Miranda hurried home after work, carrying heavy bags of groceries. Her mind was whirling with thoughts about what to cook for dinner and what to do at home. Everything in the family was kept on her fragile shoulders, in everyday life she did not have to count on her husband, thanks to him for bringing money home.
– Oh, mom! – Miranda suddenly shouted and, raising her hands with bags, she slipped and landed on her back. The woman did not notice the ice under the snow. The groceries scattered not far from her, she was lying looking at the gloomy winter sky and not a single thought visited her at that moment.
– Honey, is something wrong? – she suddenly heard the warm and caring voice of her grandmother, who leaned over to her. Miranda stirred her arms and legs, scratched her back.
– It seems to be nothing, – she answered and, turning on her side, began to rise.
The elderly woman briskly collected the food that flew out of Miranda’s bag during such a pirouette.
– Ouch! – Miranda screamed again, “my leg, I can’t walk, it seems I pulled some muscle.
Grandma came up to her and extended her helping hand.
– Honey, here is my entrance, I live on the first floor, come with me, we need to put cold on that place. Nick, help me, son.
She called a passerby, asked him to take the bags of groceries and help her bring them to her house. Everything happened so fast that Miranda did not even have time to realize how she found herself visiting this sweet old lady. She helped her undress and go to the kitchen. She took a frozen chicken out of the freezer and put it against her leg. She put the kettle on and took out some fragrant jam.
Miranda looked around. The house was clean, among the pots of flowers on the wide windowsill she noticed a cat curled up and sleeping peacefully. Miranda felt at home, it was quiet and calm, and most importantly, she was taken care of with maternal warmth.
– What is your name, dear, – the grandmother asked in passing.
– Miranda, – the woman answered and made herself comfortable on a soft chair, – And what is your name?
– You can just call me Iris, – the elderly woman smiled and poured her tea.
– Thank you for not passing by.
– How could I? I noticed you from afar, I thought, where are you in such a hurry and do not notice anything around you, so you can slip, since the afternoon the ice was dusted with snow and all the anxious passers-by were slipping. You must have been in a hurry to get home?
– Yes, I bought some groceries and thought about what to cook, what things to do at home, what grades the children got at school and how much time to spend on lessons.
– And what about your husband? – Iris asked quietly.
– My husband comes home from work late and very tired, has dinner and goes straight to bed.
– And what about you, out of breath in this whirlwind? You gave everyone a piece of yourself, but what did you leave for yourself, dear?
Miranda thought, because indeed. The children take the biggest pieces, her mother always demands something and her husband does not lag behind, at work the boss asks to work longer than expected, and he also takes a piece from her.
So that’s why she has this emptiness inside, she seems to be needed by everyone, but she does not feel happy at all. Their conversation flowed in a thin stream and like living water poured into Miranda’s dried river. She was sitting in the kitchen of an unfamiliar grandmother, but she felt very happy. For the first time in many years, someone cared about her and listened to her attentively. And Miranda kept talking and talking, the old woman only had time to pour her warm tea.
A few hours passed as Miranda looked at the clock, jumped up and caught herself thinking that her leg did not hurt at all.
– And the leg was gone. Iris, thank you for everything, I have to run, because everyone at home is hungry and full of things. – She began to dress quickly.
– Come in, dear, I will be very happy to see you again, – her grandmother hugged her goodbye.
Miranda ran into the house. She followed her nose and smelled something delicious from the kitchen.
– Mom came, – the children ran out. My husband picked up the bags and took them to the kitchen.
– And here we are with dad cooking pilaf.
Miranda raised her eyebrows in surprise. She undressed and went to the kitchen. The cooking was really in full swing there.
– We were released earlier today, and I thought that I had not cooked anything for a long time. I decided to check if I had not lost my skills and cook pilaf, – the man hugged Miranda and kissed her on the cheek.
Miranda was very surprised. Her relatives were behaving strangely. In the corridor she heard the washing machine working and noticed that the house was clean and there were no extra things lying around. The washed clothes were carefully folded on the ironing board.
– What a surprise, – Miranda clapped her hands as she walked into the living room and saw the clean carpet, “When did you do it all?
– I was vacuuming, Eva was cleaning up the scattered things and putting them back in their places.
The boy was right: when everyone works together, it takes much less time to clean. Half an hour later they settled in the kitchen waiting for a delicious pilaf. Miranda recalled how her husband used to cook it often, and it was delicious.
That night she could not sleep for a long time. Miranda felt loved for the first time in a long time. Each of her family members returned to her the pieces they had once taken away. And harmony finally reigned inside her. “This is right, this is how it should be” – Miranda thought and fell asleep sweetly.
