Anna had never trusted her husband. Therefore, she had to rely only on herself. That’s how things had turned out in their married life.
Her husband Viktor was as handsome as a poppy flower. He was also the life of any party. He drank alcohol in moderation, didn’t smoke, and wasn’t obsessed with football, fishing, or hunting. In short, «a good guy — could even live in a palace.»
It was precisely because of all these positive qualities that Anna suspected her husband was seeking comfort outside the walls of their home. After all, such men were rare to find. And «hunters» would inevitably come for them…
The only thing that somewhat reassured Anna in her worries was that her husband adored their son. Viktor was madly in love with Stepan. He devoted all his free time to his son. So Anna believed that this intense paternal love was more than enough to keep their family together.
…At school, Anna was teased «Antoshka» because of her fiery red hair and the freckles scattered all over her face.
Her mother, a picture-perfect beauty, had always told her daughter: «Anya, you’re like an ugly duckling. Forgive me for the comparison, but this bitter truth must be acknowledged. And who else will tell you the truth if not your own mother? No one will marry you. Therefore, in life, you’ll have to rely solely on yourself. Study diligently, build your career, and if some good man comes along, don’t be stubborn. Be a humble and obedient wife.»
Anna remembered this advice all her life.
After graduating with honors from school, Anna went to university. That’s where she met her future husband. She never understood what had drawn such an enviable young man to her. Later, Viktor admitted that she was the only girl he wasn’t afraid to approach. Anna never used makeup. She didn’t wear any «battle» makeup. She dressed modestly and didn’t know how to flirt with guys. When she realized that such a prominent young man was seriously courting her, she decided to take the initiative. After all, how could she miss such a gift from fate? Anna proposed to Viktor.
At first, the young man was stunned by such an immodest proposal from the girl. But Anna promised to be a humble, patient, and faithful wife. «Love will come with time,» she assured him. Viktor didn’t immediately agree, but he eventually chose to tie his life to this unremarkable but spirited girl. Viktor’s mother helped him make the decision. When Viktor first brought his future wife home, Viktor’s mother, Viktoria Olegovna, gave Anna a disapproving and scathing look. She didn’t like Anna’s appearance at all. Her son, after all, was perfect! Redder than the sun, brighter than the moon. Any woman would want him! But here was some… freckled mess. She felt bad for her son, she wanted beautiful grandchildren, not redheaded «Antoshkas.»
The first meeting wasn’t great.
Of course, Anna noticed her future mother-in-law’s discontent. Deep down, Anna understood that a handsome husband was an obstacle to marital happiness. Still, she wasn’t going to miss her chance. She decided to visit Viktor’s mother without Viktor. She had to save her future marriage! It was hanging by a thread. Viktor’s mother welcomed her and gave her tea. This time, Anna seemed even likable to her. «I’m getting used to it…» thought Viktoria Olegovna in surprise. Anna promised she would be a loyal and obedient wife to her son for the rest of her days. This argument outweighed all the external «flaws» of the future bride.
Viktor’s mother had been a lonely woman. Her husband had left her and their son for a new love. However, a year later, he returned, exhausted and battered. His family didn’t accept him back. It had been a difficult time. Viktoria Olegovna had spent her life asking herself the same question — should she have forgiven her unfaithful husband? Cry over his betrayal and start over? But on the other hand, his actions would have remained a thorn in her soul, hurting, hurting, hurting…
Raising a son alone was so difficult! So Viktoria Olegovna decided to approve of her beloved son’s choice. She realized that Anna would wait for Viktor no matter where he went, even along the most rugged paths. What more could a mother want for her happiness? Viktoria Olegovna blessed Viktor and Anna’s marriage.
…A year later, the couple had a son, Stepan. He turned out to be a perfect copy of his handsome father, which made Viktoria Olegovna incredibly happy.
Viktor hovered over his son like a mad moth. Stepan became the meaning of his life. But love for his wife never developed.
Anna, too, never developed passionate feelings for her husband. Their relationship remained even and calm. Anna ironed her husband’s shirts, prepared lunches and dinners, kissed him on the cheek at night. Viktor gave all his salary to his wife, bought her flowers for her birthday, kissed her on the cheek in the mornings, and ran off to work. It all felt more like a ritual than love. They were waiting for real marital feelings to form. Viktor and Anna were sure that such feelings existed. They read about them in books, and their friends had described them vividly. And so, after five years, Viktor found this feeling. But not in his own family.
She was a girl of heavenly beauty. Her name was Bozhena. Everything about her was otherworldly and alluring.
Viktor couldn’t resist the charm of such a diva. Bozhena reciprocated the feelings of the married suitor. For six months, Viktor and Bozhena met in cafes, on benches, and at friends’ apartments. The secrecy exhausted Viktor. He lied more and more to his wife. Stepan started seeing his father as more irritable than the kind and smiling man he used to be. But Viktor couldn’t find the strength to leave Bozhena. «I won’t be your mistress. Either marry me, or we’ll remain friends. I won’t sit around like an old maid…» Bozhena set the condition.
Viktor was confused. He didn’t want to lose Bozhena’s love, but his son was just as dear to him. At that moment, Viktor didn’t think about Anna. Not at all. As if there were no obstacle in her face. Stepan was five years old when his father packed his things and left the family.
Anna began to remember her mother’s teachings more and more. If, as a child, her mother’s words had been incredibly painful and made her want to die quietly, now… Now Anna understood that she would survive her husband’s departure without tragedy. She wouldn’t jump off a bridge into a deep river, wouldn’t cry for hours, because her mother’s «vaccination» against life’s hardships had worked. Of course, this unpleasant story had taken a piece of her heart. This piece of brokenness had rolled deep into her soul and was waiting for its fate. Well, happiness was a free bird — wherever it wanted, it would land…
She’d have to drink from the cup of the abandoned wife to the last drop.
When Viktor returned after six months, he was torn between his son and Bozhena.
Anna quietly kept her ex-husband’s toothbrush. It stood in a separate cup in the bathroom. Every time Viktor came to visit his son and went to wash his hands, the toothbrush sadly «looked» at its owner. Viktor couldn’t look at it calmly. It was a silent reproach to him. One day, Viktor put the dreaded toothbrush in his pocket. «I’ll throw it away so it won’t torment me anymore.»
But the next time Viktor came, he found a new toothbrush in the cup…
In the kitchen, his favorite cup with hot coffee was always waiting for him. And in the hallway, his slippers quietly and patiently waited for their owner. All these little family things «scratched» Viktor’s soul. He tried to play with Stepan and leave as quickly as possible. Viktor couldn’t explain to himself why he left the family. Some unknown and irresistible force drew him to Bozhena. His soul was torn. What to do? How not to hurt his loved ones? Who would give him an answer to this foolish situation?
Viktor constantly asked himself these questions. There were no answers.
Well, take Anna, for example. She could have shut the door to Viktor. She could have cursed Bozhena and Viktor… But Anna silently endured. Every time Viktor left after playing with Stepan, she calmly said, «Come back, Vitya. Don’t forget about us…»
Viktor returned to Bozhena completely exhausted. As a wife, she didn’t like all this «fuss about Stepan.» Bozhena had warned Viktor many times: «If I leave you, it will be because of your beloved son. You care about him more than about me.»
This went on for years…
Anna’s friends whispered to her: «God, you should have married someone by now! What are you waiting for? Stepan needs his father! Not just on holidays, but every day! And you’re still young! Forget about Viktor! If the bush wasn’t dear, the nightingale wouldn’t have built a nest there. He won’t leave Bozhena. How many years have passed…»
Anna listened to her friends’ sermons, sighed, and remained silent. Over time, her friends stopped trying to convince her. They had all gotten used to her being alone.
…Time relentlessly passed.
Viktor stopped visiting Stepan.
Now, father and grown son met on neutral ground. Stepan was finishing school. Anna had finally come to terms with the fact that her husband wouldn’t return. After all, twelve years had passed since he left. A significant amount of time.
Anna put a firm period at the end of this chapter of her life and stopped waiting for Viktor. After all, she still had strength and was capable of raising another child. So, she took a vacation and flew to a warm destination. There, she had a brief resort romance with no strings attached.
…Nine months later, Stepan had a little sister, Masha.
All of Anna’s friends were, to put it mildly, surprised by her decisive action. They stood at the maternity ward door waiting for Anna and the newborn.
The young mother came out, tired but happy. In her hands, she held a bundle wrapped in pink ribbons.
«Hello, girls! Meet my Masha!» Anna smiled.
One of her friends teased her:
«What’s her patronymic?»
«She needs to grow up first!» the young mother snapped.
But no teasing from her friends could overshadow Anna’s great joy. Her whole life was now devoted to raising Masha.
Stepan was the first and irreplaceable helper. He adored his sister. He never asked his mother awkward and uncomfortable questions about Masha’s real father. As long as his mother was incredibly happy, everything else didn’t matter.
When Masha was three years old, she started kindergarten. There, the other children enlightened her. It turns out that kids have not only mothers, but also fathers!
Since then, Masha tried to call her brother Stepan «daddy.» It was funny and sad.
…One evening, Anna’s doorbell rang uncertainly. Masha rushed to the door, shouting: «It’s my dad!»
Anna looked through the peephole. She saw… Viktor! She opened the door wide.
«Can I come in, Anya?» Viktor asked, stepping from one foot to the other, the unexpected and late visitor.
«Come in, since you’ve come,» Anna said, hiding her surprise.
Viktor set down two bulging bags and took off his backpack.
Masha ran to the unfamiliar man with open arms: «Mom, this is my dad! Right?»
Anna, realizing the situation, answered her daughter through tears: «Yes, Masha, this is your dad.»
Viktor lifted the girl into his arms, kissed her freckled nose, ruffled her golden curls: «Hello, my ‘redhead’!»
Then, he leaned down to Anna’s hand and kissed it warmly.
«Endless thanks to you, Anya! Will you forgive me?» Viktor, the prodigal husband, was ready to kneel.
Anna gently but firmly grabbed Viktor’s elbow, not letting him kneel.
«Hello, my bitter honey! You, Vitya, have been ‘away’ for… seventeen years. But no grudges or reproaches. Who remembers the past… You see — Stepan needs a father…» the woman sighed with relief.
Stepan, with his eyes wide open in surprise, stood off to the side and smiled…
A couple of weeks later, Anna, having recovered from the whirlwind of events, called her «curious» friend and said: «You wanted to know my daughter’s patronymic? It’s Viktorovna. Remember it — Maria Viktorovna! No options!»
