Tanya found out about her husband’s affair purely by chance.
As often happens, wives are the last to know about their husbands’ infidelity. It wasn’t until later that Tanya realized what all those curious glances and whispers behind her back had meant. Everyone at work knew that Tanya’s best friend Vera was having an affair with Sacha. Tanya had no idea.
She found out one evening when she unexpectedly returned home. Tanya had been working as a doctor at a local hospital for several years. She was supposed to be on the night shift that day. But at the end of the workday, a young colleague, Helen, approached Tanya with a request.
“Tanya, could you swap shifts with me? I’ll cover tonight, and you can take mine on Saturday, if you have no other plans. My sister’s getting married on Saturday.”
Tanya agreed. Helen was a likable and accommodating girl, and a wedding was a good reason.
Returning home late that evening, Tanya was in a cheerful mood, planning to surprise her husband. But a surprise was waiting for her instead.
Barely had she stepped into the house when she heard voices coming from the bedroom. One was Sacha’s, and the other… she recognized it too, though hadn’t expected to hear it then and there.
It was the voice of her best friend Vera. What Tanya heard left no doubt as to the nature of their relationship.
Tanya left the house as quietly as she had come in. She spent the night at the hospital, unable to sleep. How would she now look her colleagues in the eye? Everyone had known, while she had been blind in her love for Sacha, trusting him completely. Her husband had been the center of her universe. She had been willing to do anything for him, even forsake her dream of having a child because Sacha always said he wasn’t ready. Tanya now realized that Sacha didn’t want children because he wasn’t serious about their marriage.
That sleepless night, Tanya made a decision that seemed the only right choice to her. In the morning, she submitted her resignation letter, went home, packed her things while Sacha was at work, and hurried to the train station. Her grandmother had left her a small cottage in the countryside, and that was where Tanya was headed, reasonably assuming Sacha wouldn’t look for her there.
At the station, she bought a new SIM card and discarded her old one. Tanya severed all ties with her past life and boldly stepped into a new one.
A day later, she alighted at the familiar station. It had been almost ten years since she last visited for her grandmother’s funeral. Everything looked the same as back then – quiet and scarcely populated. “Exactly what I need right now,” thought Tanya.
To get to the village, Tanya caught a ride part of the way and walked the rest of the distance to her grandmother’s home. The yard had become so overgrown with brush that she struggled to reach the front door.
It took several weeks to get the house and garden back into shape. Tanya couldn’t have managed alone, but the neighbors were incredibly helpful. They all remembered Tanya’s grandmother, Margaret, who had worked as a primary school teacher for over 40 years. Generations of local children had learned to read and write under her guidance. Many now wanted to help Tanya in memory of their beloved teacher.
Tanya didn’t expect such a warm welcome and was deeply grateful to everyone who helped her settle in and refurbish her home.
News of a doctor in the village spread quickly. One evening, her neighbor Annie came over, visibly upset.
“Tanya, I’m sorry, I can’t help you today. My little one isn’t feeling well, probably ate something bad. She’s been complaining about her stomach since morning.”
“Let’s go have a look at her.” Tanya grabbed her medical kit and followed Annie.
The little girl had food poisoning. Tanya treated her, giving her a drip and explaining to Annie how to care for her.
“Thank you, Tanya,” Annie was at a loss for words. “I didn’t know you were a doctor. The nearest hospital is 37 miles away. We had our own paramedic here, but he left a year ago, and no one has been sent to replace him.”
Thus began the visits from other villagers seeking Tanya’s help. She couldn’t refuse, not after the warm reception and assistance she had received.
When word about the doctor reached the authorities, they offered Tanya a job at the district clinic.
“No, I won’t go to the district,” said Tanya firmly. “But if you open a small clinic here, I’d be happy to take charge.”
The officials were surprised – a doctor from the city with her experience and she wanted to work in a village clinic? But Tanya was steadfast in her decision. Soon, a small clinic was up and running in the village, with Tanya seeing patients.
One evening, while home, there was a knock on her door. It was late, but Tanya wasn’t surprised; people fell ill at all hours.
She opened the door and let in a stranger. From his appearance, she knew something bad had happened.
“Dr. Tanya,” the visitor addressed her. “I’ve come from Oakwood, about 9 miles away. My daughter is very sick. At first, I thought it was a cold, but the fever hasn’t gone down for three days. Please, will you come with me and help her?”
Tanya quickly started gathering her things, asking the man about his daughter’s symptoms.
Upon arrival, she saw a small, pale girl lying in bed, breathing heavily. The child’s lips were cracked, her hair tangled, and her eyelids fluttering in time with her breath.
After examining her, Tanya said, “It’s serious. She needs to be taken to a hospital immediately.”
The man shook his head sorrowfully.
“We live alone, just the two of us. Her mother passed away shortly after she was born. This little one is all I have. I can’t lose her.”
“But the hospital can help her more quickly. I can’t do much here. The necessary medicine isn’t with me.”
“Tell me what you need, and I’ll get it. But please don’t make us go to the hospital. There’s a 24-hour pharmacy in the district, I’ll be quick. But… I have no one to stay with her.”
Tanya saw the deep worry and fear in the father’s eyes. Only now did she really observe him. Around her age, he was tall, lean, and had beautiful, chestnut hair. His green eyes were shaded by long lashes, the envy of any woman.
“I’ll stay with the little one,” Tanya said. “What’s her name?”
“Annie,” he replied, gazing lovingly at his daughter. “And I’m Edward. Thank you, Doctor!”
Tanya wrote the prescription, and Edward left for the district center in a hurry.
Annie’s fever didn’t abate, and she writhed in her sleep, calling for her father. Tanya rocked her gently, singing lullabies until she calmed down.
Several hours later, Edward returned with the medicine. Tanya administered the injection and said, exhausted, “Now we wait.”
They spent the night at Annie’s bedside. By morning, her fever started to break, and sweat dotted her forehead.
“That’s a good sign,” observed Tanya, about to collapse from exhaustion, but satisfied in knowing she had turned a corner in Annie’s illness.
“Thank you, Doctor,” Edward kept repeating.
A year passed. Tanya was still working at the village clinic, caring for her fellow villagers and those in nearby towns. But now she was living not in her grandmother’s old cottage but in Edward’s lovely, spacious home. They had married six months after that fateful night when Annie’s life hung in the balance.
It took weeks of fighting the child’s illness, but Annie recovered well. She grew very attached to Tanya, who loved her like her own. But each time Tanya embraced the girl, she would think of the chance she once lost to become a mother.
In the evenings, though tired, Tanya would return to her new home, where two of the dearest people awaited her with love.
Tonight, Edward met her at the porch, enveloping her in a hug and asking, “How did it go? Did they approve your leave? I’ve already planned a trip for the three of us.”
Tanya smiled mysteriously and replied, “Yes, the leave is signed, but we’re traveling not as three, but as four.”
Edward looked at her in confusion for a moment, then swept her up into his arms, spinning her joyfully.
