I was 10 years old then, my older brother was 12. He played in the yard all day. We didn’t communicate much. I helped my mother with the housework. Dad worked at the factory, came home very late in the evening. My mother would set the table, we would gather and have dinner. Then dad would put on his patent leather shoes, stand in the mirror for a long time and leave the house without saying a word. After he left, my mother would look angrily towards the door. I wondered where my father was going and why my mother was reacting like that. Later, my father returned home in a good mood. Out of curiosity, I asked my mother why she gets angry when my father leaves the house.
Mom said that he had a girlfriend. My eyes popped up on my forehead. I could not believe it. I saw how much my father loved my mother, he was not capable of such a thing. The next time my father left the house in the evening, I followed him. He directed his steps towards the building of the Palace of Culture, went inside. I stood there and thought whether to go in or not. Suddenly someone’s hand touched my shoulder. I turned and saw a beautiful woman. I recognized the famous taetra artist. Accompanied by her, I went inside. Inside I saw a hall full of spectators.
My father was on stage. I didn’t know he was an opera singer. My father, it turned out, was very talented. He was performing an aria and didn’t notice that I was in the audience. I sat in the last row. I had tears in my eyes from joy. When he finished, he received a long applause. He stood on the stage, he was given flowers. After the concert, my dad and I took a walk in the park and went home in a happy mood. I came up to my mother and whispered that my father did not have a girlfriend, he was in the theater. And my mother whispered to me: “I know”.
