Nadezhda felt the urge to call him and find out how things were going. Nikolai had also left her his number so that they would both know who was calling.
Gradually, she remembered the boy on the bus.
He had the same kind eyes as Nikolai. He looked at the world with joy, being happy in life, even though his mum and dad were deaf. It was probably harder for him than for others. He was modestly dressed, but the joy in his eyes was obvious.
It was quite clear that true goodness could not be measured by wealth; it either lived in the soul or was completely absent.
If Nadia could have a baby, she would be happy. How wonderful it is to hold a baby in your arms! That is why she chose her profession — her love for children. The birth of a child is magic!
Nadia’s hand reached for the phone; she was about to dial Nikolai’s number when suddenly the phone rang — it was him.
‘Nadia, sorry, it’s me, Nikolai, if you haven’t forgotten, you have so many of them,’ he began, his voice drowned out by loud crying.
‘Nikolai, what’s going on?’ Nadia asked, happy to hear from him.
‘He won’t eat, he just cries and cries,’ Nikolai said, clearly upset. ‘What should I do? Please help me!’
‘Where do you live? Give me your address. Are you near the maternity hospital? I’ll come right now, my work day is ending.’
Nadia fixed her hair in front of the mirror. For some reason, she felt excited, along with joy.
On her way to Nikolai’s house, she remembered the boy from the bus again. How he had shouted after her as she hurried to the exit.
At the time, she thought she hadn’t heard him clearly, but now his melodious voice rang in her ears: ‘Thank you, you are so kind, may your children be well too!’
‘What children?’ thought Nadia, inspired by a vague premonition of happiness. But she immediately reassured herself that it was just a polite remark.
Nadia didn’t even have time to touch the doorbell before Nikolai opened the door, as if he had been waiting for her.
It was painful to look at him. The baby was crying hard, his legs shaking.
‘Where can I wash my hands?’ asked Nadia, switching into doctor mode, but something else, something more, also switched on.
For the first time in her life, she was holding a baby without its mother nearby. And it seemed as if this baby had become a little bit hers!
It was an incredible feeling!
‘He’s not even crying. How do you do it?’ asked Nikolai, peeking modestly over her shoulder and watching with admiration as she changed his nappy, wiped him with wet wipes and dressed him in clean clothes.
When her clean, contented, and well-fed son fell asleep in her arms, Nikolai looked at her as if she were the Madonna with the baby.
‘Perhaps you could visit us again. Don’t you have a husband and children? Won’t you be too busy?’ Nikolai asked quietly in the hallway.
‘I’ll definitely come back, but I don’t have a family, don’t worry,’ Nadia promised as she left, noticing the joy in his eyes.
Nadia drove home feeling refreshed, as if she too had experienced a drop of maternal happiness. When the boy fell asleep in her arms, it suddenly became clear to her how it could be: her beloved husband and she together feeding and putting their baby to bed.
Over the next few days, Nadia gradually began visiting Nikolai, her feet seeming to lead her to his house.
She told herself that she was just helping him with the child. But deep down, she was looking forward to seeing him.
‘What did you name your son?’ Nadia asked the next day.
Nikolai looked at her in confusion. ‘I don’t know, I had no one to discuss it with. What name do you think would be suitable?’
Nadezhda laughed. ‘I’m a paediatrician, of course, but I have no experience in choosing names for babies.’
‘Neither do I, Nadia. Maybe we can come up with something together?’ And let’s drop the formalities and use first names. You and my son are the closest people to me now!
They chose the name Dima for the boy, a warm and cosy name. It turned out that Kolya had a grandfather named Mitya, and Nadia had a grandfather named Dmitry Konstantinovich!
When Nikolai suddenly got divorced, he immediately proposed to Nadia.
It was completely natural and inevitable, because the three of them — Nikolai, Nadia and their little Dimka — were almost always together.
Nadia had finally found happiness.
She never thought it would happen, never even hoped for it, because she had been told many times that she would not be able to have children.
But perhaps it was no coincidence that her name was Nadezhda, which means ‘hope.’
When Nadia realised she was pregnant, she couldn’t believe her luck! After taking numerous tests, she thought it was just a sweet dream!
Now Nikolai and Nadezhda have two children: a son, Dima, and a daughter, Dina.
Sometimes Nadia remembers that happy boy with his mother on the bus with a special feeling.
She feels that it was he who, with his bright childish gaze, attracted the incredible and long-awaited happiness that has become a permanent part of her life!