I don’t get you, my dearafter all, you’re a woman now. What fault does a poor girl have? And what does it matter if another woman is involved? You’ll raise her, and she’ll call you mother later. That’s how it turned out, but you should be wiser; you love your husband, so love his daughter too.
A social services worker called the husband and told him to collect his own daughter, a child he never knew existed.
Maria, sit down, please. I have something important to tell you, Dmitri sighed.
My daughter is in an orphanagethey called me from social services today, Maria gasped, surprised, and asked, What daughter? Whose? Are you joking? She could not believe him.
Dmitri lowered his head. No, Masha, I’m not kidding. About six years ago we had just met; I was dating Sveta. When things between us grew serious, I broke off with her right away.
A year later Sveta tracked me down and said I was the father of her daughter Anya.
I didnt believe it, went to see her, and it was obvious even without tests that she was mine. I have no idea what happened to Sveta, I only got a call asking whether I would take Anya in or not.
Marias first reaction was to shout, No, I dont want some strangers child! But the look in her husbands eyes made her say something different.
Okay, lets visit her together first, she suggested gently.
Dmitri was relieved by his wifes response. After a brief discussion they decided to go the next day. Maria looked at the little girl and saw no resemblance to her husband; at five years old Anya was very small and thin.
She clutched a tattered teddy bear, and whenever someone asked her a question she hid her face in the bears fur. To be honest, Maria didnt like her, though she felt sorry for the child. Perhaps if the girl were a complete stranger Marias heart would have softened, but her jealousy toward another woman had now transferred to the child.
It turned out Sveta had abandoned Anya, living a chaotic life, often drinking and staying out until dawn, never thinking about her daughter. Yet she finally revealed who Anyas father was, and nothing could change that.
Maria saw Dmitris determination to bring the girl home. She tried for a long time to dissuade him, but one day Dmitri snapped:
If you cant bear a child yourself, stay silent. I wont give my own daughter back to the orphanage. If you dont like it, leaveI’ll stand my ground.
Those words hurt Maria, yet from any angle they were true: Dmitri wanted children, and she could not have any. In her youth shed developed health problems; doctors soon marked her as unable to bear children ever. Still, she loved Dmitri and could not imagine leaving him.
He was diligent, earned every cent, drank little, and a man like him would attract many womensomething Maria doubted she could ever replace.
When Dmitri brought Anya home, he warned his wife, Dont expect kindness if youre going to be hurt. Maria forced herself to care for the girl, bathed her, dressed her in a dress, braided her hair, as if trying to soothe her own soul.
Anya was quiet, kept to herself in a corner, whispering to her teddy bear. Shes wild, Maria complained to the neighbors, she wont accept me or Dmitri, whether I say yes or no, she just stays that way. The neighbors nodded sympathetically. Dmitris affection shifted from kisses and embraces with Maria to the little girl. At first Anya tried to run away, but eventually she got used to it and began following Dmitri around like a shadow.
Maria, of course, grew jealous of Dmitris devotion to his daughter, and Dmitri started to grumble. One afternoon, with Anya playing in the yard, he said, You treat Anya like a toynever smile at her. She needs a loving mother, not a foreign aunt.
That was the breaking point for Maria: Im not her mother, I wont call her that, I wont dance for her, and Im leaving. Ill go back to my own mother; you two can live together as you please. She stormed out, expecting Dmitri to beg her to stay, but he didnt. A week passed, then another, and he never returned. Maria wept; Anyas mother tried to console her, but she could not allow the family to fall apart.
Honestly, I dont understand you, dear, she said, Youre a woman nowwhat fault does a poor girl have? What does it matter if shes from another woman? Youll raise her, and shell call you mother. It happened this way, but you must be wiser. You love your husbandlove his daughter too.
Later, Maria stepped into the yard while Dmitri was fixing something in the garage. Anya sat nearby, happily playing with her bear. Dmitri noticed her, looked up, and Maria flinched, stopping in her tracks. Anya rose, took her fathers hand, and led him to Maria.
Make peace, Anya said, joining their hands.
Im sorry, Maria sobbed.
Dmitri embraced her with one arm and pulled Anya close with the other. Maria, still crying, hugged the little girl too. They stood like that for a long time until Anya, bored, announced, Misha and I want to eat!
Dmitri and Maria exchanged a glance, went inside, and finally became a true family.
I Just Can’t Understand You, My Dear; After All, You’re a Woman — What Is This Poor Girl Guilty Of?
