Spring slowly flared up. She had not yet begun to blaze, but she was already smoldering with might and main: there were thawed holes, and puddles, and even the air began to thicken from the spring flavor. Suddenly, unexpectedly, overnight, that is, in one night, winter returned again. Collapsed the snow roof to the ground. And spring in the city as if did not happen.
It snowed all night, and in the morning the snowstorm began. Yes, as real as in February, although the calendar claimed that March was outside.
Lenka woke up from the amazing silence both in the house and outside the windows. At first it even seemed that she was deaf. I got up and immediately went to the window. And taaam - white and white, as in the picture in the textbook, and the snow falls from the sky, tracing the landscape, like a notebook, into an oblique ruler.
Lenka rubbed her eyes with her fists, then scratched the unkempt head and went to wash, otherwise the children would soon be awakened, and she still needed to cook the porridge for them.
And Lenka started spinning, healed with usual affairs and worries. She washed, combed her hair and went straight into her kitchen in her pajamas. Everything, too, is familiar there: a ladle-water, salt-sugar, hercules-oil. But there is little oil, we must buy today, when in the evening they will return from the hospital from mom ...
Mom was taken to the ambulance hospital a week ago, taken from the house. She became ill after dinner. Here Lenka and called.
They have not had a father for a long time. Lenka was small when he left. Small, but older, because, besides her, there were two more - a brother and a sister with a difference of a year. And between Lenka and his brother for four whole years.
Mom often went to the hospital because her heart was weak, so Lenka learned to manage her younger children no worse than her mother.
Now it has become much easier for her, because the small ones have already grown up and are able to do many things themselves: Seryozha is five, and Lyusenka is four. They dress themselves, and put on shoes, and hold the spoon at the table correctly.
And most importantly, Lenka taught them to be obedient. Once said - the law. They are even better than her mother obeyed. Mom, when she was at home, often said in her hearts:
- Linen! Well, at least tell them! ..
And Lenka said, often just one word:
- Come on ...
And that's all. The storm in the house gave way to complete calm ...
Last summer, here, when my mother was in the hospital again, Lenka punished them for something: she took both hands, led them into the room and put them on the sofa - sit here while she will clean herself. The earring, frowning, asked her then:
- What are we going to do?
Lenka answered:
- To catch flies - that's what! ..
And she herself left the sink in the kitchen to clean. From there he hears, quietly something in the room, if the little ones will not wake. I went to see. I looked into the room, but they really catch flies and put them into a neat pile on the edge of the table. She smiled then, forgave them - it’s a pity after all, the children are still.
All. Porridge is ready, we need to wake the children. She looked into the room and said from the threshold:
- We get up, or we'll be late to the garden ...
And - everything, she went to the kitchen again, she didn’t even check, because she knows: they will get up as cute, and wash themselves, and brush their teeth and comb their hair. Everything is done. And as the soldiers, already dressed, came to the kitchen for breakfast.
Have eaten. Quickly and silently. We went out to dress in the hallway. Lyusenka only asked:
- Len, can I take a doll with me to the kindergarten? ..
Lenka washed the dishes, threw over her shoulder:
- Nothing, you will break still. In the kindergarten there are enough toys.
Lyusenka didn’t pickle anymore, not so much as to whine or whimper there.
All. Lenka washed the dishes, took the money in the box in the casket, thought a little, and grabbed fifty rubles more so that she could buy bananas for her mother. I went to the hallway. The little ones stand like sentries at the post, and only their eyes gaze out from under their hats at the older sister. She dressed herself, checked whether everything was in order in the ammunition of the children, and nudged them lightly into the backs to the exit. All. They moved. Small ones - to the garden, herself - to school.
And on the street, snow fell almost knee-deep overnight. There are two bus stops to the kindergarten, but Lenka said that they would go on foot in order to save money and not spend money on travel. All three of them go, in a single file along a path along which only one person has walked up to them: early, after all, it’s still only seven hours, everyone is sleeping. They are coming, the children are in front, Lenka is closing. Puff, but go. Cheerfully. Not the first time they walk to the garden.
In the garden, Anna Ivanovna told Lenka that for two you need to hand over fifty rubles. On pencils and colored paper, so that mothers can make gifts for the holiday. Lenka sighed and thought: it’s good that she took bananas. Okay, you still need to buy bananas. Then just take a small packet of oil.
She said to petty that they behaved well, and kissed each before leaving, as all adults do. And she went to study herself. In the fourth grade of his school, which is just around the corner.
Lenka studies well. Trying to. Only now sometimes after extracurricular reading does not have time to read. This is because mom often lies in the hospital. But Lenka doesn’t have time: until she remakes everything, then lessons, then read small at night. Then only takes up extracurricular reading. And falls asleep. That's why it does not have time. Therefore, sometimes angry in the morning at the children, and shouts.
Nothing new happened at school today. The lessons. Lenka answered in Russian. It’s good that I repeated the rule yesterday, otherwise I would have made mistakes on the board, and here Elena Sergeyevna even praised her and put the “five”.
After the lessons, there was still a class hour, but Lenka took leave, otherwise she would not have time to cook and have dinner in order to pick up five children from the kindergarten and to catch her mother in the hospital. Elena Sergeyevna, the class teacher, did not begin to explain all this, but simply said that “for family reasons”, because who is interested in knowing all this. Elena Sergeevna knew, and therefore, without further ado, she let go.
And Lenka managed to do everything. And in the evening, sitting down the children to watch TV and ordering not to play pranks, because then she would get angry with them, Lenka, with bananas, rushed to her mother in the hospital.
And again she walked, although in a hurry. Yes, she was in such a hurry that she didn’t even notice how the spring water, already cold, had accumulated under the snow in a day, and therefore it became even more difficult to walk. But Lenka did not think about it, did not even notice. And she thought about mom and the children who were now at home. And she hurried to both her mother and them, because her mother had been waiting for her all day, and the little children could still be afraid of something when Lenka was not next to them ...
... Mom’s eyes were tearful today. Lenka immediately noticed this, and therefore asked why. Mom again almost burst into tears, then sighed with a sob, soaked her tears with a handkerchief and answered:
- A doctor, Helen, offers me an operation. He says that there is no other way.
“If not,” we’ll do it, “Lenka said after thinking.
“So I’ve been lying in the hospital for half a year, daughter!” How about you without me? You will be exhausted with children! ..
- No, Mom, I will not be exhausted. They are good with us. And big ones already. They help me ...
When Lenka left, her mother hugged her shoulders, kissed and whispered in her ear:
- Len ... If I ... die, I don’t survive the operation, don’t leave the children, they will disappear without you. Educate and grow. Let their life be at least ...
Thanks for reading!