Downhill

Oleg and Sveta were half-siblings. Yes, they had different fathers, but the same mother. It so happened that Natasha married first one man, from whom she gave birth to a son. Then came the divorce, and then a new meeting.

So she met at one of the conferences with a pediatrician who was giving a lecture about the benefits of breastfeeding. The young people quickly became close. Natasha even warned the man that she already has a one-year-old son, but this did not stop Dmitry. He completely fell in love with Natasha. And the most interesting thing is that they still had time to go on dates. After six months of relationship, Dmitry and Natasha got married.

A year later, their daughter Sveta was born. The girl was a complete copy of her father. The same nose, moon-like face, a mole on the cheek, exactly in the same place as her father’s, plump lips, and the girl herself was born big. The family was the happiest. Dmitry liked to fish on weekends, so the whole family went out into nature. While Dima and Oleg were fishing, Natasha was collecting on the table, and baby Svetochka was helping her mother with this. After a good catch and a delicious lunch, the family was returning home. And during the summer holidays, they tried to get out to the sea beach. It was a very ordinary family.

But time passed, the children grew up and soon Dmitry was diagnosed with a malignant tumor. Now, instead of fishing on weekends and relaxing at sea, the family saw snow-white wards, ivs, wires and a father fading every day. The smell of disinfectant was sickening to the Light. She made a decision for herself that she hates hospitals. Because more than anything, she was afraid of losing her father.

And a year later it happened. In May, Sveta turned fourteen years old, and in June Dmitry died. Terrible grief has befallen this family. But the daughter got the most, because Sveta felt the loss with the world. It’s like she’s been split in half. The girl became depressed. She lay in bed all day and cried. And each time her heart skipped painful beats. Sveta no longer saw the meaning of her life without her father. At the same time, her mother started drinking. First it all started with a wake, then the next day, then another and another.

So Natasha poured vodka into her grief every day. Oleg had to drop out of college. He started working as a loader so that the family would have at least some money. Because Natasha was unable to work. But soon her son joined her. Looking at all this, Sveta suddenly felt like a stranger in this family. She began to think that her real parents had left, leaving her for Natasha and Oleg to look after. The girl was disgusted by them.

But the problem was that she couldn’t tell anyone about such a terrible marital situation. She was afraid that at school everyone would start laughing at her, calling her names, and her friends would stop being friends with her at all. Therefore, she hid everything inside herself. The only one she turned to for help was Dmitry’s sister, but she refused her. The only thing Dmitry’s relatives did was decide how they would dispose of his property. It sounds terrible, but that’s how it was. Dmitry was a good doctor, so he often received expensive gifts from patients. And therefore, in his forty-seven years, he managed to amass a good fortune.

A little time has passed. Sveta graduated from high school and decided to follow in her father’s footsteps. She passed the exams and entered the pediatric faculty. And this was the salvation for Sveta. Because she was finally able to leave her mother and brother. Sveta settled in a hostel. She met new friends there and even started dating a guy who was two years older than her. And in the third year they began to rent an apartment together.

Sveta finally felt happy and free. She didn’t even remember about her mother and brother and didn’t get in touch with them. She even allowed thoughts in her head that they had already died of alcoholism. Six years later, Sveta graduated from the Institute. She married George, whom she started dating in her first year and gave birth to a son. Life went on as usual, until one day she found Oleg near her doorstep.

“Well, hello, sis,” he said. Sveta was almost speechless. Her brother didn’t look like the man she remembered him at all. He was wearing a business suit and carrying a black leather briefcase.

– How did you find me?

– I have my own connections. It’s been a while since we’ve seen each other. Will you invite me to tea?

Sveta swallowed her pride with difficulty. “Grisha is still on the clock today, and it’s too early to go after Alyosha,” Sveta thought, “and still allowed me to come in. She brewed fresh tea and put treats on the table.

– I’m here, by the way, also with goodies, – said Oleg and took out three chocolates with nuts from his briefcase.

Exactly the same Lights I loved as a child. Sveta learned the latest news of her family from her brother’s story. It turns out that Sveta’s mother was hospitalized with a stomach ulcer, because of which she could have died if an ambulance had not been called in time. After that incident, it was as if a switch was flipped in their heads, and they revised their lifestyle. Oleg re-enrolled in college as a lawyer, and Natasha began working as a nanny in kindergarten. They stopped drinking vodka, and alcohol in general. Now neither Natasha nor Oleg drink alcohol at all.

– You forgive me and my mom that we were drinking. She misses you a lot right now. After all, you’re the only one who reminds her of her father.

“About my father, not yours,” Sveta wanted to say, but she restrained herself.

Yes, this is another reason why Sveta did not want to see her family. She was angry that Oleg had his non-traveling father alive, but her father, who was the best pediatrician, left this world. She thought it was unfair.

– Well, I’m happy for you. But I don’t want to meet my mother. Just consider that I never existed. – Well, why are you so, sister? We’ve really changed. Our mother would like to see her grandson in his old age.

“So you know about my son, too?” Oleg nodded.

– So that’s what kind of lawyers have gone now. Well, if you know everything, then I think this information will be enough for her. She will never see her grandson, so tell her.

– Why are you so cruel, sis?

– I’m not your sister! Sveta shouted. – Stop calling me that! We are not relatives! They just came into the world through one place and that’s it! This is where our relationship ends. Enough! You’ve ruined my whole life, made me a nervous aunt. If you’ve forgotten how drunk they got and had fights with each other, scandals, how they yelled in the middle of the night, and I had to get up early in the morning to school and go to study. I didn’t get enough sleep because of you. Don’t you remember? And I remember everything! Every last detail. And you won’t believe it, but I was so grateful that I finally moved out from you. In all this time, I haven’t even thought about your existence. To me, you were a bunch of losers.

– Yes, we are guilty before you. Oleg knelt down in front of his sister. – You can be mad at me, but forgive Mom. She really wants to see you. Yes, and to look at the grandson.

“What do you think I should say to my son?” Look, is this your grandmother who broke my whole life? Is your drunk grandmother? I even told my husband that my mother had died… So let’s forget each other. I don’t want to have anything to do with you two anymore. Live together as before. You do it well, and I’m already used to loneliness and independence.

– If you need help, you can always contact me.

Sveta looked after her departing brother. As soon as the door closed behind him, the girl burst into tears. It was as if she was absorbing everything like a sponge, and now she decided to turn everything out. For many years she had been accumulating in herself these childish grievances, and now she could cry calmly. Only Sveta herself did not understand why her tears were flowing. Either because she was glad to see her brother, or because they were doing well, or simply because she was glad that they were no longer in her life. She didn’t know the answer to that question.

A year has passed.

Sveta divorced her husband. She found out that he had been cheating on her for a long time with a young nurse. Georgy kicked Sveta and her son out of the apartment, despite the fact that they bought it together. Sveta moved into a rented apartment. But it didn’t end there. One day at work, Sveta was called by the manager to her office.

– Svetochka, my dear. What’s your problem with the bank? – Sveta looked at the manager in surprise. – I know it’s none of my business, but they keep calling and calling. They say that you don’t pay the loan at all?

– What kind of loan? I didn’t take any credit. This is probably some kind of mistake.

– My dear, go and find out.

Sveta came to the bank and found out the shocking news. It turns out that she has already overdue four payments, resulting in considerable interest. She didn’t understand how anyone could take out a loan in her name, and even with her passport details and signature. She returned home and took out a business card that she had kept for a long time. She was grateful to God that she did not throw away and tear up this piece of paper.

Sveta called Oleg. Yes, she was wrong. She realized that she had been holding a grudge against her brother for nothing all these years. After all, they are, after all, a family and should stick together, help each other. She remembered how, as a child, he often bought her some goodies: chocolates, her favorite ice cream with the taste of creme brulee, which she could eat without stopping, how he spoiled her with chips, fruit and other treats. Oleg has always loved and cared about his younger sister. It never occurred to him to call his relationship with his sister “not native”.

Sveta met her brother in his office. She told everything that happened and brought the necessary documents. It turned out that Sveta signed not only a document certifying that she renounced the rights to own an apartment, but also signed a document that obliged one of the spouses (in this case, Sveta was the victim) to pay a loan of one hundred thousand rubles. – Apparently, George slipped you this paper unnoticed.

“Oh, if I only knew! – Sveta burst into tears.

– Here’s a pallet! And now nothing can be done?

– Unfortunately, you have already signed this contract. Nothing can be undone.

Sveta burst into tears more than ever. Now she had a huge debt on her shoulders and a little son who needed to be fed, clothed, and also paid for a rented apartment.

– You can stay with Mom for now. She will be happy to help you with your son.

– And you?

– I haven’t lived with my mom for a long time.– And Oleg showed the wedding ring on his hand.

– So, she lives alone. Oleg nodded.

And Sveta’s heart ached with pain. How much time she had missed. How much time she spent on stupid insults. Sveta went up to her brother and hugged him tightly.

– I’m sorry. I’m sorry for everything!

And so the family reunion happened. Sveta met her mother, they hugged and cried for a long time. Natasha finally saw her grandson, who looked like her daughter. Sveta met Oleg’s wife, who will soon make Oleg a father, and Sveta an aunt. Sveta began to live with her mother, Oleg partially helped her with the loan, but also helped to take money from George, because after all, he was the father of his nephew. Sveta realized all her mistakes, and was grateful that they could forgive her too. Although, as it turned out, neither Oleg nor mom held any anger and resentment against their daughter. On the contrary, they were ashamed that they had so neglected themselves. But now this family has come together again.