My God, I just wanted to help you choose a dress!» exclaimed the mother-in-law. «Who do you look like now? This is just nonsense, not a bride’s outfit!»
Lena froze in front of her new mother-in-law, unable to respond. The guests watched the unfolding scene attentively. Andrey tried to calm his mother:
«Mom, could you please keep your voice down?»
«I could, but what would change? Or do you hope that no one will see that your bride has neither taste nor common sense?» she retorted.
Andrey took his mother by the hand and led her away, leaving Lena alone in front of a crowd of guests who couldn’t take their eyes off her dress—all because she had refused the model suggested by the mother-in-law. But Lena couldn’t stand excessive decorations and glitter. Her outfit was not cheap—it was a classic of refined simplicity without unnecessary decor.
Lena noticed the guests beginning to whisper, especially Svetlana, with whom Andrey had had a relationship before. Svetlana had seriously hoped to marry him, as her father held a high position at a bank, making her a great match for Andrey—not like Lena, whom her mother-in-law called a dowry-less woman.
Lena glanced from one guest to another, seeing only mockery and disdain in their eyes. What a surprise, almost all were invited by Andrey’s mother. From Lena’s side, only a few friends attended, who tried to stay out of the fray.
She felt tears gathering. Andrey hadn’t supported her, possibly fearing he would lose his parents’ financial backing. This realization only came to Lena now, and she suddenly understood that she should not have married him, no matter how dear he was to her. Andrey would always be from another world and could not change.
Lena turned around and rushed away. She would not give anyone the pleasure of seeing her tears. Bursting out of the restaurant, she stopped. The wedding was taking place at a prestigious location near a park and river. Lena headed towards the river to be alone with her thoughts. As she ran through the park in her bridal dress, passersby looked at her in surprise, but Lena did not care.
She had always dreamed of a happy marriage with a loved one, not his wallet. She dreamed of a close-knit family, of children. She wanted to live so that she wouldn’t have to count every penny, so that the family could go to the sea once a year, to have everything like normal people.
Andrey and she hadn’t known each other long, but Lena felt he was the one, the embodiment of a worthy, reliable husband. She overlooked when he was inattentive or forgot about a date, preferring to hang out with friends. Lena always considered that Andrey was a person with bright passions, so she ignored his minor flaws.
But now, remembering her first meeting with his mother, she understood that she should have ended the relationship back then when the mother unabashedly stated that her son should choose someone else. Andrey then remained silent, and it was unbearably painful for Lena.
Now the future seemed foggy, especially after the wedding fell apart. Bitterness burned inside her. Lena reached the riverbank, sat down directly in the grass, and let her tears flow.
They flowed incessantly, and she didn’t try to wipe them away or move. Only after an hour did she quiet down a bit. Taking her time, Lena wiped her eyes and stared at the quiet surface of the water.
Suddenly, she noticed some movement. On the high bank, fenced off by a barrier, stood an old woman. She had gone beyond the fence, which was not possible accidentally. Lena watched carefully and saw: the elderly woman closed her eyes and whispered something as if praying. Her face looked worn, her clothes were modest.
Lena felt alarmed.
«What are you doing?» she shouted. «Are you really going to…?»
The grandmother slowly opened her eyes and saw Lena. Gradually, her gaze dropped to the girl’s wedding dress.
«I’m sorry, dear. I didn’t think anyone was here. I probably disturbed you…»
Lena felt relieved. The grandmother spoke, and it was reassuring.
«Why do you think so? Sometimes it seems like everything is bad, but…»
The old woman shook her head negatively:
«No, dear. When you become a burden to your own children, who want to kick you out of your own home, which you’ve worked for all your life, there is no hope. I am needed by no one.»
«I think otherwise. Everyone is important to someone, even if not for those you’d like to be important for,» Lena tried to convince her.
She had just come to the realization that she needed to sort out her feelings, but now all her thoughts were about preventing the woman from taking a drastic step. She needed to do everything possible to get the grandmother back to a safe place.
«What’s your name?»
«Yekaterina Sergeyevna.»
«And I’m Lena. Today was my wedding, and here I am… I ran away from the restaurant. But I won’t give anyone a reason to laugh at my tears, and neither should you! Come with me; I’ll treat you to tea. I have a special tea, you’ve never tried anything like it!»
The grandmother barely smiled.
«And what makes it special?»
«Try it and see.»
Finally, the old woman took a step back and looked at Lena:
«Why do I need you, girl? You have enough worries…»
«What worries? Think, I just found out at the wedding that I was making a mistake—that’s all. Let’s go!»
Lena extended her hand, and after a brief pause, Yekaterina Sergeyevna took it.
The woman’s story was as old as the world. She had a son who, in turn, had a family. A few years ago, his wife passed away, and the grandson moved to another city, although he had not yet found his match. A year ago, the son remarried, and the bride was much younger than him.
At first, everything seemed quite prosperous.
Yekaterina Sergeyevna recalled how they had decided to merge their living spaces, sell her apartment, and buy a larger one. Of course, she wanted to spend her old age not alone, so she agreed.
But now they were trying to kick her out of the new house. Her son seemed to pretend not to notice the problems, while his wife openly mocked her, even resorting to raising her hand against her. When Yekaterina Sergeyevna tried to discuss with her son how his wife behaved, he threatened to send her to a psychiatric hospital.
Not wanting to wait for such a sad outcome, the grandmother simply left the house. She had been wandering the streets for three days, starving. Today, she had thought to end her life, as it could hardly be called living anymore.
«And your grandson, does he treat you the same way?» Lena asked.
«Oh, no, my dear Lenochka, my grandson is good,» the grandmother replied. «It’s just that he stopped visiting us after that snake crept into the family. At first, we often called each other, but then they took my phone away. The grandson sometimes calls his father, and he tells him I’m either sleeping or out for a walk.»
An idea came to Lena’s mind.
«Yekaterina Sergeyevna, tell me, what is your grandson’s name and surname? Meanwhile, go rest; I’ve made up the sofa for you, don’t worry. I’m sure everything will work out.»
Yekaterina Sergeyevna quickly fell asleep, exhausted from the hardships she had endured. Lena, leaving her to sleep, sat down at the laptop. Making herself a large cup of coffee, she comfortably settled in the kitchen. Remembering that she hadn’t checked her phone for a long time, she pulled it out of her wedding dress, which was lying on the bathroom floor.
It turned out that she had over a hundred missed calls, and only one from Andrey. After some thought, Lena removed the SIM card from the phone and broke it. Twenty minutes later, she had found information about Yekaterina Sergeyevna’s grandson on the internet. It was him: city, school, age, everything matched.
The morning doorbell woke her up.
Yekaterina Sergeyevna had already risen, but sat quietly on the sofa, careful not to wake Lena.
«Who could that be?» Lena wondered.
She really didn’t want to see Andrey. She planned to tell him that she was filing for divorce as soon as she sorted out her own problems and could help Yekaterina Sergeyevna.
She cautiously approached the door and looked through the peephole. Andrey wasn’t there. But there stood a tall, strong man who was unfamiliar to her. She opened the door.
«Elena? My name is Mikhail, I am Yekaterina Sergeyevna’s grandson.»
Yekaterina Sergeyevna jumped up, hearing his voice, and hurried to the door.
«Lenochka, this is my Misha! Oh, Lord, Misha… How did you know I was here with Lena?»
«Grandma, why were you silent? We specially memorized my number by heart. You could have asked for help from neighbors.»
«Oh, Misha, I didn’t want to bother you. You and your father already have a strained relationship…»
«Grandma, what else would they be, with all that’s happening here?»
Misha turned to Lena and gave her a kind smile.
«Thank you so much for not passing by my grandmother. She means an incredible amount to me. I’ve long dreamed of taking her away, but there was always something that kept her here. We even argued about it sometimes, honestly,» he admitted. «I might seem intrusive, but I wouldn’t mind a cup of coffee after four hours behind the wheel.»
Lena brightened up as if she had just awakened from a dream.
«I’m sorry, please, I guess I’m still not awake… Right away,» she said, embarrassed.
It was decided that Mikhail and the grandmother would stay for a few days to sort out the documents. It turned out that Yekaterina Sergeyevna had also invested in buying the second apartment, so she couldn’t just be kicked out onto the street.
«This is unacceptable, and I’m going to file a lawsuit,» Mikhail stated confidently. «Grandma, one way or another, I won’t leave you here, but I won’t just let this go.»
In the following days, Lena felt as if she was in a daze. She was upset that she had fallen in love again so quickly; an adult should be wiser. But nothing could be done: next to Mikhail, she was lost.
Before the guests left, Lena told Mikhail about her feelings. He was amazed.
«Are you serious? I didn’t think that was possible. What are your plans?» he asked.
Lena shrugged:
«Tomorrow I’ll file for divorce,» she replied.
«But you loved him?»
«Apparently not,» she said with a sad smile. «For this, perhaps I should even thank fate.»
After Mikhail and Yekaterina Sergeyevna left, they called regularly. Lena got divorced, and nothing else made her happier. At some point, she decided that happiness wasn’t her lot and immersed herself in work.
«Lena, have you heard, we have a new boss?» a colleague asked.
«They said Grigorievich would only retire in two months.»
«No, he’s already gone. And the new one… He’s young, handsome,» she replied.
«So what? Probably inexperienced. It will be tough to work with him,» Lena sighed.
«God, you’re not even thirty yet, and all you think about is work. What, are you going to marry your job now?» the colleague chuckled. «They say he’s not married, by the way.»
Lena shrugged and threw herself into work, not noticing the gossip.
«Elena Vladimirovna, the new boss is calling you,» they informed her.
Entering the office, Lena froze in surprise: standing before her was Mikhail.
«Hello…» he smiled.
Two months later, the entire work collective celebrated their wedding. The colleague couldn’t help but sigh:
«Come on, tell us, how do you behave with men to find such a husband? To walk into an office and he just proposes right away.»
Lena just laughed.
