The Homeless Woman (Bomschicha)

Tatyana is a forty-five year old teacher from Moscow who borrows a large sum of money to pay for her sick mother’s operation. Sadly her mother dies, and Tatyana soon finds herself plunged into debt. Her financial situation spirals further out of control when she is ill advised by her friends to set up a cake stall at the local market, a venture, which, not surprisingly, fails. Tatyana is forced to sell her apartment and, after an argument with her niece with whom she has been staying, Tatyana is left with no job and nowhere to live.
Just as she begins to feel really desperate, Tatyana is hired as a cashier in a nearby supermarket, and her luck slowly begins to change. The owner takes pity on her and allows her to live in a small room at the back of the shop, and it is there that she meets Anton, a young boy who is shoplifting to get his father’s attention. Tatyana feels genuinely sorry for Anton and, instead of reporting him to the police, decides to help him. They begin studying together after school and, after striking up a true friendship, Anton persuades his father to hire Tatyana as a housekeeper and his tutor. Anton’s father, amazed at the change in his son, readily agrees, however, his jealous lover wants Tatyana out of their lives and tries to frame her for theft. Fortunately Anton discovers her plan just in time and reveals her deceitfulness to his father, who immediately throws her out.
Tatyana by now has fallen in love with Anton’s father, but he is yet to notice her as a woman. This happens one day when he buys her a dress as a thank you present for taking his son to a concert on her day off. Finally he sees Tatyana as the attractive, intelligent and elegant woman that he has been searching for.

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Tatjana Nikolaewna Titowa - schkolnaja utschitelniza matematiki. Leto. Kanikuly. A ona wynuschdena iskat podrabotku – nuschno otdawat dolg sa operaziju mame. Sosed sowetuet wsjat w arendu mini-pekarnju. I perwyj sche den prinosit Titowoj pribyl! No… na sawtra ee larek istschesaet. Teper na utschitelnize usche dwa dolga – sa operaziju i mini-pekarnju. Tatjane Nikolaewne nitschego ne ostaetsja, kak prodat swoju kwartiru. Is wyrutschennych deneg ona rasplatschiwaetsja s kreditorami, a na ostatok summy sobiraetsja priobresti komnatu w kommunalke. Poka rieltery, jakoby, ischtschut dlja nee warianty, Titowa schiwet u plemjannizy. Tut ee nastigaet eschtsche odna beda – soschitel plemjannizy woruet u nee dengi! Tatjana Nikolaewna ustraiwaetsja rabotat uborschtschizej w supermarket, gde i notschuet w kompanii so schwabrami i wedrami. Slutschajno ona snakomitsja s Antonom – 14-letnim synom bogatogo bisnesmena Rusakowa. Maltschik lischen roditelskogo tepla: ego mama umerla, a nemolodoj otez ( kak woditsja) naschel uteschenie w molodoj, no sterwosnoj schene! I Anton wydumywaet wsjakie gluposti (worowstwo w supermarkete, naprimer!), tschtoby priwletsch wnimanie otza. Titowa snakomitsja s Antonom, nachodit s nim obschtschij jasyk i wskore, blagodarja usilijam maltschika, okasywaetsja w dome Rusakowa na prawach domrabotnizy. I wse by nitschego, no molodaja schena «koschej tschuwstwuet» w nej, 45-letnej «samaraschke», sopernizu i obwinjaet w worowstwe, podbrosiw bulawku s brilliantom. Obischennaja utschitelniza pokidaet dom Rusakowa. No wskore sprawedliwost torschestwuet: obmanschtschiza is doma isgnana, a bednaja utschitelniza, priodewschis i pritschesawschis, okontschatelno plenjaet serdze bogatogo bisnesmena!