— Mom, you’re a good girl! — I knew we would find her! — she said, smiling. — Vera, listen! — suddenly said Marfa Ivanovna, rising from the ground. — I probably won’t be able to go! — Vera just looked at her in amazement.
— Why? — Because this house, this cat, this is my life! And there, in the city, everything is completely different! — Can you understand that? Vera kept silent for a long time, and then nodded. — I understand everything, Mom! If you want to stay, then it will be so! When Vera and Marfa Ivanovna returned home, the sun was already setting beyond the horizon, painting the village street in warm colors. Masya settled comfortably in the hands of the hostess, as if nothing had happened, the neighbor Anna Petrovna, noticing them from the porch, immediately rushed to meet them.
— Well, haven’t they left? — she asked, looking at them with anticipation. — No, Anna Petrovna, they haven’t left! — Vera replied with a smile, taking off her scarf. Masya ran away at the station.
While they found her, they decided to return. — And I thought so! — Anna Petrovna picked up, hugging Marfa Ivanovna by the shoulders. — You’ll be better off with us! We will support you here in the whole village! Isn’t that right, people? Several neighbors joined her words, to see if Marfa Ivanovna had really returned.
— Of course, it’s better! — Nikolai, the neighbor across the fence, replied. — We are our own here! — And what do you do in the city? — Only noise and strangers’ faces. — Yes, well, no one will care that your legs are spinning, and here we will always help you! — added Anna Petrovna, blinking.
Marfa Ivanovna smiled for the first time in a day. Her heart was warmest, these simple words, said sincerely. — Thank you, my dears! — she said quietly, clenching her cat tight.
Vera, who was a little further away, only silently watched this scene. She saw how her mother’s eyes came to life, how confidence appeared in her voice. — Well, mom, then it’s decided! — said Vera, smiling.
— Stay here! We will come often, I promise! Marfa Ivanovna looked at her daughter, and then at the neighbors who surrounded her. — Yes, I will stay! This is my house, this is my life! — she said firmly. And about an hour later, at Marfa Ivanovna’s house.
Some with pies, some with jam. Anna Petrovna even brought her grandson, who helped the old woman to bring things back to the house. — Well, they said, you will leave! — grumbled Anna Petrovna, placing a bowl of cranberry pie on the table.
— I would miss you all! — said Marfa Ivanovna, covering the table with a samovar. Masya, meanwhile, had already found her place on the windowsill, as if she had never left. — And what did I think? — suddenly Nikolai the neighbor rose up.
— In the spring we will move the bathhouse, and we will paint the barn. The century will stand still! — That’s it! — Anna Petrovna picked up. — And you, Vera, come to us more often! We won’t let anyone get bored here! Marfa Ivanovna smiled, watching the noise and fun She looked up at the window and whispered, — Well, my dear, we are finally at home! The neighbors laughed.
Someone offered to sing a song. And for the first time in a long time Marfa Ivanovna felt like not an old woman on the edge of life, but the hostess of the house, her real home. The next morning Marfa Ivanovna went out on the porch, leaning against the bright sun.
The snow under her feet creaked quietly, and there was a light frosty smell in the air, reminiscent of the coming of spring. Masya sat calmly on the railings, lazily watching the crows lining up on the roof of the neighboring barn. — That’s good! — murmured Marfa Ivanovna, stroking the cat gently.
Vera stood at the door with a cup of tea, watching her mother. — Well, mom, don’t you regret what’s left? Marfa Ivanovna turned and smiled. — No, Vera, it’s all right.
I’m calmer here, and you should come more often. You see, I’m so old. We’ll be here at least every month.
Lariska was so happy when I called her yesterday. She said that after the exams she would come to her grandmother right away. Marfa Ivanovna nodded, imagining how her granddaughter would bring something tasty from the city and tell her about her studies.
— What about my grandson Petya? He’ll probably make me play chess again, she smiled. — What else? He prepared a whole tournament for you. Marfa Ivanovna quietly laughed and looked into the distance where smoke was rising from the chimneys of the neighboring houses.
Her soul was filled with a warm feeling. Everything was finally back in its place again. Her house, her neighbors, her Masenka.
— Well, she said, looking through the clouds of the sun. I’ll take care of the garden in the spring. I still need to make beds for the flowers.
— In the spring? So you’re already making plans? asked Vera with a smile. — How else, daughter? You have to live. Marfa Ivanovna calmly answered.
Vera approached her mother and, hugging her by the shoulders, quietly said, — That’s why I love you, Mom. They stood next to each other, enjoying the morning silence. After all, all the most important things in life were here and now.