain.
The betrayal of her only son did not hurt her so much anymore, because life gave her a new chance for happiness and faith in people. She realized that in life you can never despair, no matter how severe the trials. You should never lose hope and faith in the best, because only in this way can you see the light, even in the darkest life situation.