— Congratulations, my dear! — Andrei’s voice trembled with excitement. — I’m so happy for you. Your mother would have been so happy.
— Thank you for everything. If it weren’t for you, I would have never known the truth, never met my dad.
— It was fate, Anya. Your mother planned everything perfectly.
Studying at the Institute of Culture turned out to be even more challenging and exciting than Anna had imagined. Every day brought new discoveries: the history of theater, acting, stage speech, dance, vocals. Her classmates were young people from different parts of the country, each with their own story, their own dreams. Anna quickly fit into the group and made friends with several girls.
— You’re so lucky, — her friend Natasha told her. — You have the support of your family, while we’re all here on our own.
Roman followed his daughter’s progress, offered advice, but did not interfere in the educational process.
— You must walk this path on your own, — he would say. — I can only support you.
The professors noted Anna’s abilities, her diligence, and her sense of responsibility. Already in her first year, she was given a small role in a student production.
— You have good natural abilities, — her acting teacher would say. — But most importantly, you know how to listen and hear. That’s a rare quality for a novice actor.
By the end of the first semester, Anna knew she had made the right choice. The theater had become for her not just a profession, but a way of life, a way of understanding the world.
During the winter break, she went home to Voznesensk, met with her uncle Andrei, and visited her mother’s grave.
— Mom, — she said, standing by the monument, — I’m studying at a theater institute in the capital. I have a dad who loves me very much. Everything turned out just as you wanted.
Uncle Andrei was also pleased with the changes in his niece’s life.
— You’ve changed, — he would say. — You’ve become more confident, more mature. It’s clear that you’re doing what you love.
— Have you thought about moving to the capital? — Anna asked. — Dad says that good doctors are needed in the capital’s hospitals.
— I have thought about it, — Andrei admitted. — Here, after my wife’s death, everything reminds me of the past. And in the capital, I would be closer to you.
— Then you should move. We’ll be a real family.
In the spring, Uncle Andrei did indeed move to the capital. He got a job as a doctor in the cardiac surgery department of one of the leading clinics. He rented an apartment not far from Roman’s.
— Now I have both a daughter and a brother, — Roman joked. — A real family.
They often gathered together: had dinner, went to the theater, walked around the capital. Anna would talk about her studies, share her plans for the future.
— You know, — she said one spring evening, as they sat on her father’s terrace, — I think Mom is looking down on us and is happy. Her plan worked, we’ve become a family.
— Your mother’s last lesson, — Andrei said thoughtfully. — A lesson of forgiveness and love.
— Yes, — Roman agreed. — Angelina taught us the most important thing: that family is more important than pride, that love is stronger than resentment.
By the end of her first year, Anna already had a significant role in the senior students’ graduation play. Roman and Andrei came to the premiere and cried with pride, seeing her on stage.
— A real actress, — Roman whispered. — Look how she lives on stage, how she feels her partner.
After the play, an honored artist, one of the leading professors at the institute, approached them.
— Your daughter is very talented, — she said to Roman. — She has that essential quality an actor needs: the ability to live truthfully on stage.
In the summer, the three of them—Anna, Roman, and Uncle Andrei—went to the country house. Andrei took a vacation and spent the entire month of July with them at the dacha. They walked through the pine forest, cooked kebabs, read aloud, and discussed their plans for the future. Anna dreamed of one day performing in a professional theater, Roman planned new productions, and Andrei was getting used to life in the capital.
— You know, — Anna said one evening as they sat on the porch watching the sunset, — I think Mom planned everything perfectly. She knew that we would find each other and become a real family…
