June 1945

In the first half of June an unexpected guest knocks on the door to Jadwiga and Zenon’s flat. He turns out to be the flat’s owner who, along with his wife and daughter, was dislodged from Poznań at the beginning of the war. They managed to return to the city and wanted to move back into their old home. At first, Jadwiga protests – after all, they received permission to take the flat from the accommodation office. On the other hand, the woman is aware of the living conditions in the city and that accommodating two families in bigger flats is common practice. After long and fierce negotiations the former and current tenants reach an agreement. Teofil, Zenon, Jadwiga and their children take the bigger room, whereas the other, smaller family moves into the smaller room. From now on, the bathroom and kitchen will be shared, which is soon to become the cause of numerous arguments between the co-tenants.

The only person happy with this situation is Bronek for whom the new tenants’ daughter, Mariola, becomes a wonderful playing companion. The children begin to spend more and more time outside. They play with their peers in the yard in front of the house.

Jadwiga considers taking a preparatory course for future teachers. She knows that staff shortages in schools pose a huge problem. As a graduate of a pre-war gymnasium she would be able to obtain the necessary qualifications after a three-month training. The woman still has some time to think this through – the course begins in August.