Pushed Into the Frozen River: Ksenia’s Story

Ten-year-old Grisha was full of joy as he made his way home from school, skipping along the riverbank. The last bits of ice had melted, and tender green grass curled along the edges. But his cheerful mood shifted instantly when he spotted an elderly woman—soaked to the bone, trembling, and crying alone by the water.

“Hello! Are you okay?” he asked, noticing a pile of drenched clothes beside her. “Did you fall into the river?”

“Oh, child, I didn’t fall—I was pushed,” the woman replied through tears. “I just can’t believe how cruel people can be. I was trying to reach the village for warmth, but I got such a terrible cramp, I couldn’t breathe or move another step.”

“Hold on, Grandma! I’ll be right back!” Grisha shouted and dashed toward the village.

He burst through the front door at home.
“Mama! There’s an old lady down by the river—she’s soaked and freezing! She said someone pushed her in and now she can’t walk. I want to bring her something warm!”

Without hesitation, his mother, Lyudmila, grabbed her late husband’s sheepskin coat and covered the four-wheeled milk cart she usually used for deliveries. Together, she and Grisha hurried back to the riverbank.

The elderly woman was now lying on the grass, curled up and shaking from the cold. Lyudmila quickly wrapped her in warm clothes, gently lifted her onto the cart, and brought her home.

After a hot bath, a warm meal, and some tea, the woman—Ksenia Petrovna—finally relaxed. As Grisha went off to play, Lyudmila sat beside her and asked what had happened.

“I used to live with my eldest son,” Ksenia began. “His first wife, Lenochka, was an angel—a nurse who cared for me, made sure I had my medicine. But when she fell ill, he hired help and eventually took her to a hospice. After her passing, just six months later, he married a young model named Mila. From the start, she didn’t like me and made it clear I was a burden.”

Ksenia explained how Mila threw away her medication and constantly criticized her presence.
“When my son left on a business trip, she completely snapped. I asked her to take me to my younger son in the countryside. She yelled at first but then agreed. I packed my suitcase, but she handed me a flimsy paper bag instead, saying she wouldn’t carry my luggage.

“When we got to the bridge over the river, she stopped and said, ‘Look over there, that’s your destination.’ I stepped out, stood near the water, and then… she pushed me. I fell in with the bag. She drove off without looking back.”

Lyudmila was horrified and wanted to call the police, but Ksenia refused.

“Just let me rest,” she said. “Help me reach my younger son. That’s all I want.”

Lyudmila smiled warmly.
“Stay with us until Saturday. Then we’ll take you to him.”

Over the next few days, Ksenia grew stronger. She even helped Grisha with his schoolwork, sharing that she used to be a teacher in Lozovaya. Soon after, they attended a celebration for the school’s tenth anniversary. During the event, a jeep pulled up and a man stepped out with a bouquet of flowers.

When the principal took the stage, she announced:
“Today, we welcome a very special guest—our beloved first teacher, Ksenia Petrovna Rudkovskaya!”

The crowd fell silent. The man, recognizing her name, rushed to her side and embraced her. It was Viktor Rudkovsky—her younger son.

Later, away from the crowd, mother and son hugged tightly, both in tears.

The next morning, Viktor showed up at Lyudmila’s gate with a beautiful bouquet.
“Good morning, Lyudmila! Mom and I would love to invite you and Grisha for dinner tonight.”

That evening, Viktor didn’t come empty-handed. He brought fruit, a brand-new bicycle for Grisha, and even a new milking machine for Lyudmila. He helped around the house and began visiting often—sometimes alone—genuinely interested in Lyudmila’s life. Ksenia always cooked something special when he came.

By the end of June, Viktor and Lyudmila got married. He moved to Lozovaya, rented out his old house, and enrolled Grisha in the local school. The following summer, they celebrated Viktor’s birthday—but Lyudmila couldn’t attend.

She had just given birth to their second son, little Stepan.