Irina lives with her husband and son in a large private house in a cottage settlement. They moved here ten years ago when their son was just born, or more precisely, when they adopted him. Irina is now 45 years old, and her husband Anatoly is 50. They couldn’t have children of their own, so Irina and her husband adopted the son of a friend who suddenly passed away. They’ve been living in this house for ten years now – with fresh air, large playgrounds, sports facilities, and several tennis courts.
One morning, Irina went out into the yard to water her favorite flowers. Suddenly, she noticed an unfamiliar baby stroller near the fence. Initially, she thought it was left there by one of her son’s friends. However, upon closer inspection, Irina realized that something was wrong. The stroller was old and battered, obviously meant for multiple children, and at least five had used it.
Irina peered inside and was surprised. Inside the stroller was a baby nestled in a blanket. She picked up the baby and went into the house. Upon entering, Irina shouted, “Tolya, call the police!”
Her husband Anatoly came downstairs from the second floor and started pacing nervously. “Irina, what happened? Did someone break through the fence again?”
“No, this time someone abandoned a baby! Anatoly, call the police!”
Anatoly composed himself and made the call. Irina sent him to the store for diapers and baby food. She took out her son’s old baby clothes and swaddled the baby. It turned out to be a girl, about four or five months old.
Irina carefully removed the blanket, and a note fell out. After tending to the baby, she sat down and began reading the note: “Please take care of my child; I have no money to support her. The girl’s name is Svitlana; she’s three and a half months old and was born on April 29th. Please don’t send her to an orphanage. She’s beautiful, cheerful, and charming. All the documents are under the stroller mattress. Forgive me!”
Irina was deeply moved. To give birth without having anything, to raise her for three and a half months, and then abandon her to an unknown fate. What if they had ended up with cruel people?
The police arrived soon after, and Anatoly had wound many circles in the yard. Irina barely paid attention to her husband, as he acted like a small child in such situations. The police questioned the entire neighborhood, but naturally, no one had seen anything.
Irina soon reached out to her best friend for help in adopting the baby. They found the birth mother, who wrote a refusal, and Irina became a mother for the second time. Five years later, Irina and Anatoly have a loving family, and Tolya is deeply attached to the little girl, whom he affectionately calls “Princess.”
