<\/p>\n
\u201c\u2014 Miss, may I help you?\u201d the man offered, noticing the woman struggling with two heavy bags.<\/p>\n
\u201c\u2014 Thank you, are you sure they\u2019re not too heavy?\u201d she smiled.<\/p>\n
He lifted the bags easily, striding ahead with confidence. The woman\u2014plump, charming, and short\u2014hurried to keep up, her curls bouncing as she took two steps for every one of his.<\/p>\n
\u201c\u2014 Please, slow down,\u201d she gasped.
\n\u201c\u2014 Sorry,\u201d he said, snapping out of thought.
\n\u201c\u2014 What were you thinking about?\u201d
\n\u201c\u2014 Just life\u2026 myself.\u201d
\n\u201c\u2014 Life\u2019s hard?\u201d
\n\u201c\u2014 Not really. I just think a lot.\u201d
\n\u201c\u2014 You don\u2019t drink, do you?\u201d
\n\u201c\u2014 No, never.\u201d
\n\u201c\u2014 Good. I\u2019m Galina\u2014call me Galka.\u201d
\n\u201c\u2014 I\u2019m Vaska\u2026 it\u2019s a nickname.\u201d
\n\u201c\u2014 You don\u2019t know your real name?\u201d
\n\u201c\u2014 No. I lost my memory. They found me on the highway, bruised, barely alive. I woke up in a hospital, then ended up in an orphanage. They called me Vasiliy.\u201d<\/p>\n
He explained he now worked odd jobs to get by.<\/p>\n
\u201c\u2014 That\u2019s a hard life. But memory can come back. Want a job?\u201d
\n\u201c\u2014 I\u2019d love that.\u201d
\n\u201c\u2014 Come with me. My employer might need help.\u201d<\/p>\n
They arrived at a large house behind iron gates. Jasmine bloomed nearby, and something about the place stirred a memory in him, but it slipped away.<\/p>\n
\u201c\u2014 Come on, don\u2019t be afraid.\u201d<\/p>\n
In the cozy kitchen, Galina served him warm, delicious food. For the first time in years, he felt comfort and strange familiarity.<\/p>\n
Galina went to ask her employer, Rimma, about hiring him.<\/p>\n
\u201c\u2014 He\u2019s a good man, but has no documents. A tough story.\u201d
\n\u201c\u2014 Bring him,\u201d Rimma said quietly.<\/p>\n
When Rimma saw him, she turned pale and almost fainted.<\/p>\n
\u201c\u2014 What\u2019s your name?\u201d
\n\u201c\u2014 Vasiliy\u2026 I don\u2019t know my real one.\u201d
\nShe stared at him.
\n\u201c\u2014 Klim\u2026\u201d she whispered. \u201c\u2014 Your name is Klim. I\u2019m your mother.\u201d<\/p>\n
Shocked, Galina watched as Rimma pulled out an old photo album. She told the story of their son who ran away after clashing with his father and was presumed dead. They had buried someone they thought was him.<\/p>\n
\u201c\u2014 You were a kind boy. We named you Klim after your grandfather\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n
Tears fell as Rimma recounted the past. Vasiliy looked at the photo of the boy\u2014so familiar.<\/p>\n
Memories flickered: laughter, warmth, a mother\u2019s touch.<\/p>\n
\u201c\u2014 Mom\u2026\u201d he whispered.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"