My next-door neighbor had a wonderful girl named Vera. She was very obedient and hardworking in school. Then there was the shocking discovery that our Vera was pregnant. She’d always been a slim girl, so no one noticed her stomach rounding. Vera finished with honors from high school and gave birth to a newborn boy in late August. She was even able to obtain a university scholarship.

It came as a surprise to Vera’s mother; no matter how hard she tried to find out the name of the baby’s father, Vera stayed mute. They received financial assistance for the child’s necessities every month. Vera’s mother took time off from work to care for her grandchild, and she began her studies. She began working part-time in her second year of university to help her family’s financial circumstances.

Vera brought her fiancé to meet her mother after she finished her education and began working full-time. When Vera’s mother saw him, she understood he was the father of her grandson. He shared the child’s blue eyes and light hair. Then Vera admitted that they were in love, but her fiancé was off to the military academy. Having a child could have been an issue. But now that they had their diplomas, they had applied to the registry office.

Instead of a typical wedding, they opted to spend the money on a trip abroad. The newlyweds took Vera’s mother on a trip through Europe as a way of saying thank you for dedicating these years to her grandchild. My neighbor had never been overseas before, and when she returned, she had so many wonderful experiences to tell. Vera, her husband, and their child now live as a family. Vera’s husband is in the military, and her son is already in first grade.