started telling her how he went to buy his coffee today and he didn’t have enough money to pay. When Martha heard this story, she immediately had a few questions for him.
«You gave him only one franc, and he still sold you coffee?» she asked in a surprised tone.
«Yes, that’s exactly what happened, Mom!» he answered in a joyful voice.
«Hmm, that sounds pretty weird.»
«Why?!»
«Because coffee costs just twice as much as you paid him. In terms of business, it was not profitable.»
«But he turned out to be a rather kind man and still gave me the coffee. So, he is a good person.»
«Yes, he is. But why did you take the coffee if you didn’t have enough money?»
«He told me to pay him back next time. Moreover, it was quite cold outside so I needed badly a glass of hot coffee.»
«I see. Next time we will be somewhere around that place, you should go there and pay him back.»
«Okay, Mom. That’s exactly what I’ll do.»
«Don’t forget. Do you promise me?!»
«Promise.»
«Great.»
Greta was sitting in the back seat next to her brother and looked out the window. On one hand, it might have seemed that she was not at all interested in what her mother and brother were talking about. In fact, she was listening attentively and absorbed all the information. For a while she sat silently, staring out the window, and then suddenly remarked:
«I also think that you should definitely pay off your debt.»
«I’ll do it another time. I told him I’d pay him back next time,» Mark answered with some irritation in his voice.
«Now you owe him.»
«So what?!»
«You owe him. You owe him.»
«Enough, Greta, stop it! I said I’d pay him back another time!» he replied with obvious indignation in his voice.
«All right, kids, calm down! We are almost home,» Martha said in a decisive tone.
A couple of minutes later they arrived at their house. It was not very large, but it had everything you need for living. There were two floors, a parking garage, basement and five rooms. Near the house they also had a small lawn and, of course, a dog house for the family’s favorite dog named Max. Seeing a car approaching and Mark and Greta coming out of it, Max immediately ran out of his kennel and ran in their direction. He tried to make it to them, but a chain attached to his neck prevented him from doing so.
Max himself was a purebred German. Both of his parents were German shepherds. As soon as Mark got out of the car, the first thing he did was go to his beloved pet.
Max happily wagged his tail and jumped into his master’s arms, looking straight into his eyes. Martha and Greta also greeted their pet and then went into the house. Mark, on the contrary, stayed outside to play with his pet a little more. Mark and Max immediately fell in love with each other right from the first day they met.
So far, Max has been living with the Rosenbergs for several years and has become a full member of the family. Having played enough with Max, Mark finally decided to go into the house.
At this point, Martha was already finishing the preparations for dinner.
«What are we having for dinner tonight, Mom?» Greta asked.
«Today we have fried potatoes with meat for dinner.»
«Mom, what about salads?»
«Good question, son. How about one with fresh tomatoes and cucumbers?»
«Great. I just got hungry.»
«That’s good. Now go wash your hands. Don’t even come near the table until you do it,» she said decisively.
The children obediently got up and went to wash their hands. In fact, Martha was pretty good at cooking and the kids loved eating homemade food.
After dinner they thanked their mother for this wonderful meal. Greta then left the table and went to her room. Mark took the bowl of his beloved pet and filled it with dog food. He put on his coat and hat, grabbed the bowl and left the house. When he approached the dog house, Max immediately ran out to greet him.
Seeing his master, he started jumping around him all at once. He barked loudly and wagged his tail happily. Mark patted him with his hand and put a bowl of food near his kennel.
Apparently, Max was very hungry, so he began to absorb the contents of the bowl right away. Mark got back into the house with a sense of accomplishment. When he entered the house, he saw his mother washing the dishes in the kitchen. The moment he walked into the living room, she suddenly turned around and looked straight at him.
«Did you want to remain unseen?»
«I was just passing by,» he replied calmly.
«Have you fed Max yet?»
«Yes, Mom.»
«Well done. Now, it’s time for your homework.»
«All right,» he replied, but remained standing beside her as before. «Mom, tell me, where is our dad?!»
Martha stopped washing the dishes and froze for a moment. She just stood there in silence. It lasted for about ten seconds, after which she turned back to her son and said:
«Son, we have decided not to return to this subject, haven’t we?»
«But this question still haunts me,» he said angrily. «Besides, I still haven’t received any answer to it.»
«Not everything is so simple in this life, son,» she said and sighed heavily. «You are old enough and should understand this.»
«I understand everything, mom. But I still want to know where my dad is.»
«Mark, I’m not ready to answer this question right now.»
«But why?!» he asked again.
«The time will come when you will find out for yourself.»
«When will it come?»
«For now, this subject remains closed,» she said in a confident voice. «Later you will find out the answers to all your questions.»
«If you say so,» he said in an unhappy voice.
He still wanted badly to get an answer to his question. He stood a little longer in the kitchen next to his mother, then turned around and went to his room.
«Son, you better think about your school subjects. Don’t forget to do all your homework for tomorrow,» she shouted after him.
Washing dishes in the kitchen she continued thinking about sore. The children were growing up. Greta was already ten, and Mark was twelve years old. Sooner or later, she would have to tell all the truth to her children. Sooner or later, but not today. Now her head was just full of different thoughts. Tomorrow a new day will come and she will be occupied with her work as a head of a department of one of the largest in Switzerland. She really liked her job, and she sought this position for many years. However, her position required high responsibility and sometimes took away a lot of strength from her. It was with these thoughts in her head that she lay down on her bed.
Today, all her strength was gone. She only had time to put her head on the pillow realizing that she would immediately fall asleep. Well, blessed are the sleepy and tired, whose eyelids grow heavy every moment, for now they will close them and plunge into the world of sleep.
CHAPTER 2
MONDAY – A TOUGH DAY
Morning came. Martha opened her eyes and reluctantly began to get out of bed. She