⏱ ~3 min reading
Solomiyka hadn't come to school for three days. On the fourth day, Ulyana went up to the teacher and asked quietly:
— Olena Petrovna, will Solomiya be back soon?
The teacher sighed.
"She's got a serious cold. She's lying there with a fever. The doctor said she'll have to stay home for another week.".
Ulyana thought for a moment. Solomiyka is her closest friend. They sit together at the desk. They go to the choir together. Ulyana knows how Solomiyka loves illustrations in books—especially those with houses with chimneys and cats on window sills.
In the evening, Ulyana sat down at her desk. She took out paper, pencils, and watercolors. She thought and started drawing.
She drew a small house - red, with a green roof. On the roof - two sparrows. On the windowsill - a red cat. And near the house - a garden where yellow dandelions grow. In the window Ulyana drew a girl with pigtails - like Solomiya. And wrote below: "Get well soon. I miss you. Ulyana.".
The drawing dried overnight. Ulyana carefully folded it into a folder.
The next morning she went into her mother's kitchen.
"Mom, can I come over to Solomiyka's after school? I want to visit her.".
Mom smiled.
"Okay. I'll call her mom. Maybe there's something else we need to bring.".
The mothers agreed. It turned out that Solomiyka can't read - her head hurts, her eyes get tired quickly. But she loves to listen.
Ulyana took her favorite book, "Tales of the Old Park." Old, worn, with her little pencil marks in the margins. And also, her mother gave her a jar of honey cough syrup that her grandmother always made for them.
When Ulyana arrived, Solomiyka was lying on the sofa under a checkered blanket. Her nose was red, her eyes were a little blurry. But when she saw Ulyana, her eyes sparkled.
"Ulyanochka! You came!"
"But what about it? Here.".
Ulyana held out the drawing. Solomiyka took it carefully, like something precious.
— Is this our house?
— Almost ours. With a cat.
"How beautiful. I'll hang it above the bed.".
Then Ulyana sat down on a chair nearby and took out a book.
"Can't you read? I'll read to you. If you want.".
Solomiya nodded. She lay down more comfortably, closed her eyes, and listened. Ulyana read quietly, with pauses, about a girl who could talk to autumn leaves. Solomiya sometimes smiled at the corners of her lips, sometimes dozed, then listened again.
When Ulyana finished reading the chapter, Solomiyka's mother was pouring tea in the kitchen. It smelled of linden and thyme.
"Thank you, Ulyanochka," said Solomiya's mother. "You have no idea how relieved she is today.".
— I'm nothing special.
"You came. That's the most important thing.".
Ulyana returned home when it was already dark. Her grandmother met her on the doorstep.
- How is your girlfriend?
"Better." She smiled.
"You know what they say? When someone is sick, a hug heals more than pills. And a book out loud is like two hugs.".
Ulyana thought about it. Maybe it really was. Because when she left Solomiyka's apartment, she was already sitting on the sofa - not lying down. And there was not fog in her eyes, but a small warm light.
The following days Ulyana came again. She finished reading the book. She brought her homework. She told me how the day had gone.
And when Solomiyka returned to school a week later—thin, pale, with a scarf around her neck—she sat down at her desk, took a small folded note out of her pencil case, and handed it to Ulyana.
It said, "Thank you for being there. You're the best friend.".
Ulyana folded the note neatly and placed it in her favorite book — like a bookmark. Forever.
💡 A friend is someone who is there for you on a difficult day.