At that moment, he knelt by her bed. His face was in the shadows, but Nadia could feel his gaze directed at her.
With a slow movement, the boy placed the small object on the nightstand next to the bed. It was a glass of water.
An elderly woman took in a child who had no place to sleep. But that night, she saw him crawling silently toward her bed and froze when she saw what he started to do…
At that moment, he knelt by her bed. His face was in the shadows, but Nadia could feel his gaze directed at her.
With a slow movement, the boy placed the small object on the nightstand next to the bed. It was a glass of water.
“Grandmother,” he whispered so softly it was barely audible. “I know you’re not sleeping. Your breathing changed when I came in.”
Nadia opened her eyes wide and met Ilie’s gaze. There was no malice, no threat in his eyes, but a deep sadness mixed with gratitude.
“Why do you sneak into my room at night?” she asked, trying to calm the pounding of her heart.
“My grandmother…” he began, his voice slightly trembling. “My grandmother always said that the night was the hardest time.
That thirst comes when you least expect it, and that a glass of water by your bed is the most valuable thing when you’re old.”
A tear ran down his cheek, shining under the dim light coming through the bedroom window.
“Last night, I couldn’t bring her a glass of water. She wasn’t there. And when I arrived, it was too late.”
Nadia slowly sat up, moved by the boy’s gesture. She took the glass of water, took a sip, and gestured for him to sit on the edge of the bed.
“Ilie, who are you really? What happened to you?”
The boy remained silent for a moment, then began speaking as if a dam inside him had broken.
“I once had a family. A father, a mother, a grandmother, and me. We lived modestly, but happily. My father worked in a furniture factory, my mother was a teacher at the village school. Suddenly, overnight, everything came crashing down.”
His voice trembled, but he continued, staring into the void.
“A fire… They tried to rescue the neighbors, but the roof collapsed. I lost everything in an instant. The house, my parents… Only my grandmother survived because she was in the hospital that night. And I was at a friend’s house.”
Nadia fought to hold back tears. She felt for this boy who had lost so much.
“After that, my grandmother raised me alone. We lived on her small pension. And when she passed away last year, I had no one left.”
“The apartment was rented; it didn’t belong to us. I tried to manage on my own, working wherever I could, but in the last months, it became harder and harder.”
In the dimly lit room, Nadia and Ilie sat in silence for a few moments. Then, to her surprise, the boy continued:
“You know, yesterday I tried to steal a wallet at the market. I was desperate; I hadn’t eaten for two days. But I couldn’t.
My hand just refused to move. It was as if my grandmother was there, looking at me disapprovingly. And then I saw you at the church and…”
His voice trailed off. Nadia reached out and gently touched his cheek.
“And now? What do you want to do with your life, Ilie?”
“I want to finish school. I have one year left. And then, if I get a scholarship, maybe go to college. I like math and physics. My grandmother always said I had a brilliant mind.”
Nadia thought of her son, who was now almost the same age as Ilie. She had lost him in a car accident ten years ago, along with her daughter-in-law.
Since then, she had lived alone, with his picture on the wall in the living room and with the memories that haunted her.
“Yes, I’m sorry,” she said with determination. “I don’t want you to stay here temporarily. I want you to stay. To finish school, to go to college.
This house is too big for a lonely old woman. And I… I need someone to bring me a glass of water at night.”
The boy looked at her in disbelief, his eyes filling with tears.
“Why are you doing this for me? You don’t even know me.”
“I know you quite well,” she replied softly. “You’re a good boy who’s been through a lot. And maybe God brought us together because we both needed someone.”
That night, Nadia slept more peacefully than she had in the last ten years. And Ilie stayed awake by her bed for a while to make sure the glass of water was within reach.
In the morning, Nadia woke up to the smell of freshly brewed coffee and toasted bread. In the kitchen, Ilie had made breakfast with the few supplies he had found in the fridge.
“I wanted to thank you,” he said shyly. “For everything.”
“Thank me by taking good care of yourself and making your grandmother proud,” Nadia replied with a smile. “Now let’s eat, and then we’ll go get your things and see what else you need for school.”
In the following months, Nadia’s house was filled with life again. Ilie was a very hardworking student, and with her support, he was able to catch up on the subjects he had fallen behind in.
The neighbors, who had initially been suspicious of his presence, learned to appreciate him because he helped Nadia with the shopping, cleaning, and all the heavy tasks around the house.
One Sunday night, while they were eating a cake Nadia had baked, Ilie placed an envelope on the table.
“What’s this?” the elderly woman asked as she put on her glasses.
“I got accepted to the Faculty of Engineering,” he said with a wide smile. “With a full scholarship.”
Nadia jumped out of her chair and hugged him, tears of joy running down her cheeks.
“I knew it! I knew you could do it! Your grandmother would be so proud of you!”
“Not just my grandmother,” Ilie replied, hugging her tightly. “But also my second grandmother.”
That night, as with every night since he came to her house, Ilie placed a glass of fresh water on Nadia’s nightstand.
But this time, he placed a small note beside it that simply read: “Thank you for saving my life.”
The elderly woman fell asleep with a smile, knowing that the decision she had made that night — to open the door of her house and her heart to a stranger — had been blessed with the most unexpected and precious reward: a new family.
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