The wedding dress fitting was postponed to the next day because the seamstress working on it had to take her child to the hospital. Lena was a little upset, but immediately switched herself to a positive mindset. There was no point worrying over trifles—she’d try it on tomorrow. She was eager to see how she’d look in it, but everything in its own time. She always told herself not to get down without a reason. Realizing she was quite close to the neighborhood where she’d grown up, Lena decided to drop in on her friend. And so what if it was without warning! She’d make it a surprise. As children they never warned each other; they just stopped by. And if Anya wasn’t home, she’d treat her mother to some pastries—that wouldn’t be a problem either. A smile played on her lips. A mischievous spirit awoke, and it felt as if Lena had returned to those days when she would run over to her friend’s house to spend time together.
The familiar little yard greeted her with the warmth that had stayed in her memory forever. It felt like it had all been just yesterday… and under the canopy of the summer kitchen, the little girls sat with their dolls spread out, sewing outfits for them, competing to see whose would turn out better. Anya was five years older, always let Lena win, and taught her many things. Childhood is a wonderful time. No worries or anxieties. Everything goes its own way. Now there were plenty of responsibilities, and such a simple visit to a friend had become a rarity. Clutching the handles of the bag of pastries she’d bought at a deli nearby, Lena smiled at her thoughts. Anutka would be thrilled!
The door to the old little house was open, and the doorway was veiled with snow-white tulle. How did Vera Grigorievna manage to keep the fabric in such pristine condition? Lena had always envied her for that. Pushing the tulle aside, the young woman slipped through the doorway. She wanted to call out to announce she was there, but she heard Anna talking with her mother and paused on the threshold.
— And when are you going to tell her the truth? You and Lena have been through fire and water together! How can you hide something like this from her? — lamented Vera Grigorievna.
Were they talking about her? Lena pricked up her ears and tiptoed a little closer to the spacious sitting room, trying—by memory—to step on the sturdiest floorboards that usually didn’t creak; as kids she and her friend had memorized them when they’d sneak out to play and were afraid of waking the mistress of the house. Nothing had changed!
— Mom, how can I tell her? She won’t understand me. I don’t even understand how it happened. In any case, I don’t think Lena should know the truth right now. Let her get married and enjoy it, and I… I’ll think for now about what to do. There are things you don’t want to tell even your closest friends.
What kind of secrets was Anna hiding from her? They had always been best friends, had sworn to be sisters, even if not by blood. Lena never hid anything, and yet Anya had some secret. The realization stung.
— You can’t hide an awl in a sack for long. You know as soon as your belly shows, there’ll be questions. What will you do then?
— I’ll come up with something. She doesn’t need to know that the father of my child is Dima.
It was like Lena was hit with two hundred and twenty volts. As if someone had struck her over the head with the blunt side of an axe, stunned her, and the light dimmed before her eyes. What kind of nonsense was this? How could her fiancé be the father of Anna’s child? They hadn’t even known each other until Lena organized a small dinner for friends. Did it happen then? But if so, that meant Dima had cheated on her. Could Lena calmly marry a traitor? Or had they only pretended at their first meeting that they didn’t know each other?
Tears burned her eyes. She involuntarily stumbled, and the floorboard under her foot creaked. She wanted to turn and run, but out came Vera Grigorievna. Seeing the unexpected guest, the woman gasped, barely managing to cover her mouth with her hands.
— Lena? Wh-why without warning? — Anna grew agitated. — Have you been standing here long?
— Long enough to hear what you were so actively trying to hide from me. I have only one question—why? Why keep silent? Did you want to keep laughing at me? What would you have come up with? We promised to be like sisters… If something like this happened, you should have told me. How can I get married now? How am I supposed to look at his child—the one my best friend is carrying? Did you think about that?
Anna tried to defend herself but suddenly felt unwell. Clutching her stomach, she groaned under her breath. Vera Grigorievna hurried to help her daughter sit on the sofa and called an ambulance. She asked Lena not to jump to conclusions and not to pressure Anna.
— She’s at risk of miscarriage. She can’t lose this baby, or she won’t be able to have children. This really isn’t easy to accept, but don’t cut everything off in a fit of temper. She’ll explain everything to you as soon as she can. I could tell you myself, but I’m afraid it isn’t my place. It’s still hard for me to accept this truth. But life is complicated; it sometimes throws up surprises you can’t run from.
They took Anna to the hospital, and Lena went home. She was renting an apartment not far from the office where she worked. She didn’t want to answer her fiancé’s calls. How could he have dared betray her and now keep calling? Did he even know he was going to be a father? Worried that something was wrong with his fiancée, Dmitry came over, but Lena didn’t let him into the apartment. She demanded that he get out and not even dare show himself before her eyes again. Dmitry didn’t understand what he’d done to deserve such treatment. He searched for an explanation but didn’t know what exactly he was guilty of. Deciding it was better not to insist right then, Dmitry gave Lena time to calm down. He was worried, but he understood that being pushy could only make things worse.
Anna spent several days in the hospital on IV drips. All that time Lena avoided meeting or speaking with her fiancé. She declared there could be no more talk of a wedding, but gave no explanation. Anna called her friend and asked her to come to the hospital. She said she had to tell everything looking her in the eyes. But how could Lena look into the eyes of a traitor? She had never expected such a blow from someone close. After her mother’s death, she had regarded Vera Grigorievna as a second mother, and Anna as more than just a sister. And now both had betrayed her—whispered behind her back and tried to hide the truth. Still, she couldn’t run from the conversation forever. She needed to put a period where her heart kept leaving an ellipsis. Lena agreed to meet and came to visit her friend in the hospital. She brought fruit and shifted awkwardly from foot to foot, not daring to start.
— It’s my fault. I know I should have told you earlier. I didn’t want to reveal the truth at least until your wedding. I wanted you to smile and be happy, not hate me. But since you overheard part of the conversation, let me tell you the rest. I never thought I could fall in love so much. There’s a five-year age gap between us. Not like fifteen, of course, but you don’t feel it. Right? And with him, I didn’t feel it… When I was near him, I felt happy. The attraction was mutual. I scolded and hated myself, but I couldn’t do anything about it. For the first time, I truly and deeply loved someone. Dima doesn’t yet know that I’m expecting a baby. I didn’t know whether I should tell him. I was scared. He blamed himself for our relationship too. We promised nothing to each other because we understood that our relationship was more doomed than possible.
Lena sighed heavily and sat on the chair by her friend’s bed. Her heart was bleeding. She loved her fiancé too… loved him with all her heart. But now she couldn’t marry him, knowing he had cheated and would soon have a child.
— Why drag it out so far? Preparing for the wedding took so much effort… Why did you want to watch me rejoice? Only to darken my family happiness with news like this afterward? I don’t understand.
Anna wiped the tears from her cheeks. She felt guilty and didn’t know how to justify herself; she couldn’t find the right words.
— I thought that once you experienced the joys of family life, maybe you’d be able to accept our relationship and wouldn’t be against it. I realize it will be hard for you to accept our child, but… I love him.
Lena laughed bitterly. Tears streamed from her eyes. Was her friend still mocking her—talking about acceptance in a situation like this?
— You wanted my family life to look like a harem? Is that it? You thought I wouldn’t mind my husband going to another woman from time to time and raising a son with her?
Anna turned pale and shook her head. Scarlet patches crept over her cheeks. Gasping for air, she tried to find the right words, but they scattered. A solid wall of misunderstanding stood between the friends.
— I’m going. You two sort it out yourselves. I told him not to show his face to me again. If you want, take my dress. Live as you like; I’m putting a period on our relationship.
Lena stood up and headed for the door, but in the doorway her friend’s voice stopped her.
— You’ve got it all wrong. I wasn’t talking about your fiancé. All this time I was talking about your father.
It felt as if Lena had been shaken so hard that all the air was knocked from her lungs. She grabbed the doorframe to keep from falling, trying to process what she’d heard. For a moment she felt relieved, but then the realization washed over her. Her best friend was pregnant by her father? She would be giving her a little sister or brother? How was that possible? Unthinkable!
— About my father? — Lena repeated, not believing her own ears. — You were talking about my father, not my fiancé?
— Yes… He was afraid of your reaction to our relationship, so he wanted to keep it secret, but the further we went, the harder it was to stop. A fifteen-year difference doesn’t scare me. Only your reaction does. Will you be able to accept us and allow us to be happy? After your mother’s death he couldn’t build a family with anyone, but then he fell in love again. I’m sorry that I turned out to be that woman.
Lena shook her head. Motes danced before her eyes. She told Anna she needed a little more time to think and fled. She didn’t remember how she made it home, but when she saw her fiancé at the entrance, she threw herself into his arms and burst into bitter tears. Lena begged Dmitry’s forgiveness for thinking so badly of him and not even giving him a chance to explain. She could never have imagined that her father and her friend could…
— Love knows no age. I don’t see anything strange about it. Spouses sometimes have even bigger age gaps. It’s their decision. You shouldn’t separate them, especially if they’re going to have a baby. I’m sorry if I gave you any reason to doubt me, since you thought of me first. From now on I’ll do everything so that you never for a second think I could cheat on you with someone else, — Dmitry tried to comfort his fiancée.
Lena and Dmitry resumed their wedding preparations. Despite how hard the news was to accept, Lena agreed that she couldn’t tell her father and her friend whom to love. You can’t force your heart to renounce true feelings. She wanted to believe that it was truly love and not a temporary infatuation that would leave only pain behind.
After Lena and Dmitry’s wedding, Lena’s father—also named Dmitry—proposed to Anna. It was hard for Vera Grigorievna to accept such an older son-in-law, but for her daughter’s happiness she agreed to step over her convictions. Anna was happy and grateful to her friend for accepting her relationship with her father. She promised never again to hide anything from Lena and to always be honest, because a small lie had almost led to a serious tragedy.