The weight of what was given

Nikolai was coming back from school through the same dark alley he passed through every day, the only sound in the alley was his footsteps. He had no friends, so he walked alone from school to home.

It was a very cold day; he was wearing an overcoat, which his mother had bought for him just yesterday. he had put both his hands in the pockets of the coat, yet his fingers had become numb, his lips were trembling slightly, and steam was coming out with every breath he was taken. He was walking slowly, with his neck bent, listening to the sound of his footsteps, which made him feel his presence in that silence.

When he went a little further in the alley, he saw two women sitting in a corner, one was probably a girl of 10-12 years, and the other was an adult woman, her age must have been more than 35. Both of them were sitting huddled up in a corner and were shivering due to the cold. Nikolai was very surprised to see them there; he had never seen anyone in that alley to date, sometimes someone would pass by there, apart from that, the street was always deserted. He went to them, and after looking at them both for a while, he started taking one hand out of his coat, then the girl said softly... We are not beggars... We are not beggars. We are not..."

Nikolai stood silent for some time, he kept looking at both of them. His eyes went straight to that woman; her face had turned pale and withered, her eyes were sunken, there were cracks on her dry and lifeless lips, and her breathing was so slow that it seemed as if life was stuck in her like a thread. Her body had shrunk in half due to the cold, and the woman's thin, trembling fingers were holding the girl's arms, but the woman was still completely calm. The woman was wearing an old coat, but it was not enough to protect her sick body from the cold.

The girl was also wearing an old and dirty coat, which had holes in many places. She was clinging to the woman, who was probably her mother.

Nikolai took out both his hands from the coat took off his overcoat, and put it in the woman's lap. There was also some money in the coat, which his mother had given him as pocket money, which he never spent. He left that money in his coat too. Nikolai did not wait for both of them to speak, and he walked forward carrying his same silence with him. His steps again started echoing in the silence of the alley.

His home was still a little distance away from there. He was walking slowly with his head bowed, not once looking back. Tears began to fall from his eyes when he thought of his mother and how hard she had worked to buy him that coat. He began to cry when he had gone far from the spot where the girl and her sick mother were sitting. He was happy for having helped the ailing woman, but he was also sad for having lost his new overcoat.

His whole body began to shiver from the cold, so he started walking faster to get home. On the way, he kept thinking about what he would say when his mother asked him about the coat. He now realized that he would have to wear his old overcoat to school again. He knew they weren’t financially strong enough for his mother to buy him another new one.

With a heavy heart, he knocked on the door of his house. His mother opened it immediately, but when she saw Nikolai standing there—his body shivering, his face flushed red from the cold, and no overcoat on him, she was shocked.

My child, where is your coat? It’s freezing outside and you're walking around without it?”
Nikolai stood silently for a few moments, then said, “Just a little distance from here, a girl and a woman were sitting in a very miserable condition in a corner of the street. The woman was very ill and didn’t have warm clothes, so I gave her my coat.”

But my child, you know we can't buy another coat…” his mother left her sentence unfinished.

“It was just an overcoat. And they weren’t beggars,” Nikolai said, looking out the window.

His mother looked at him silently for a while. “If you were in their place, do you think someone would have helped you?” she asked, breaking the silence.

Nikolai was still staring out the window at the snow-covered ground, where everything was blanketed in white.
“I don’t know, Mom! But Nikolai, you know, he would always do the same.” He said softly and walked into his room.

His mother came to stand by the window, where everything was silent.
Yes, it was only an overcoat,” she whispered and smiled softly.

The girl put the overcoat on her mother. Her mother’s condition was very serious; she was still lying semi-conscious. They had to find a place to sleep before nightfall because her condition was so fragile that if she spent the night out in the cold, death was inevitable. A little further down the alley, there was an iron factory. The factory owner was at least kind enough to allow homeless people to spend the night there. But hunger was overwhelming them even more than the cold. For the past two days, they had survived by sharing a single piece of bread. Now, they didn’t have a single coin left.

The girl helped her mother up and took her to a pawnshop. The pawnbroker was a man named Yakov Petrenko, around sixty years old, watching them through the foggy little window of his old shop. The shop was lit by the yellow glow of a lantern. All around were clocks, cigar boxes, furniture, and other miscellaneous items.

The girl said to Yakov, “Sir, we need some money. We’ll return it to you soon.”

Do you have anything of value to pawn in exchange?” Yakov replied.

The girl remained silent for a moment. Neither of them had anything worthy of being pawned. Suddenly, her eyes fell on the overcoat her mother was wearing—the one given to her by Nikolai.

We only have this overcoat to pawn,” she said to Yakov.

Hunh! Let me see. Maybe I can give you something for it... umm, but it’s not worth much.

“What’s your name? I’ll need it for my record,” Yakov asked, peering beneath his thick glasses.

Sasha,” the girl replied softly but firmly.

Yakov Petrenko gave them some money in exchange for the coat, but not as much as it was actually worth. As they left, Yakov said to Sasha, “I’ll charge ten percent interest every three weeks on this money. So be sure to remember that.”

Sasha used the money to buy some dry bread and biscuits and headed toward the iron factory with her mother.

After they left, Yakov checked the coat pockets and found some money inside. “Oh! Well, well,” he muttered. A glint appeared in his eyes. He saw them disappearing into the distance, then quickly stuffed the money into his pocket and hung the coat on the wall.

Sasha reached the iron factory with her mother. They went straight to sit by a furnace to warm themselves. Some other homeless people were there too. The heat from the furnace gave warmth to their bodies. Sasha gave some biscuits and dry bread to her mother, who barely had the strength left to lift the pieces to her mouth.

Just as Sasha was about to eat, her eyes fell on a child, hunger was screaming from his sunken belly, and his frail body was like a skeleton. His eyes were fixed on the bread and biscuits in Sasha and her mother’s hands. Sasha’s heart melted. She called the boy over and gave him some biscuits and bread. The child began eating without hesitation. Suddenly, someone called out to the boy from behind. As Sasha looked in that direction, a smile spread across the boy’s face, and he walked away.

The night somehow passed. Sasha woke up early in the morning. By then, all the other homeless people and beggars had already left, only the two of them remained. She reached into the coat’s pocket to check the money, but there was nothing. It had been stolen. Disappointment deeply settled in her eyes. She looked at her mother, who was still lying unconscious. Then, Sasha picked her up and left. She didn’t know where they were headed.

The next day, Nikolai passed through the same alley again, but he didn’t see anyone. The alley was as deserted as ever. That same day, his mother went to Yakov’s shop to pawn something for money. As soon as she entered, her eyes fell on a coat hanging on the wall—it was Nikolai’s overcoat. She stared at it, wide-eyed.

She asked Yakov, “Did Nikolai pawn this coat with you?

No, a girl brought it in. She was with another woman,” Yakov replied coldly.

She remained silent for a moment, then asked quietly, “How much will you take for it, if I want to buy it?

Umm… Not now. Until that girl repays me, this coat remains a pledged item. It’s not for sale,” Yakov said firmly. She pawned her own item, took the money, and left. But she didn’t tell Nikolai about the coat.

Six months passed this way. The alley remained the same. Nikolai still went to school, walking through the same street filled with silent memories. A lot had changed during that time, snow had started melting, and the weather was growing warmer. But a certain emptiness lingered in his life.

One day, there was a knock at the door. When Nikolai opened it, the same girl, Sasha, was standing there, holding a coat. Nikolai recognized both Sasha and his old coat.

Come in,” Nikolai said politely.

This is your coat,” Sasha said in a soft voice. “I’m sorry it took me a while to return it…

Oh! That wasn’t necessary,” Nikolai replied. “That coat was for your mother. How is she now?

Sasha’s eyes filled with tears. “She’s no more… She didn’t survive long after that day.

Nikolai fell silent. Then he whispered, “I’m sorry… My mother passed away too, a month ago. She was the one who bought me that coat.

Sasha looked at him. Her heart felt heavy. She spoke with kindness and humility, “I’m sorry to hear that.

They sat in silence for a while. After some time, Sasha gently handed him the coat and softly said, “Thank you so much. God bless you.

Nikolai stood quietly. He didn’t want to take the coat, but words failed him. Silence swallowed everything he wanted to say.

Where will you go now?” Nikolai asked, concerned.

Sasha took a long, deep breath and replied, “I don’t know where my destination is… Let’s see where the flow of life takes me.”

She bowed her head and walked away. Nikolai kept watching her until she disappeared from sight.

Her walk is slow, as if led by memories rather than steps, for the greatest walks are not marked by distance, but by moments that stay. And sometimes, just one beautiful memory gives life its true meaning. Nikolai stood silently, watching her go, feeling a serene sense of wonder. He smiled softly and whispered, “Was it just an overcoat?”