Yevgenia and her friend Inna had been sitting in a cafe for over an hour, staring out the window, afraid of missing an important moment. They had already drunk two cups of coffee each and stuffed themselves with pastries, yet nothing was happening on the other side of the glass. Yevgenia decisively broke the ensuing silence:
“Inna, enough already! I’m tired of staring out the window for nothing. There’s no one there! You must have mixed things up, my Artem isn’t like that and we’ve lived together for half our lives. Sure, his character isn’t easy to deal with, I won’t argue, but he’s definitely not capable of cheating! Let’s get out of here, the other patrons are already looking at us!”
But her relentless friend stood firm:
“Just wait, ten more minutes, and we’ll go. The workday is almost over, our lovebirds will show up soon! I didn’t mix anything up, I’ve seen your husband with that sly beauty dressed to the nines at least three times. I’m telling you, she’s his mistress. Oh, finally, there they are, look!”
Yevgenia pressed her face against the glass and indeed saw her husband exiting the office arm-in-arm with a young, busty woman. He opened the car door for her, kissed her gently on the cheek, and helped her in. He radiated absolute happiness and pride that such a lady was with him.
Yevgenia felt a sharp pain in her heart and was overcome with heat; she even let out a faint cry and cringed. A frightened Inna started fanning her with a napkin and brought her water:
“Yevgenia, are you okay? Here, take this glass… What a fool I am! I wanted you to know the truth, but now you’re in pain…”
The woman drank the water and exhaled heavily:
“Oh, never mind, I’m not feeling bad, just… my heart is acting up a bit. It’s probably the coffee. And think about it, maybe she’s not a mistress at all, maybe a work colleague or an acquaintance. That’s enough of these detective stories! I need to go home, otherwise Artem will come home and dinner isn’t ready yet.”
A frustrated Inna dropped:
“Well, fine, don’t believe it, and you don’t have to.”
Yevgenia began to doubt and torment herself: “Of course, we’ve been together for ten years, and I still haven’t been able to get pregnant, no matter how hard I’ve tried. Maybe that’s why Artem took up with a young woman, so she could bear him an heir. And what now? How to go on? I still love him so much. What about the family?”
Inna saw the torment on her friend’s face and suddenly suggested:
“You know what? Your dinner isn’t going anywhere. There’s a reputable fortune teller living nearby. Let’s go see her? Our girls have gone to her many times, they say she doesn’t lie. She’ll definitely tell you the truth. Is your Tёma cheating or not?”
Yevgenia burst into hysterical laughter:
“Inna, we’re thirty years old. What fortune tellers? What is this, kindergarten? I’ve never believed in this nonsense. It’s all pure charlatanism, just to scam people out of money. But if you want, let’s go, it’ll be fun. I’m curious about what she’ll predict. How much does your clairvoyant charge, she must take quite a bit of money?”
Her friend countered:
“That’s just it, she doesn’t charge anything. Whoever leaves a token of gratitude—thanks, but she doesn’t ask for it herself.”
Actually, Yevgenia was a little scared for her future… If the fortune teller says something bad, then you’ll think about it and wait for it to happen.
Yevgenia expected to see a bunch of mystical attributes that so-called clairvoyants like to surround themselves with: candles, dim lighting, a heavily made-up woman in a black hood, and definitely a Tarot deck.. That’s exactly how she imagined the fortune teller’s apartment. So when a plump, smiling old woman opened the door and led them into a regular kitchen, the woman was even disappointed. The elderly lady seated her on a chair, asked for nothing, only said:
“Give me your hand, let me see what you bring, what’s on your heart?”
She stared long at the lines on her hand, traced them with her finger, muttered something with her lips, then suddenly declared:
“Oh dear, you have a complicated fate, intertwined. Grief and joy walk side by side. You’ve faced many hardships, but you didn’t give up, you held on. You’re very kind, helpful, many take advantage of this. Don’t be sad about your husband, don’t suffer, he’s not your destiny. You have different paths. You’ll find your happiness when you let a wandering stranger into your home today. He is your destiny, just know that.”
Yevgenia smiled, barely holding back laughter, thanked the old woman, and left the apartment with her friend, thinking to herself:
“Lord, what nonsense. Nothing concrete, you could say that to anyone, and it would fit. How can people believe in this, it’s the twenty-first century. A set of words, by God.”
In the evening, heavy rain began, Yevgenia was finishing cooking dinner, and Artem still wasn’t home. The woman felt sad and lonely, sat by the window, closed her eyes, and went through her entire life bit by bit.
In her childhood, Yevgenia was a real tomboy. She was born into a poor family. Her father worked as a stoker all his life, her mother was a janitor at her school. Of course, they lived in hardship, barely making ends meet. The girl saw chocolate candies only on major holidays, and all her toys and clothes were secondhand. Her mother was always tired, exhausted, with a look of resignation in her eyes. Her father liked to drink, often beat the family members, and constantly grumbled. Therefore, Yevgenia spent most of her time outside. She played with a limping mongrel, Toshka, and fed all the animals in their shared yard, for which she often got in trouble from her mother. “We’re already short on money, and you’re taking the last from the house to feed these flea carriers!”
In school, classmates often teased her and didn’t want to be friends. Especially since her class was challenging, with a mathematical focus, and they only selected very talented children or those from well-off families. Everyone had new, beautiful backpacks, imported pens and notebooks, phones, and new clothes. And only Yevgenia, in her patched-up and worn-out school uniform from someone else’s shoulder, and in awkward worn-out shoes with a cheap button phone, was among them like a black sheep. And her mother even had the nerve to name her that. The girl considered her name boyish and stupid, terribly embarrassed by it. Of course, Yevgenia sounds beautiful, but peers don’t call each other that. And when they shouted: “Zhenya or Zhenyok,” she wanted to disappear into the ground.
The girl was often bullied and insulted, but she was fearless and, along with her only friend Matvey, got into fights. Teachers didn’t like it, of course, and they reprimanded Zhenya for inappropriate behavior, but they valued her for something else. The girl had a talent for math; she could mentally calculate complex combinations of numbers and even solve any equation. And that was without anyone ever really taking an interest in her academic development—no tutors, nothing. Zhenya was always sent to math competitions and olympiads, where she consistently took top places and boosted her school’s ratings. Therefore, teachers tended to overlook her behavior.
Matvey was probably Zhenya’s only friend throughout her school years. The boy was smart, just very shy and timid. He had no parents and was raised by his only grandmother. Therefore, he understood better than anyone how difficult and humiliating it was to be poorly dressed and not able to join his classmates in the cafeteria. He would tell everyone that the food there wasn’t tasty, but in reality, his stomach would be growling with hunger, yet he couldn’t even afford to buy a bun because he had no money. Matvey didn’t talk much; he just silently carried his friend’s bag and tried to protect her from the attacks of cruel classmates who often joked:
“Look, the defender has emerged. Maybe you’re in love with Zhenya, huh, Petrov?”
But the boy would just show his fist, grab his friend by the hand, and lead her away.
After graduating from school with honors, Zhenya easily got into the economics department at the university and finished it brilliantly. She was always sociable and communicative, letting her friends copy from her, managing to participate in KVN (a Russian humor TV show and competition) and going to discos. She really enjoyed studying and it came to her surprisingly easily.
After university, Zhenya got a probationary period at a prestigious firm as an economist. The girl was over the moon. She tried to delve into the work and quickly recommended herself from the best side. A young and promising manager, Artem, the son of wealthy parents, always looked down on her a bit, considering her a young upstart who didn’t amount to much. She responded in kind, thinking he was just a spoiled rich kid, what can you expect. There was always some tension in the air between them, it seemed as if sparks might fly at any moment. If someone had told Zhenya then that Artem would become her husband, she would have just spun her finger at her temple. But one incident decided everything.
At the company’s birthday, the boss suggested throwing a corporate party. In the midst of the party, when Zhenya was winning one wit contest after another and having a great time, Artem sat puffed up like a turkey and watched her from the corner of his eye. This lively, smart, and creative girl acted like a magnet on him. He thought about her day and night and was terribly angry at himself. “What did you find in her? Red-haired, slightly plump, a bit clumsy, well, think, a beautiful smile, eyes with huge, curled eyelashes. Nothing special. And she acts all high and mighty. Another Einstein.” And suddenly in the next contest, they ended up on the same team. Artem got nervous, was embarrassed and almost blew it. To his surprise, Zhenya did not mock him; on the contrary, she quietly encouraged and helped him, and they won. Out of nowhere, Artem leaned towards her and whispered:
“Thank you!” -and pecked her on the cheek. At that moment, something like attraction happened between them. The alienation and hostility disappeared, and they danced together to the lively music, seeming like they couldn’t be closer friends. That’s how, from a regular party, their romance began. It was long and unhurried. The young people still had absolutely different characters. Sometimes Artem was unbearable, everything in his life was laid out in shelves, all events had to happen just as he decided. Zhenya, on the other hand, was easy-going, optimistic, she did not like quarrels and tried to smooth over conflicts, adjusting to her fiancé. Despite disagreements, the romance ended six months later with a lavish wedding. Zhenya, honestly, couldn’t even answer herself why she fell in love with this grump and rich man. But the fact was a fact, she couldn’t imagine life without Artem now.
By that time, Zhenya’s parents had already died, very suddenly and unexpectedly. First, her mother died, and then a month later her father, unable to withstand the loneliness. Artem’s parents didn’t really like their daughter-in-law. Although they admitted she was smart, what good did it do? She was a nobody, no dowry, no connections. And there was Lenochka before this redhead, a businessman’s daughter from a wealthy family, but no, it just happened that their son fell in love with this Zhenya. After the wedding, everyone around buzzed, well, when will the heirs come, hurry up, don’t delay.
Zhenya herself desperately wanted a child, but years went by and pregnancy did not occur. Trips to the doctors gave nothing, they only shrugged their shoulders. Apparently, no special health problems were identified in the woman, but she could not get pregnant. Artem categorically refused to get tested, convinced that he was definitely all right. This topic was always painful in their family. After all, both were already thirty, their friends already had children, and not just one. Zhenya blamed herself, got angry, and couldn’t understand why God didn’t send her the long-awaited baby. She had long stopped being a tomboy and had become a dignified, beautiful, well-groomed woman. She tried to match the image of the ideal wife: she carefully took care of herself, dressed discreetly, but stylishly and tastefully, the house was full, in bed, she also did everything only as her husband liked. Although inside she was completely different, sometimes she so wanted to let herself go and have fun like in her childhood. But her husband didn’t understand that and got angry when Zhenya suddenly tried to joke or be sarcastic. Once she bought hot dogs and Coca-Cola and suggested to Artem to have a day of junk food. Oh, how much she then listened to: “Immediately throw this crap in the bucket. It’s harmful and not up to our status, we are not teenagers after all!”
But with each year, they grew further apart from each other, between them, as if slowly, brick by brick, an invisible wall was growing. The husband moved to work at another firm, their schedules no longer matched, spouses saw each other less and spent less time together. And now a friend helped, showed who her husband was really happy with. “What should I do? Decide, and just ask Artem who this girl is that I saw him with? Or pretend I don’t know anything? Otherwise, there’s no avoiding a scandal.” – the woman tormented herself.
All the time that Zhenya was pondering, a homeless man in a long coat sat on a bench near their house, hunched and shivering from the cold as the rain poured down like from a bucket and thundered on the roof and windows, gusts of wind tearing the last leaves from the trees. The woman suddenly felt so sorry for this stranger. Just out of humanity. I have everything: a luxurious house, a full life, a good job, and I’m still unsatisfied. And this poor guy doesn’t even have a roof over his head. How scary it is. Here comes the night, and you have nowhere to go, nothing to eat… In a burst of emotion, she ran out onto the porch and waved to him, calling him over. She decided: “It won’t hurt me if I feed and warm him up. Maybe I’ll help him with something?” The man looked at her in surprise but came over. She invited him into the house:
“Sir, the weather outside is so awful.. Come in, wait out the rain, have some hot tea, and then you can go. Otherwise, you might get sick. Or let me at least give you an umbrella!”
The homeless man hesitated, but still timidly entered and sat on the edge of the pouf in the hallway. He took off his hood, and Zhenya gasped:
“Matvey? Petrov? It can’t be. Is that you? How did you end up here? It’s me, Zhenka Usova, remember? We studied in the same class. Don’t you remember?”
He looked at her with obvious bewilderment, as if he saw her for the first time in his life:
“What Zhenya? I don’t remember anything. I was recently hit on the head, local hobos found me on the roadside and dragged me to their shelter. I don’t know who I am and where I’m from. Are you sure you know me?”
Then the door burst open, and a drunken Artem barged into the house. Seeing the homeless-looking man sitting in the hallway, smelling like garbage, he got furious:
“So, I don’t understand, what is this person? Congratulations, dear. We’ve come to this! And how long have you been cheating on me with this homeless man? Though why be surprised, knowing what family you’re from…”
Zhenya was stunned:
“Artem, come to your senses. What are you talking about? Apologize immediately. This is my former classmate. He’s fallen on hard times and needs help. He just came in. I’ll show you the pictures right now…”
But her husband, as if he didn’t hear her, stood his ground:
“All clear to me. This is who you are, Zhenya. I didn’t expect this, of course… And is it pleasant for you to sleep with him? Tsk! I have nothing more to do here… I’m divorcing you! Especially since I’ve wanted to do this for a long time!”
The spouse feverishly threw things into a suitcase, Zhenya cried, begging him to come to his senses, but he loudly slammed the door and left offended.
Zhenya burst into tears and lashed out at Matvey:
“How did you end up on my head? It’s all because of you! I felt sorry for myself, and now I’m without a husband. Well, did you get warmed up? Now get out! My whole life is ruined!” – and she forcefully started to push the man out the door.
To her surprise, Matvey did not leave but continued to sit on the same bench, holding his head in his hands, still getting soaked in the rain.
The woman cried, tried to call her husband, but he kept dropping her calls, and then that very girl answered with a soothing voice:
“Artem is busy, don’t call here anymore. You guys broke up, right?”
Zhenya felt so bitter and hurt. What a scoundrel! Not only did he cheat on me, but he also made it look as though I was the one who cheated on him. Such cynicism! It had gotten completely dark outside, almost night. Inertia made Zhenya look out the window, hoping maybe her husband had changed his mind and would return any moment, and she was horrified. Matvey was still sitting there, completely drenched and shivering. She couldn’t stand it, got dressed, went outside, and approached him decisively:
“Forgive me, Matvey! It’s not your fault. I yelled at you in anger. Let’s go inside, the husband has left anyway! There’s nothing left to lose…”
He followed her, dejected and resigned. He wanted to sit down, but suddenly turned pale and started to slide down the wall to the floor. Zhenya was terribly frightened; she touched his forehead, it was burning hot. It was clear that Matvey had a high fever.
With great difficulty, she dragged him to the couch, somehow removed his dirty, foul-smelling clothes, brought a basin of warm water, and began to rub him down. Then she made a vinegar compress and changed it every half hour. But the man was getting worse; he was delirious, thrashing about, shouting obscenities, and was almost unconscious. With trembling hands, a frightened Zhenya dialed her friend’s number:
“Inna, don’t ask any questions now. Run to the pharmacy, buy some fever reducers and antibiotics in injections, and hurry over to me. I’ll explain everything later!”
Her friend was simply stunned when she saw a half-naked man on the couch:
“My God, Zhenya! And who is this? What happened? Where’s Artem?”
The woman only waved her hand:
“Artem left me. This is my classmate, Matvey. He’s in trouble; he needs help. No time to chat, you’re a medic after all! He has a fever, he’s burning up, probably caught a cold in the rain. Save him, I beg you!”
Her friend took charge and began administering first aid. She measured his temperature, and it was off the charts. She gave him several injections of medication and instructed her friend to keep giving the sick man spoonfuls of water.
Together with Inna, they spent four nights at Matvey’s bedside, taking turns. At one point, they were really scared for his life. Despite intense treatment, the fever wouldn’t drop.
Zhenya held Matvey’s hand and, as if delirious, whispered:
“Dear, don’t you dare die! Live, I beg you! Lord, help! I hope he gets better! Inna, why isn’t he getting any better?”
Her friend was angry:
“Because we should have called an ambulance, not listened to you, how would I know? I’m not an X-ray machine! Maybe he has pneumonia? Who knows. If he dies here, we’ll both be to blame! You’ve gotten me into a mess, Zhenya. As if you didn’t have enough problems with Artem, you decided to shelter a homeless person! I’m speechless…”
The woman quietly replied:
“Well, he’s without documents, they’ll classify him as homeless. Who would treat and care for him there? Matvey is very good! He protected me from nasty boys all throughout our childhood, we’ve been friends for many years. I just can’t abandon a person in trouble like this. It’s not humane! I feel like something bad has happened to him!”
But thank God, by morning the fever slowly began to subside, the woman somehow changed the sheet under the sick man yet again, it was soaking wet. Matvey finally fell asleep and began to breathe evenly and calmly.
Finally, Zhenya exhaled and realized: “We did it, Inna and I! The worst is behind! He’ll recover now!” – and, exhausted, she slumped into a chair and fell asleep. She didn’t hear her friend quietly leave the house, gently closing the door, she was sleeping so deeply. Through her sleep, the woman heard Matvey’s quiet voice:
“Zhenya, Zhenka, is that you?”
She jumped up, rushed to the man, and joyfully responded:
“Hooray, Matvey, you remember me? Oh.. your head isn’t hot, you’re feeling better? How do you feel? Does it hurt anywhere? Maybe we should take you to the hospital, show you to a doctor?”
He nodded his head:
“Yes, much better, thank you. No, no need for the hospital, I beg you.”
Evgenia sternly said:
“Now I’ll make one last injection, and you’ll feel completely better, it’s necessary!” – and she began shakingly opening an ampoule with an antibiotic.
Matvey bravely endured the injection and continued:
“Imagine, I remembered everything. Just imagine how things turn out. Zhenka, after school, I went into business, slowly got rolling. I have a small freight company. A few vans in the fleet, we hustle around the country. In recent years, the business was running smoothly, regular customers, reliable employees. And three days ago, I was driving to your city to negotiate with a manager, needed to sort out some misunderstandings. And you know, I never pick up hitchhikers, you never know what kind of people they are. But there was this young couple at night, like lovebirds. They clung to each other, were cold, and timidly raised their hand, trying to catch a ride. The girl had a sports duffel bag. I thought, they’re students, heading home, felt sorry for myself and stopped. It seemed all fine, they chatted nicely and we were nearing the city. Suddenly the girl asked to stop, said she felt sick, needed five minutes to breathe. So I pulled over by the roadside. Even then I suspected nothing. But then a severe headache, a blackout. Apparently, the guy hit me hard on the back of my head, he was sitting in the back. I woke up when some homeless people had already dragged me to a shelter, thank God they didn’t let me freeze in the bushes near the highway. Of course, no money, no phone, no car… And I didn’t remember anything at all. It turns out it’s so scary, losing your memory. You wander around the city like an alien and don’t understand who you are, where you’re from, or where you’re going… But now I need to urgently go to the police! Chances are slim, they’ve probably already stripped my car in a garage and sold it long ago, but still…
Zhenya was shocked by what she heard:
“What a nightmare! Your family must be horrified! They must be looking for you everywhere, worn out. You should call them and let them know that you’re alive.”
Matvey sadly shook his head:
“There’s no one to look for me! My parents died a long time ago, you remember, I lived with my grandmother when I was in school. Then she passed away too. I’ve been alone since then. Never married, no children. And the colleagues might be wondering why I’m out of touch, but overall they’re used to me often traveling on business trips…”
The woman quietly asked:
“And why didn’t you get married? Really, haven’t you fallen in love with anyone over all these years?”
Matvey looked into her eyes intently and took her hand:
“No, I didn’t fall in love… I was mad about you back in school, faithfully carried your bag and kept waiting for you to notice that I cared about you. But you never noticed, I was just a friend to you. And I, fool that I was, never dared to tell you about my feelings. And no matter how much I tried to start a romance with any girl I liked later, I realized — it wasn’t for me. Your red curls, your ringing laugh, and your playful smile are still before my eyes.”
Zhenya was stunned by what she heard:
“Wow, Matvey.. I really had no idea. I thought we were just friends and that’s all.”
The man began looking for his things:
“Thank you, Zhenya, for everything! You’re my guardian angel! If it weren’t for your kindness and responsiveness, I would have died, God knows. You and your friend took so much care of me, it means a lot. I must run now, and please forgive me for causing such a big fight with your husband. Do you want me to call him and explain everything? That we were classmates, met by chance, and that there was nothing between us… It all turned out so foolishly…”
The woman shook her head negatively:
“No need, I don’t want him back. He understood perfectly well yesterday that there was nothing between us. Besides, he’s had a lover for a long time, I even saw them together. Artem wanted to leave but didn’t know how, and then such a convenient opportunity arose. So he turned everything upside down, accusing me of sins that never existed. It’s easier that way… You know, Matvey, I really loved him at first and he loved me, I felt it. But as the years passed, we grew further and further apart. God never gave us children, there’s not much to share. This house is registered in my name, and the car, the apartment, and the company’s stocks are his. Let it stay that way. I can’t continue living with him as if nothing happened after the betrayal, it’s disgusting. So you, Matvey, are not to blame. Don’t beat yourself up. I’ll tell you more, I’m very glad that we met unexpectedly. I remember you as a long, thin, pimply teenager, and now I see a strong, handsome man before me. Yes, I washed your clothes, here, take them.”
Matvey laughed:
“And you are no longer that feisty, plump girl with pigtails. You’ve become a real lady. That haircut really suits you. And in general, you look just super! A beauty! Well, now that you’re almost a free woman, I won’t miss this chance. Just so you know, I’ll be chasing you!” — and he winked at her playfully.
Zhenya felt so good and light-hearted, she was very pleased with Matvey’s compliments and attention. She felt like that carefree, young girl again.
Matvey filed a police report, and two weeks later the car was found during a raid on the industrial outskirts of the city. According to the officers, the car was being prepared for sale, but the culprits were not found, their trail had gone cold. But the man was happy about it, returned to his business, and once again immersed himself in work.
Zhenya, however, faced a painful and difficult divorce. Artem didn’t expect his wife would take such a step. He was quite satisfied with a well-fed, peaceful, comfortable life with his wife, and for thrills, he had a young mistress, Zhanna. The fact that he himself left, slamming the door loudly, was just a show for the public. The man wanted his wife to be scared and start begging him to come back, but then this turn of events happened. Therefore, Artem was outraged, angry, and tormented Zhenya’s nerves as much as he could. He made a nasty scene at her work, smeared her from head to toe, complained to his parents, and they started calling their daughter-in-law, lecturing her on sense. Matvey, as much as he could, tried to support Zhenya, just like in childhood, and protect her from the malicious attacking crowd.
Our heroine didn’t expect such pressure from all sides. At work, after her husband’s stunt, colleagues began to give her sidelong glances and behind her back, they considered her almost a fallen woman, who first cheated and then abandoned this wonderful man. Her father-in-law and mother-in-law urged her to come to her senses, saying, “we took you in naked and barefoot, you’re still childless, isn’t that enough? You even dared to cheat on our Artem?”
Artem’s young mistress, Zhanna, initially was very pleased when he came to her at night with a suitcase and said he had left his wife and now nothing could stop them from being together. The girl imagined married life like this: the husband earns money, spoils her, takes her to resorts, and she visits beauty salons and fashionable boutiques to be better and more beautiful than everyone else. But after a month of living together, they broke up amid scandal. Artem yelled that his new woman could not cook at all, did not listen to his opinion, and was only concerned with herself. Zhanna was not easily deceived either; she did not expect that such a gentle and tender lover would turn out to be such a grumbler and nag. Artem was used to, for so many years, having a clean, cozy home with delicious lunches and dinners, and a patient loving wife.
Left unattended, the ex-husband sharply changed his tactics, still hoping to win Zhenya back. He ambushed her near her work with luxurious bouquets, asked for forgiveness, said how much he loved her, but the woman wouldn’t even consider reconciliation. She felt good and easy with Matvey; there was no need to adapt to anyone, tolerate bad moods, and flashes of aggression. Matvey remained in his soul that kind, responsive, and open boy who had been her protection and security all her childhood. And now, watching how everyone pounced on his beloved, he couldn’t stand it:
“Zhen, I was thinking, why are we traveling to different cities to see each other. Drop everything and move in with me, to the apartment. You’ll work as an accountant in my company, we’ll get married, and maybe God will give us children. If not, we’ll live for each other. I don’t promise the luxurious life you had before. But at least your ex will stop pestering and bothering you, and you’ll finally relax. It’s scary to look at you lately: dark circles under your eyes, you’re stressed and not getting enough sleep.”
Zhenya hesitated for a long time, it’s scary to start life anew at thirty, but she decided to take a risk and agreed.
A year passed. Having moved to another city, Zhenya really calmed down, the couple quietly registered their marriage, without lavish celebrations, and they started living a quiet, measured, and happy life. They understood each other with half a word, it was safe to tell what was on one’s mind, and be oneself. One day Matvey came home from work and mysteriously said:
“Beloved, look who I found right under the wheels of my car. Isn’t he adorable?”
From behind his breast pocket, a skinny, wet, gray kitten timidly peeked out and began to sniff everything. Zhenya squealed with joy and threw herself around Matvey’s neck. She had always wanted to have a kitten since she used to feed all the cats in the neighborhood as a child. But when she was a child, her mother wouldn’t allow it, saying, “we’re barely scraping by ourselves, why bring another mouth to feed?” Then Artem was categorically against it. The woman begged him a hundred times to get a pet, but he only grimaced unhappily:
“Ugh, an animal in the house, that’s just unsanitary, all trouble, fur everywhere. No way. You know how squeamish I am. You’ll say next that we’ll sleep in the same bed with the cat.”
And now her dream came true. This tiny little guy was also part of their family now. Zhenya carefully picked up the kitten, talked to it softly, stroked it, poured some warm milk. It ate eagerly, swelled up like a balloon, and fell asleep on her lap, purring contentedly. The next day, Zhenya bathed it, bought a bowl, a litter box, and got rid of fleas. They named the pet Harry. How adorable he was. He played for a long time with a candy wrapper, a ball, or a candy, comically tossing it and chasing after it, the couple laughed heartily. Matvey made a scratching post for Harry, and Zhenya sewed a soft bed. Caring for the new pet brought the couple even closer.
Recently, Zhenya had been feeling unwell, completely drained of energy, lost her appetite, and desperately wanted to sleep. When she suddenly experienced severe lower abdominal pain, Matvey was terrified and called an ambulance. The woman was taken to the hospital. The poor man was restless, second-guessing everything… Finally, a stern doctor called him in and began an unpleasant conversation:
“Your wife is pregnant, at an early stage. There is a risk of miscarriage. You see, her age is critically high for pregnancy, her kidneys are weak, plus there is a high risk of the baby being born with genetic abnormalities… Think it over, decide for yourself, but I wouldn’t risk her health…”
Shaken and bewildered, Matvey entered Zhenya’s hospital room, and she immediately began to speak:
“I know what the doctor told you, he told me everything too. I don’t want to hear it. I’ve dreamed of having a baby for so many years, considered myself childless, prayed, cried, already gave up and despaired… And now such happiness. It may be a risk, but I must at least try to become a mother. Even if it costs me my life. It’s my choice! I hope you’ll support me!”
Matvey took a deep breath and hugged his wife:
“I love you. Everything will be alright! I believe, and you should too! Don’t listen to anyone. We will have a healthy, strong baby, you’ll see.”
The pregnancy was very difficult; Zhenya couldn’t leave the hospital, always at risk of miscarriage, and didn’t make it to full term. The birth was emergency and premature, but thank God, a lovely red-haired boy was born. He was so tiny and helpless, it was scary even to hold him. He amusingly puffed his cheeks and grimaced. They named their son Bogdan because his arrival was nothing short of a miracle.
Matvey was overjoyed; he tenderly bathed him, gave massages, swaddled him, and sang lullabies. Meanwhile, Zhenya completely dissolved into family happiness; when she breastfed Bogdanchik, she wanted to shout to the whole world: “Hooray! I’m a mom!” Only then did she realize the true purpose of a woman: it doesn’t matter what job you have, how much money, your social status, or how smart you are. Looking at her son, Zhenya whispered: “You are my happiness!”
They decided to have the baby christened, and, of course, they chose Inna as the godmother. Zhenya visited her to invite her to the celebration. She could only trust her treasure to her best and trusted friend, especially since she had extensive experience with children, having two of her own.
They sat with her friend in the kitchen over a cup of coffee, discussing recent events.
The excited woman shared her emotions:
“Innochka, you know, I’m so happy. I feel so good with Matvey. It seems that before him, I lived someone else’s, a stranger’s life. I always tried to please Artem, endured his unbearable character, and tucked away my own opinions. Like a robot, I prepared him all sorts of delicacies, dropped my dance lessons because he didn’t like it, and I thought that’s how a perfect wife should act. I kept telling myself it was all for the family. But it turns out, things can be different. For example, Matvey and I can easily grab some sandwiches and have a picnic right on the lawn, or eat delicious ice cream in bed while watching our favorite movie, or ride bicycles in the park on a day off. With Artem, these simple joys were not accessible. He didn’t understand them, and for him, you should only eat at the table, only losers ride bicycles, and you should only attend glamorous and high-society events.
When Matvey brought home a kitten, I almost cried with happiness. You remember that my ex never allowed me to have even a pet.
And about the birth of Bogdanchik, I’m speechless. It’s simply a miracle. Artem and his relatives long ago wrote me off, considered me childless. I even believed it myself and stopped dreaming of motherhood, and then such happiness. The doctors even doubted that I could carry a baby, but Matvey, he believed in me, in us, and always repeated that we would have a healthy baby. If someone had told me that my life would change so much, I would never have believed it.”
Inna laughed:
“So, you didn’t believe. Didn’t the fortune teller tell you the truth back then? Remember her words: ‘The vagabond you let into your house is your destiny!'”
Zhenya’s eyes widened:
“Exactly. I had already forgotten about that incident. Listen, let’s go see her again? I want to ask her, how? Where did she know from? How could she predict my fate so accurately?”
When they visited the fortune teller, Zhenya didn’t beat around the bush and asked directly:
“Do you remember me? My friend and I came to you a year ago? You predicted that I would let a stranger into my life and he would become my destiny. Well, it all came true. You see, right on the same day. My entire life turned upside down. I became a beloved wife, a mother. Thank you. I’m so happy now. But how did you see it?”
The old woman smiled:
“I just saw from your eyes how badly you were struggling, how lost and scared you were to take a step and change something, so I nudged you to stop fixating and let change into your life, that’s all. You did everything yourself; I had nothing to do with it.”
Zhenya couldn’t believe it; it seemed like some sort of magic or magic? Or maybe just fate? Who knows…
And every time, walking with Matvey and their son in the park with the stroller, she remembered the fortune teller, whose single phrase turned her entire life upside down. After that, how could you not believe in predictions?