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<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
If we believe the storyteller, the events that laid the foundation for this story took place in 1983.<\/p>\n
\u2026 Natalia Mikhailovna was a music teacher. She was loved by both children and parents for her ability to maximize the musical potential of her students.<\/p>\n
At the age of fifty-five, she retired, but she couldn\u2019t sit idle and continued to give lessons to her most talented students.<\/p>\n
Her husband, Sergey Ivanovich, was still working as a foreman at a local company, where he was valued for his experience and skill. The company was not far from home, so he often came home for lunch. But not just for the homemade food, although Natalia Mikhailovna was an excellent cook \u2014 he wanted to spend a little extra time with his wife. It seemed to him that despite her students, Natasha must have been lonely in her retirement.<\/p>\n
Over the years, the couple\u2019s relationship had become more tender. They cared for each other and tried to please one another. They had experienced both good and bad times \u2014 the bad had somehow faded away, leaving only the good.<\/p>\n
That day, nothing seemed out of the ordinary. Sergey Ivanovich left for work, and Natalia Mikhailovna was busy with another student. When the boy left after receiving his homework, she went to the market.<\/p>\n
Seeing fresh greens and young radishes, she bought them to surprise her husband with his favorite okroshka \u2014 the first one of the season.<\/p>\n
She was waiting for him by lunchtime, but Sergey called and told her that he wouldn\u2019t be home until dinner.<\/p>\n
\u2014 A side job came up, Natasha, so I won\u2019t be having lunch today, \u2014 he said cheerfully, \u2014 and we\u2019re expecting an advance payment today as well.<\/p>\n
\u2014 But I made your favorite okroshka, \u2014 she said, disappointed.<\/p>\n
\u2014 Well\u2026 don\u2019t be upset, dear, I\u2019ll enjoy it tonight, \u2014 Sergey promised.<\/p>\n
\u2014 Who eats okroshka at night! \u2014 a smile touched her lips, \u2014 alright, don\u2019t stay too late, okay?<\/p>\n
\u2014 I\u2019ll try, dear, \u2014 he said warmly, \u2014 should I pick anything up on the way home?<\/p>\n
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\n\u2014 No, just come home soon! I\u2019m waiting! \u2014 she hung up and turned on the television.<\/p>\n
The first program was finishing a segment on the artist Fedotov, and she listened to it with interest while doing all the housework. Then came a theatrical production about Maigret, and Natalia Mikhailovna watched that too. The clock showed half-past six. Her husband should have been home by now.<\/p>\n
She picked up the latest issue of the \u00abZdorovye\u00bb magazine. She read a scientific article about artificial hearts, then another about bone healing. She couldn\u2019t concentrate and put the magazine down. A sense of unease crept into her heart, but she couldn\u2019t explain why. She just wanted Sergey to come home.<\/p>\n
She stood up and went to the kitchen. The table had already been set for dinner, and not knowing what to do, she went to the window. She stared out into the dusk for a long time.<\/p>\n
Finally, unable to bear it, she went to meet her husband on his usual route home from work. When she didn\u2019t meet him, she returned, hoping they had just missed each other, and that Sergey Ivanovich was waiting for her at home.<\/p>\n
But he never returned from work that evening. He didn\u2019t return that night, nor the gloomy morning of the following day.<\/p>\n
Pale and gaunt, Natalia Mikhailovna sat in the kitchen, trying to process what her daughter Marina was saying:<\/p>\n
\u2014 The same thing they told you: if he doesn\u2019t come back, come Monday! They didn\u2019t accept the report.<\/p>\n
\u2014 Why didn\u2019t they accept it? \u2014 Natalia absentmindedly looked at her daughter, \u2014 I\u2019ll go myself. They must accept it! How can this be? A person\u2019s gone missing!<\/p>\n
\u2014 Mom, you were there yesterday. Do you remember what they told you? Dad is an adult, so the search will start in three days!<\/p>\n
\u2014 I remember what they said\u2026 \u2014 Natalia Mikhailovna\u2019s lips trembled, tears shone in her eyes, \u2014 that he\u2019ll sober up and come back on his own! If he got an advance, he must have drunk, and now he\u2019s sleeping somewhere\u2026 with his lover!<\/p>\n
And she covered her face with her hands.<\/p>\n
Like a terrible, dragging nightmare, a week passed. Then another. The cold summer came, followed by rainy autumn\u2026 and if in the summer there were still missing person posters, by autumn, even those had disappeared.<\/p>\n
Natalia Mikhailovna no longer cried; she had become like stone inside. She no longer took on students \u2014 she couldn\u2019t.<\/p>\n
Marina couldn\u2019t stay with her all the time \u2014 she had her own job and family. She offered for Natalia to live with her, but she refused, and continued sitting by the window day and night.<\/p>\n
Then Marina asked their neighbor, Galina, to keep an eye on her. To make sure she ate something and talked to someone besides her imaginary husband. Otherwise, she might lose her mind!<\/p>\n
Galina was an active and very religious woman. She didn\u2019t like Natalia and had often repented for it. The sounds of the piano coming from the neighbor\u2019s apartment irritated her, and most of all, she envied her neighbor\u2019s family happiness.<\/p>\n
Now, she felt ashamed. She felt deep sympathy for the woman whose happiness had crumbled in an instant.<\/p>\n
When she saw Natalia, who had spent almost four months sitting in her apartment, afraid of missing a call from the police, she gasped. In front of her, instead of the always well-groomed and elegant neighbor, sat a thin old woman with a dull gaze.<\/p>\n
\u2014 Mom, I asked Galina to cook for you, \u2014 Marina said carefully, \u2014 it\u2019ll be easier for you two together.<\/p>\n
\u2014 Hello, Natalia, \u2014 Galina nodded, \u2014 long time no see.<\/p>\n
\u2014 Hello, \u2014 Natalia answered indifferently, looking at her daughter: \u2014 why, Marisha, I can cook myself. I have no appetite.<\/p>\n
\u2014 Me neither, \u2014 Galina played along, \u2014 but you need strength.<\/p>\n
\u2014 Yes, Mom, \u2014 Marina hugged her, \u2014 you need to pull yourself together.<\/p>\n
\u2014 Why? \u2014 Natalia asked, staring straight ahead, \u2014 life\u2019s already been lived.<\/p>\n
\u2014 Why? You need to pray and hope for the best! And if Sergey comes back, and you\u2019ve let yourself go\u2026 \u2014 Galina said, but, noticing Marina\u2019s reproachful look, fell silent.<\/p>\n
\u2014 Will he come back? \u2014 there was bitterness and doubt in Natalia\u2019s voice, \u2014 I called the police station today\u2026 when they hear me, they hang up! Maybe they\u2019ve already found him, and they just aren\u2019t telling me?<\/p>\n
Galina and Marina exchanged glances, and Marina hugged her mother again:<\/p>\n
\u2014 If they had found him, you would have been the first to know!<\/p>\n
The rains gave way to snow, and Natalia still looked for Sergey. Galina visited her twice a day: in the morning and evening.<\/p>\n
In the morning, they usually drank Indian instant coffee, chatting about the old days. This time was no different.<\/p>\n
Galina admitted that she had once been irritated by the repeated scales, but now, when full pieces played, she really enjoyed it.<\/p>\n
\u2014 Especially this melody, \u2014 Galina put down her cup and tried to hum, conducting with her hands: \u2014 Ta-ta-ta, ta-ta-ta, ta-ta-ta, ta-ta-ta\u2026<\/p>\n
Natalia silently went out, and soon the sounds of the piano were heard from the room \u2014 the hostess was playing the \u00abMoonlight Sonata,\u00bb which her neighbor had tried to hum.<\/p>\n
Galina walked up and stood next to the instrument. Natalia Mikhailovna finished playing and looked at her with regret:<\/p>\n
\u2014 I haven\u2019t played in a long time. My fingers are cold.<\/p>\n
\u2014 That\u2019s because you need to eat properly, \u2014 Galina said reproachfully. \u2014 And get some exercise. Movement is life!<\/p>\n
The neighbor gave Natalia Mikhailovna an icon of the Savior and said that if anyone could bring her husband back, it would be Him.<\/p>\n
Although Natalia Mikhailovna had been baptized and raised in an atheist family, she decided to use all means. Every day, she asked Christ in her own words to bring her husband back. And she began to feel lighter.<\/p>\n
When Marina found out that her mother was going to church with the neighbor, she became angry:<\/p>\n
\u2014 Why are you giving Mom false promises? \u2014 she scolded Galina, \u2014 if Dad were alive, he would have let us know! How can you be so shameless! It\u2019s cruel!<\/p>\n
\u2014 I didn\u2019t promise anything, \u2014 Galina tried to defend herself, \u2014 I truly believe that for God, nothing is impossible!<\/p>\n
\u2014 Well, keep believing! \u2014 Marina kept getting angrier, \u2014 but don\u2019t involve my mom with this nonsense!<\/p>\n
Galina lowered her eyes, not wanting to argue. The best argument for her was Natalia Mikhailovna\u2019s appearance. The woman had gained some weight, and her dull eyes now sparkled with a glimmer of hope.<\/p>\n
But Marina perceived the gleam in her eyes differently. It wasn\u2019t the \u00abactivity\u00bb she had expected!<\/p>\n
The next time Marina visited her mother, she noticed the icon and prayer book. She didn\u2019t say anything to her mother, but before leaving, she went to see Galina.<\/p>\n
\u2014 Don\u2019t come here anymore, Aunt Galya! \u2014 she said grimly when the neighbor opened the door. \u2014 The last thing we need is for you to fill Mom\u2019s head with church nonsense! She\u2019s already lost her mind!<\/p>\n
\u2014 These aren\u2019t your words, \u2014 Galina said in a strange tone, and, crossing herself, shut the door.<\/p>\n
Natalia Mikhailovna didn\u2019t know that her daughter had forbidden Galina from coming. She waited for her in vain, neither in the morning nor in the evening, and decided to go to her herself. What if something happened?<\/p>\n
\u2014 Your daughter is afraid that I\u2019m filling your head with nonsense, \u2014 Galina was offended, \u2014 she said not to come to you.<\/p>\n
\u2014 How can I not come? \u2014 Natalia Mikhailovna was surprised, \u2014 I thought we were friends.<\/p>\n
They hugged, and now Natalia Mikhailovna had become a true churchgoer. She asked her daughter not to interfere.<\/p>\n
Marinka was angry, saying hurtful things, and in the end, she threw at her mother:<\/p>\n
\u2014 If you\u2019re such a fool, just go to your monastery! \u2014 but then, scared by her own words, stared at her mother. \u2014 Mom, I\u2019m sorry! I didn\u2019t mean to say that! Mom, I was just worried about your sanity! You\u2019ve become different.<\/p>\n
\u2014 You know, Marisha, you\u2019re right, \u2014 Natalia hugged her daughter.<\/p>\n
\u2014 Just like those old witches in headscarves! \u2014 Marina laughed, thinking she had \u00abbroken the spell\u00bb on her mother, \u2014 they\u2019re all crazy!<\/p>\n
\u2014 I need to go to a monastery! \u2014 the mother continued, \u2014 that\u2019s how the Lord will hear my prayers sooner. And if Dad is dead, He will let me know\u2026 and I\u2019ll be able to pray for his soul!<\/p>\n
She kissed Marina, who had decided that her mother had completely lost her mind. The decision to go to the monastery even surprised Galina, let alone her own daughter.<\/p>\n
Natalia chose a remote monastery, and on the anniversary of Sergey\u2019s disappearance, she set off for it. The road was tough and unpleasant. The closer she got, the more doubts plagued her heart. Was she abandoning her daughter? Her friend? Her students, who were waiting for her return?<\/p>\n
The last outpost was a village on the Volga, where a ferry crossed the river twice a day, taking passengers to the monastery. Natalia hesitated, got lost, and by the time she found her way to the pier, the ferry had left.<\/p>\n
\u201cMaybe this is a sign?\u201d \u2014 doubts began to torment her again, \u2014 \u201cOr maybe, on the contrary, the devil is stopping me?\u201d<\/p>\n
And then her gaze fell on the local church. Natalia was very tired, but she decided to go in and clear her doubts. There was a small cemetery next to the church, the snow had already melted, and crocuses had appeared on some of the graves.<\/p>\n
Admiring them, Natalia noticed an old stone and tried to read the faded inscription.<\/p>\n
\u2014 If you\u2019re looking for the priest, hurry, he\u2019s about to leave for the neighboring village, \u2014 she heard a voice she would recognize anywhere. She froze, too afraid to move. Finally, she asked in a choked voice:<\/p>\n
\u2014 Sergey?<\/p>\n
No one answered. Then she turned and saw him.<\/p>\n
\u2014 Natasha? \u2014 Sergey said uncertainly, little resembling the man he once was \u2014 his face was darkened from sunburn, and he had a beard.<\/p>\n
Seeing through the window how the worker was hugging an unfamiliar woman, the priest hurried to them.<\/p>\n
Father Daniil felt sorry for the man who, after the hospital, had nowhere to go. They found an ID in his jacket under the name Alexander Ivanovich Kotyko, but due to a head injury, the man remembered nothing. He ended up living under the name Alexander and had even gotten used to it.<\/p>\n
Upon hearing this, Natalia burst into tears.<\/p>\n
\u2014 You\u2019re Alexander! You\u2019re Sergey, my husband! And not Kotyko, but Stepan!<\/p>\n
\u2014 I remembered\u2026 and I thought of you, Natasha, but in fragments, \u2014 Sergey seemed to apologize.<\/p>\n
\u2014 We found the ID in his jacket, that\u2019s why we thought he was Alexander, \u2014 Father Daniil recalled, \u2014 there was no cross on him, so we baptized him as Alexander.<\/p>\n
\u2014 Father helped me fix the documents, \u2014 Sergey smiled, \u2014 but I haven\u2019t received them yet, I still need to go to the district\u2026 bureaucratic red tape, and now it turns out there\u2019s no need.<\/p>\n
His memory gradually returned. Sergey recalled that on the fateful day, he had altered his usual route. He had received his advance and wanted to do something nice for Natalia, so he went to buy flowers for her.<\/p>\n
Three young men stopped him not far from home, asked for a light, then attacked and started kicking him. To hide the traces of the crime, they threw the beaten and robbed Sergey into the bed of a truck with out-of-town plates, under a tarp.<\/p>\n
The man couldn\u2019t move normally. After several failed attempts to escape the truck bed, he lost consciousness and woke up only in the hospital, where he couldn\u2019t remember anything, not even his own name. He was discovered thanks to an anonymous phone call.<\/p>\n
The caller informed them that there was a person, possibly a corpse, in the back of a truck.<\/p>\n
The bandits removed Sergey\u2019s new jacket, which had his documents. How the jacket with someone else\u2019s ID ended up with him remains unclear. Perhaps this very Kotyko, seeing the crumpled, half-dead person in the truck bed, had pitied him, threw his jacket over him, and called the police?<\/p>\n
At the hospital, they discovered that the man had been in the truck for more than a day: he was dehydrated and badly chilled. They managed to cure his pneumonia, but the doctors couldn\u2019t help him remember who he was or where he came from.<\/p>\n
The poor man had nowhere to go. Without a passport, he couldn\u2019t get a job, but he was lucky. Upon hearing his story, the local priest took pity on him and took him in as a laborer.<\/p>\n
After spending the night with the hospitable priest, Natalia and Sergey went home together.<\/p>\n
Sergey Ivanovich recognized the men who had beaten him from photos once his memory fully returned. The criminals were tracked down with the help of his passport, which was used by one of the offenders.<\/p>\n
Galina, the neighbor, once again heard music and laughter from the Stepan household, but she no longer got angry. Instead, she smiled, thinking about how the Lord had once again performed a true Miracle.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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