Since the day her father was buried, her stepmother had kicked Aliona out of the house in the middle of a freezing night.
She was only ten years old and clutched her father’s notebook, the brown book with worn corners in which he wrote made-up stories for her: about how one day she would become an astronaut, a veterinarian, or a singer.
Marina, the stepmother, didn’t say «good night» or «go in peace.» She simply opened the door and threw the suitcase behind her: «Look where you are.»
Then the door slammed shut, a sound that was deeply etched in Aliona’s soul.
It was deep night. The moon was high in the sky, cold as a coin. The girl sat in an abandoned gazebo behind the garden of a neighboring house.
She tucked her knees into her jacket and prayed over and over for morning to come soon.
Around five o’clock, she dozed for a moment, but suddenly woke up. Voices, footsteps, engine noises.
When she came out of the pavilion, her eyes swollen and watery, there were black jeeps parked neatly side by side in front of Marina’s house: a whole convoy.
She froze.
A man in a black suit and sunglasses got out of a jeep and stared at her for a long moment. Then he turned to one of the others:
«There she is. The girl.»
Aliona took a step back.
«Who are you?»
The man took off his sunglasses. He had his father’s eyes. Steady, warm.
«I’m your father’s brother. I was away for a long time. In America. But now… now I’m here.»
«Why didn’t you come sooner?» she asked, almost reproachfully.
«Your father didn’t want that. He said you should find your own way. But he wrote to us. And he left us a letter.»
The man pulled a crumpled letter from his jacket, in his father’s handwriting.
«If anything happens to me, take care of Aliona. She’s all I have.»
Marina ran out the door, her bathrobe flapping behind her:
«What’s that supposed to mean? What are you looking for in my yard?»
One of the men calmly stepped forward and handed her a document.
«Court order. The house belonged to the father. And Aliona is the legal heir.»
Marina turned pale.
«That’s a mistake… I…»
«No. You were mistaken, ma’am,» the lawyer interrupted abruptly.
Aliona said nothing. She watched as Marina, the woman who had kicked her out, was now escorted out of the house by men in suits. Like in a movie.
Her uncle approached, leaned toward her, and gently took her hand.
«Come back home.»
«Which house?» she asked.
«This one. Your father’s house. Your house.»
Aliona said nothing. She simply looked up at the sky and smiled slightly. Somewhere, in the chill of the morning, she suddenly felt a warm hand stroking her hair.
Her father was gone, but he hadn’t left her alone.
Thus began a new life for Aliona. With justice, with family… and with hope.
Because sometimes after a nightmare night comes a morning that changes everything.
