What is happiness?
Inna was coming back home after a night shift at the editorial office. Her head was splitting, neck aching, she was really tired, but she was already used to ignoring all this.
She imagined herself finally reaching home, kissing her sweet sleeping children and her dear husband. She anticipated the smell and warmth of home.
The house was recently built by her husband. He put all his love and imagination into it. The fireplace he made by himself, the favorite place for family gatherings, was his special pride.
The day was breaking, and the darkness started fading away. She turned the final corner… Inna froze on the spot. A small heap of black burnt bricks and tiles was all that was left where their house once stood, here and there wisps of smoke spiraled up from the ashes. Only the chimney ominously stood there, black against the morning sky. Two words made Inna shudder with horror: “Children! Andrew!” She rushed to the ruins and started to rake the cinders with her bare hands and throw burning ambers aside.
She dug, paying no attention to her injured skin and bleeding fingers. After a while she realized that she would find nothing. She started fatefully wailing. Her wild cries and weeping spread throughout the entire still sleeping street.
Suddenly she heard a soft and familiar voice: Innochka, I am here. She turned around. Andrew was gazing at her. He was injured, was dressed in unfamiliar clothes, but - alive! She managed to get out a few words: “Where are the children?” "Children are sleeping at the neighbors.” Happiness filled Inna’s entire heart. She flew into his arms and started covering him with kisses. "Only stones are left. We have nothing, the house has burned down. We didn't even have time to put our clothes on," whispered Andrew. She blinked away the disobedient tears, laughed and told him: “I am the richest and the happiest woman in the world, Andrew. I have you and the children, all the rest is not important”.