Alla Sergeyevna arrived at her daughter’s place at the crack of dawn. She was in such a hurry that she forgot to ring the doorbell and started pounding on the door with her fist:
“Lena! Open up! I’m telling you!”
“Mom, what’s wrong with you?” sleepy Lena looked at her mother in surprise.
“Let me in,” Alla Sergeyevna literally pushed her daughter aside and confidently entered the apartment. “Tell me, is it true?”
“True about what exactly?” Lena, knowing her mother’s character, decided to speak as calmly as possible.
“You know—what Dasha and Masha told me?”
“And what did they say to you?”
“Don’t pretend! The girls came to me in tears last night! Do you even realize that they’re in shock?!”
“What are they shocked about?”
“Lena! Enough! Is it true that you’re pregnant?”
“It’s true.”
“And you’re talking about it so calmly?”
“How else should I?” Lena smiled.
“Are you kidding? The daughters are teenagers—they even understand that this is abnormal!”
“Abnormal? I’m actually married. And excuse me, children happen. And the girls… They’re just silly, Mom. What could they understand when one is twelve and the other is fourteen?”
“Exactly! They’re practically grown up! Why on earth did you even tell them?”
“Why wouldn’t I? They’ll have a brother or a sister, and should I hide that?”
“Hold on… Are you planning on having the baby?”
“Of course.”
“Are you out of your mind? You’re almost forty!”
“Mom, so what if I’m forty?”
“What do you mean, ‘so what’?”
“First of all, having a baby at this age is dangerous; secondly—why? And thirdly, I know for sure that your Vadik doesn’t want children. He said it a hundred times. He was happy that your girls were already older, so you wouldn’t have to fuss over diapers.”
“Not yet… he just doesn’t understand what a real child is,” Lena smiled again, “then he’ll pick him up in his arms and melt…”
“No, you’re completely crazy! Does he even know that you plan on making him the father?”
“I haven’t told him yet. Well, unless Dasha and Masha…”
“Wonderful! And by the way, where is he? It’s morning and he’s not home…”
“Vadik is on the night shift. He’ll be back soon.”
“Great. Then we’ll discuss it.”
“Discuss what, Mom? I’m not going to discuss anything.”
“Are you aware of what your daughters said?”
“No one said anything to me.”
“Of course not! You didn’t even listen to them! Thank God they have a grandmother! They said that if you give birth, they’ll leave the house! Do you even understand what that means?!”
“They’re not really leaving. They’re just expressing their protest right now. With time, everything will be fine.”
“And if not?!”
“And if not, it means I didn’t raise my daughters well.”
“Yeah… Life doesn’t teach you anything…”
“Don’t start, Mom…”
“Why not? I thought that after your first divorce you’d become a bit wiser. Remember…”
“I remember everything!” suddenly exploded Lena, not letting her mother finish, “you remind me of this so often! Yes, you helped me back then. Thank you for that! Right now, I don’t need help; rather, I can help you. And about the baby… Understand, I can’t get rid of it… It’s already alive… How can I? It’s just like Dasha or Masha… No… I can’t… And I don’t want to. Since it turned out that way, let it be…”
“And Vadik? What if he leaves you?!”
“Then he’ll leave…”
“And you’ll be stuck alone with three kids?”
“Why would I be struggling? I earn well; I have my own apartment. We’ll manage…”
“Well, suit yourself! But I’m warning you once more: don’t count on me! And besides, I hope nothing of this works out for you!”
“What are you even talking about?”
“About this very thing… You need to carry the baby, give birth… Anything can happen…”
“Thank you, Mom. For the support, for the wishes… Isn’t it about time you went home?” Lena asked, barely holding back tears.
“Kicking me out?!” squeaked Alla Sergeyevna, “you’re kicking out your own mother?!”
Lena said nothing. She got up and went into another room, making it clear that she wasn’t going to talk any further.
Alla Sergeyevna left, slamming the door loudly. As she was leaving the entrance, she ran into her son-in-law. Seeing that his mother-in-law was all riled up, he sympathetically asked:
“Alla Sergeyevna, did something happen? You don’t look like yourself!”
“Ask that of your own wife! Let’s see what expression you’ll have!”
Having said that, Alla Sergeyevna hurriedly walked away…
“Lena, what’s going on with my beloved mother-in-law?” Vadim looked intently at his wife, “she flew out of the entrance like a fury…”
“We had a fight…”
“Really? Is it the first time?”
“She said that to me…”
“Come on, make up. Don’t worry. And are the girls still asleep?”
“They’re with their mom…”
“I don’t understand. They’re with her; she’s here. And you—you’re teary. What happened?”
Lena remained silent. She had lived with Vadik for almost ten years, but never before had she felt as insecure around him as she did now.
She feared that the news she was about to share with her husband would shatter their marriage. After all, he had truly said he didn’t want children. And yet now… When she was nearly forty and he was forty-three. When no one expected it and certainly hadn’t planned for it…
“Let whatever happens, happen,” Lena thought and, quietly, almost in a whisper, said:
“Vadik, I’m sorry…”
“What happened?!” her husband’s patience was already wearing thin.
“I’m pregnant…”
“What?”
“We’re going to have a baby,” Lena repeated, inwardly tensing up, anticipating a scandal.
“A baby? For us?” Vadik was flustered. “It can’t be… Are you sure?”
“I’ve already registered for it… So if you’re against it, then…”
“I’m against it?! What are you saying?” Vadik jumped up, picked his wife up in his arms, “I’m happy! If you’re not joking…”
“No one jokes about things like this,” Lena couldn’t understand her husband’s behavior, “please put me down…”
“Not for a minute!” Vadik spun Lena around the room, “now I’ll be carrying you in my arms all the time!”
“So you’re happy?”
“Of course! I’ve dreamed of this my whole life!”
“But you said you didn’t want children.”
“What was I supposed to say if it didn’t work out? And so I came up with an excuse…”
“Thank God,” Lena said, snuggling up to her husband, and suddenly, with bitterness, she remembered:
“The girls are against it. And Mom, too…”
“Well, then so be it. Pay them no mind. Now you only need positive vibes. Don’t worry. Everything will be fine. I’ll talk to them myself…”
Lena gave birth to a son on time. He turned out to be a very handsome little boy! Vadik walked around, proud and absolutely happy. Of course—after all, for the first time, he had become a father!
Dasha and Masha, who had insisted they wouldn’t even come near the baby, couldn’t take their eyes off him… And besides, they called him nothing other than “Pashenka”…
But grandma doesn’t come… Something’s holding her back…