Alenka was a very independent girl. By the age of eight, she could do far more than many adults. Her grandmother had taught her to light the gas stove, make scrambled eggs, and fry cutlets. She could also tidy the house and wash her small clothes by hand. The girl had a warm heartalways helping others, cheering the sad, comforting the sick, calming the angry. Everyone adored her for her lively spirit and respect for elders. Shed even walk to the edge of the village to carry groceries for an elderly stranger, though she was small herself and had to hold the bag with both hands to keep it from dragging. Alenka mostly lived with her grandmother, only returning to the city in winter for school, which she disliked.
She loved her mother dearlya delicate, reed-thin woman with a gentle voice. Her father was kind only when sober, which was rare. Drunk, hed scream at her mother, hit her, though he never touched Alenka. Still, seeing her mom suffer broke her heart. Grandma scolded Mom for not divorcing him, but she just cried, saying she didnt want her daughter to grow up without a father.
During spring break, Alenka was back at Grandmas. With melting snow and chirping birds, she decided to ride her bike.
“Gran, Im going for a ride.”
“Its too earlyice everywhere.”
“But Ill stick to the thawed road!”
“Fine, youll sneak off anyway.”
Alenka headed for the train station, where the asphalt square was clear. Taking a shortcut across a frozen field, she spotted dark water too late. One leg and the bike plunged in, but she braced herself on the ice with the other. A man rushed from a nearby house, hurriedly dressed after seeing her struggle through the window.
“Uncle, dont come closeryoull fall too! Ill get out!” she called.
He watched as she inched forward, then scooped her up. “Youre soaked! Lets get you warm.” He carried her inside, fetched her bike, and introduced his son, Yegora seven-year-old on crutches.
“Youre as stubborn as him,” the man, Uncle Sasha, joked. “I told him not to go to the lake, but he slipped on a slide. Now hes stuck with a broken leg.” He wrapped Alenka in a blanket and gave her tea.
“Do you have cranberries?” she asked. “They keep colds away.”
“Who taught you that?” he laughed, fetching cranberry jam.
“Mom. Shes smart and beautiful, but Dad hits her, and she cries.”
Uncle Sasha changed the subject, putting on cartoons while her clothes dried. Later, he walked her home at dusk, Yegor begging her to visit againhe got lonely when Dad was at work.
Near Grandmas, Uncle Sasha paused. “Youre Tanyas girl?”
“Yes, my moms Tatyana Sergeevna.”
“I know. We were classmates. Give her my regardsSasha Ryabin.”
Grandma scolded her, though she was used to her antics. The next morning, Mom arrived in tearsDad had gotten drunk, been hit by a car, and died in the hospital.
“Oh, sweetheart, now youre an orphan!” Mom wailed.
“He never loved me anyway,” Alenka said. “But I still feel sorry for him.”
“Of course he didntyoure not his,” Grandma blurted.
Mom hushed her, but the words hung in the air. Alenka understood: if that wasnt her real father, there was one out there somewhere. But if he didnt want them, he wasnt worth missing.
She finished the school year at Grandmas. Her class was full of friends, and she often visited Yegor, now her classmate, bringing homework since he couldnt walk yet. Uncle Sasha was grateful his son kept up with school, and Yegors grades improved. By years end, he was walking again and passed all his exams.
Grandma didnt like their friendship but didnt stop it. Mom visited rarely, then suddenly moved to the village permanentlyDads family had claimed his brothers apartment. Happier now, she spent more time with Alenka.
One summer day, Yegor burst in crying, “Aunt Tanya, hurry! Alenkas drowning!”
Tanya ran out, meeting Alexander carrying a soaked Alenka. “Shes finejust swallowed some water. Got caught on a branch.”
As Alenka coughed, Tanya trembled with silent tears.
“She looks just like you, Tanya,” Sasha said.
“No, she looks like *you*! Shes *your* daughter!” Tanya shouted. “I was already pregnant when I left you! I thought city life with Vaska would be better, but he figured out the timeline, knew she wasnt his, and drank. He refused a divorce.”
“Tanya… Ive never loved anyone else! I married Lena out of spite when you left. She gave me Yegor and ran. I raised him alone.”
Alenka and Yegor stared, bewildered.
“So,” Alenka said slowly, “we share a fatherwere siblings. My moms great. If she marries our dad, well be a real family. How do you feel about that?”
Yegor grinned. “Youve always been like a sister to me. Will your mom yell at us?”
“Nah, Grandma wont let her.”
