He mistreated me when I begged for money on the street to feed my son… but life got what he deserved.
I was a girl from the provinces, with dreams of seeing the world, of having adventures, of falling in love. And that’s exactly what the man who crossed my path took advantage of. He told me he loved me… and I, naive, believed him.
I ran away from town, leaving behind my home, my parents, my siblings… everything. I came to the city with him. But we were only together for a few weeks. After using me, he abandoned me. He disappeared without a word. He left me on the street.
Without money, without knowing what to do, a neighbor allowed me to sleep in the utility room. Just sleep. She didn’t help me with food. I looked everywhere for work, but no one would hire me. I had no education and no knowledge of city life. All I knew was from the countryside.
And to top it all off… I discovered I was pregnant.
An even more difficult time began. I begged for coins on the street so I could eat and prepare for my son’s arrival. When he was born, I still went out every day with him in my arms, hoping someone would take pity on me. Sometimes they gave me some, sometimes they didn’t. We slept in that cold little room, him in a cardboard box, me on the floor with an old blanket.
One afternoon, outside a shopping mall, I approached a very elegant woman to ask for a coin. She was on her phone and motioned for me to move aside. I insisted. Without looking at me, she pushed me. I fell to the ground, hugging my baby. She yelled at me that I was “dirty,” that my place was there: on the floor.
But as she closed the trunk of her car, she forgot a bag. I tried to warn her, but she didn’t listen. As she was leaving, the bag fell out of the car. I ran to her… and to my surprise, it was full of money.
I waited a while, hoping she would come back. I thought about giving it back, but she didn’t. I went to the mall and asked if anyone knew her, but no one wanted to help me. They chased me out because of my appearance.
I saved the money. And the next day, since I needed milk for my baby, I used a bill. I thought if the woman came back, I’d explain. But she never did.
With that money, I rented a decent room. I bought the basics for my son and me. I was able to bathe and dress better. I found daycare and then a small job. Little by little, I started getting ahead. Then, with a lot of effort, I set up a food stand. And that was hard-earned money.
One day I returned to my village… with my head held high, and my son in my arms. My family welcomed me with open arms.
Sometimes I wonder if I should have handed that money over to the police. But I know that if that woman had treated me with a little humanity, I would have returned the bag without a second thought. Maybe life wanted to teach her a lesson: never humiliate someone because of their appearance, because you don’t know what they’re fighting for.

a. Neat, in a light-colored robe and with her hair styled, she stirred the oatmeal in a pot and looked calmly at the stove. Seeing her daughter-in-law, she nodded:

“Good morning. You didn’t sleep well.”

“Sometimes,” Svetlana smiled awkwardly. “I’ll make something now.”