Tomorrow, Lika’s routine would continue: taking her beloved daughter, Marinka, to kindergarten, returning to her modest room in the communal apartment, and immersing herself in her remote work as an accountant. But today marked the final evening of the New Year holidays, and Lika had a special plan.
She and Marinka were stepping out for a leisurely stroll. As they readied themselves to leave the apartment, they encountered Olga Zakharivna Merzlyakova, a former teacher who always seemed to have an interest in everyone’s business.
Olga inquired with a hint of curiosity, “And where are you off to at this hour, Lika?”
Lika, eager to escape any probing questions, replied quickly, “Oh, nowhere in particular, Olga Zakharivna. It’s not even seven yet. We’re just going for a walk and maybe have some ice cream,” Marinka chimed in, her youthful innocence on full display. “I’m starting kindergarten in the morning. Mommy is very busy working as an accountant, and I try not to disturb her.”
“Of course, of course,” Olga Zakharivna responded. “An accountant, you say.”
Lika couldn’t help but think, “I hope you savor the bitterness of your own words,” as she led her daughter out of the apartment. Once outside, Lika explained their plan to Marinka, saying, “First, we’ll stop by the bank to get some money for ice cream.”
Marinka had a simple request, “Mom, can you buy me a lottery ticket? You know, the ones where you scratch off the squares? You can win quite a bit with a hundred rubles. Plus, it would make your daughter really happy.”
At the bank branch, the atmosphere was calm, with only a few customers present. Marinka’s excited exclamation drew everyone’s attention as she pointed towards a lady in a green jacket, “I know that lady! She’s a blogger, Ksyusha Merzlyakova.”
The lady in green smiled, genuinely pleased by the recognition, while Marinka continued, “She once ate bugs in a video, and Grandma Olga and I watched it. But Aunt Olga turned off the tablet afterward. She said I was too young for such things. The blogger got overwhelmed by all the attention, and people had a good laugh.”
As Lika approached the counter, she calmly requested, “Please, withdraw eight hundred rubles and two lottery tickets.”
The cashier responded, “I only have four tickets left. Would you like to take them all?”
Lika agreed, thinking, “Let’s go with four, then.”
Marinka eagerly handed her mother one of the lottery tickets and exclaimed, “Mom, I see three little houses here!”
Three little houses indeed – the equivalent of an apartment in the capital. A month later, mother and daughter were settling into a brand-new, spacious two-bedroom apartment on the tenth floor, a testament to the unexpected twist of fate brought about by that fortuitous lottery ticket.
