My father abandoned us when I was very young, and my mother and I moved to Poland. My mother fell in love with another man, sent me to live with my grandfather, and stayed with her new love. She promised to send us money every month. However, our connection with her, even financially, completely broke off after 8-9 months of my relocation. My grandfather and I were left on our own.
When my mother disappeared from our lives, I realized that I had to take care of myself and my grandfather. We discovered my talent and hidden passion for languages. I entered a philological department and eventually became a translator. My grandfather said that with language skills, I would never be out of work. I was fluent in English, and my grandfather bought me books and dictionaries for German. By the age of 26, I had become the best translator in our town.
Soon, I was hired by a company for simultaneous translation during various negotiations. It was during one of these negotiations that I met my future husband, an Englishman who had come to Ukraine for work. After two years of a relationship, he proposed to me, and we moved to England. I began to reap the rewards of years of hard work and dedication. It was difficult to leave my homeland, but we still visited my grandfather for every holiday.
My husband and my grandfather couldn’t understand each other’s languages, but they communicated actively through gestures. However, not everything was so perfect. Soon, my mother called me. Perhaps she recognized my number on my grandfather’s phone, but I understood him. My mother had made a mess of her life in Poland, so she decided to check on how I was doing.
Learning that I was married to an Englishman, she thought it would be beneficial to renew our relationship. When my mother said, “You’re lucky to have snagged yourself a rich husband,” I said my goodbyes, hung up, and added her number to my block list. “Lucky”? In my opinion, it’s called hard work, self-discipline, and dedication.
