— «But we’re husband and wife. You’ve always told me you dream of having a family!» I tried to reason with my husband.
— «In my understanding, a family is just you and me, at least while we’re still young. Lida, we’re both 20. What children are you talking about? I don’t have a steady income, and we can’t support a child on your salary either. What do you suggest I do? Work as a laborer and toil until I’m sweaty, have no life, no time with friends? And at night, I would hear a baby crying.»
— «Actually, many young families live this way and have children, even while studying at the institute,» I argued with Sergey.
— «Well, let them live that way. My friend Igor just ran away back to his parents after half a year of that life. Do you want me to do the same?»
— «I don’t understand,» I harshly asked my husband, «are you giving me an ultimatum?»
— «Yes, choose: it’s either me or the child. Now go and solve this problem. In the end, it’s your fault for letting your guard down,» he replied. — «And in a few years, when we have a stable income and good earnings, we’ll come back to this discussion.»
After these words, I realized that we would never return to anything—not to the discussion, nor to living together at all.
I met Sergey when I was in my fourth year of college, though he wasn’t a student. We met when he gave me a ride in his taxi. He was working part-time through an app but not daily. His education was only high school level, and he thought it was enough to support himself.
Before meeting me, Sergey lived with his mother. He didn’t have his own apartment, and my grandmother had left me a nice inheritance—a three-bedroom in the city center, which could comfortably house a young family with a child.
Sergey was a cheerful and sociable guy, always joking, with a good sense of humor. I found it easy to talk to him, and I decided that poverty was not a vice, after all. Ultimately, I trained as an accountant and got a decent job, so I didn’t need to depend on anyone.
Of course, my parents tried to dissuade me from such a marriage. «A girl from a decent family marrying some taxi driver, how shameful.» However, I considered all this to be old-fashioned prejudices, and I only grew closer to Sergey because of the disagreements with my parents.
We celebrated our wedding very modestly, as hardly anyone contributed to it. My parents refused to do so on principle; I earned very little then, Sergey too, and his mother had no money. So we limited ourselves to a civil ceremony and invited only three close friends and had dinner at a restaurant.
This didn’t bother me. After all, what’s important in a marriage isn’t how it’s celebrated, but how people live together afterward. And, of course, the first year went more or less well. Sergey and I hardly ever argued, guests constantly came over since he had many friends, and he couldn’t live a day without socializing. We were also often invited in return. We frequently went on vacations, mostly at my expense, but again, I believe that money shouldn’t be divided in a family. In general, we lived like a young couple, and it would have continued this way if I hadn’t found out that I was expecting a child.
It’s not that I specifically planned to have a child this year or discussed it with my husband. I just took for granted that having children is a natural part of being married. I was raised to believe that if you get married, it’s obvious that children will follow. And there can only be one reaction to this—joy and preparation for the birth of a baby.
So I received this news in very high spirits, which could not be said about Sergey. He considered a child an obstacle to his endless partying, meetings with friends, parties, trips, and travels. For him, it was a «problem» that needed solving. It’s scary even to think that I married such a person.
I caught myself thinking that I was very naive when I met my future husband and didn’t bring up the topic of children before the wedding. After all, such things need to be discussed in advance so that at the last moment, your loved one doesn’t spring a surprise on you.
However, that’s all poetry, and I needed to do something. And I decided: if my husband reacted this way to his own child, then he was nobody to me anymore. Without trying to persuade him further, and certainly not yielding to him, I asked Sergey to pack his things and leave my apartment.
«I understand everything, you asked me to make a choice. Well, I have made it. For a mother, there is nothing more precious than her own children. So get out,» I said with venom in my voice.
«What kind of mother are you, Lida. Look at yourself! You’re still a child yourself.» My shameless husband tried to counter with his pitiful arguments. «What, you’re planning to raise him alone? And you’ll change the diapers and earn the money yourself? I won’t help because you decided to have the baby without consulting me. You’ll be both father and mother—what will you turn into in a couple of years, a man-woman? You won’t even take care of yourself.»
I approached and with a light movement of my hand, I shut this person’s shameless mouth.
«Stop spouting this absurdity,» I said, «I find it unpleasant to hear. I have parents who will help, a good job that won’t fire me for taking maternity leave, an apartment. And you have nothing but your selfishness and childish immaturity. You don’t even realize what you’re giving up. Your own son or daughter! Remember, when the baby is born, you’ll come running here begging to see the child, but I won’t even let you in the doorway. Better I be a single mother, or let another man, a stepfather, raise my baby, but not you.»
«Yeah, as if I need that,» Sergey declared arrogantly, «I can find a normal girl right now with a snap of my fingers, one who doesn’t need all these diaper hassles, one who isn’t planning to turn into an old woman at 20. I’ll find someone young and beautiful, and you can stay here surrounded by problems.»
This was my last conversation with Sergey as my official husband. Within a month, he became officially my ex-husband.
When I cleaned the apartment after his departure, I meticulously cleaned every corner to ensure none of his traces remained, not a single hair. I wanted to call the sanitary service to disinfect everything and wash myself several times. How had I ever allowed this person to touch me… But now it was done, a child was a responsibility, and I loved him, no matter what.
I didn’t go on maternity leave until the seventh month, wanting to prove myself in the company as the best employee so that they wouldn’t fire me, and management accommodated me. I was paid well, and my mother greatly supported me. She bought many things for the baby, vitamins for me. My best friend accompanied me to the doctors and helped out, as she already had a child. In general, I found people who treated me humanely, unlike my «beloved.»
Already on maternity leave, when it was difficult for me to move around, a former classmate, Matvey, started communicating with me. He had tried to court me even before I married Sergey. But at that time, he seemed too unremarkable, and I didn’t pay him any attention. Yes, the young man was not really handsome, but after the bitter experience, I realized that a pretty face and pumped muscles are not the signs of a good person and worthy husband.
We accidentally met in the courtyard when I was on my way to another check-up. He lived nearby.
«Well, future mommy, rushing towards your happiness?» asked Matvey, and I, wound up from everything that had happened, thought he was mocking me.
«Yes, for me, a child is happiness,» I sarcastically replied. «But you men wouldn’t understand. And you don’t need to understand…» I was about to run on, but Matvey stopped me, catching my hand.
«Wait, you misunderstood,» he replied, looking into my eyes, «I wasn’t joking or laughing at you, I truly believe that a child is happiness. And if his own father doesn’t understand how important it is to have his progeny, then that’s exclusively his problem. I admire you and consider you very strong.»
«And how do you know all about this situation?» I asked, surprised.
«Lika told me. Just generally, that you broke up with Sergey. You know, I’m very happy for you and always knew from the start that he wasn’t the right guy for you.»
It turns out, my best friend was on the ball and didn’t waste any time. While constantly communicating with me, she also managed to tell my problems to other classmates. But there was no point in being mad at her; that was just her character. She’s a talkative girl, but she helped me a lot.
«Thank you, Matvey, for the support, and sorry,» I politely replied, «but you see, nothing can happen between us. You see, I’m pregnant. What kind of bride am I now?»
«The best kind,» Matvey happily told me, «I don’t want to rush things, but I suggest you think about it. You know, I fell in love with you in the first year. But I understand that you don’t like me; you love macho men, and I’m small and unimpressive. And besides, you’re not even up for relationships now.»
I listened to the young man with great skepticism.
«But I want to tell you,» he continued, «for me, children are a dream, and although I’ve just started working, I would very much like to get married and become a father. Moreover, let there be not only my children in the family, it doesn’t matter. I have three brothers myself, and I’m used to living in a large family where everyone respects each other, not focusing on their adventures in clubs.»
Matvey always found the right moment to jab at Sergey more painfully. But at that moment, I even liked it.
I agreed to keep in touch with Matvey, gave him my phone number, but made it clear that I promised nothing, and for now, he would just be a friend. Because when a mother is expecting a child, there are no other people in the world for her. The guy happily agreed.
In the maternity hospital, Matvey came to meet me and the little girl with flowers. He introduced himself to the medical staff as the biological father of my daughter. The meeting was very beautiful—he gathered all my relatives and Lika, and afterward, they arranged a real celebration in honor of my return home.
When I sat with the baby, Matvey came almost every day and brought things for the child, gifts. He even bought toys that my daughter would only need a year later. I felt quite uncomfortable before him, feeling a bit obligated.
Moreover, the young man gradually started to appeal to me. I saw a real man in him, as I realized that manhood is not a pile of muscles and a pumped torso but the ability to protect and care for the family.
Moreover, he helped me bathe the baby and feed her. After all, the girl had absolutely no relation to him. Matvey shared that he remembered caring for his younger brother and really knew something. After 3 months, I melted and agreed to marry him, just immediately warned him that no wedding was necessary. I had bad memories associated with that celebration. We decided to just register our marriage, and he would record Katya in his name. My parents were very happy with my new choice and said that this time I definitely made the right decision.
Another half a year passed from the moment we, Matvey, and Katya began living as a real family. We had complete harmony. He did so much for my child that a biological father wouldn’t do—woke up and ran to her at night when I was completely exhausted. I was even afraid that someone would disrupt this perfect happiness.
One evening, when Matvey hadn’t yet come back from work and Katya was sleeping, I decided to lie down to rest. A loud doorbell woke me up, and I thought it was my husband returning from work early. And, of course, I rushed to meet him. To my surprise and displeasure, it was my ex-husband at the door.
«What are you doing here?» I harshly said, «came to borrow money? I want to note that I owe you nothing. And by the way, you should forget the way here. This is my apartment. I live here with another man.»
«I decided to come back, you have to let me back in,» my ex-husband assertively declared
I was so stunned by his audacious statement that I was momentarily dumbfounded, not knowing what to reply. Meanwhile, Sergey continued to heat up:
«And I see you didn’t waste any time, quickly found someone else. Or maybe he was there even when I was around?» Sergey boldly stated, not even trying to apologize for his past actions.
«Maybe he was,» I retorted just as boldly.
«So it’s his child?»
«Of course,» I calmly declared. «And do you know why? Because he provides for my daughter, raises her, bathes her, feeds her, and gets up to her at night, and because he immediately recognized her. Even though he knew she wasn’t biologically his. But you, Katya has absolutely no relation to you.»
«So, you’re saying I’m the biological father?» my ex-husband raised his voice, «you have to give me a chance to see the daughter, she’s my blood.»
«What?» I laughed. «And you’re saying this? You declared that children are a burden and an obstacle to a normal human life. Aren’t you dating Nastya? Then start having new children with her if your views have suddenly changed.»
«Nastya left me,» Sergey said, looking down.
«Well, that’s not surprising,» I declared, «you know, people often get a boomerang for their actions. Now leave, our daughter with Matvey is about to wake up. I don’t want her to be woken by a strange uncle.»
At that moment, something suddenly happened to Sergey as if a beast possessed him. He tried to push me into the apartment to break in himself.
«Let me in,» he yelled, «let me in immediately. It’s my child, I’ll prove it, I’ll do a DNA test!»
The baby woke up at that moment and started crying. Fortunately, Matvey had already come back from work.
I hadn’t thought that a skinny-looking guy could be so strong. Without saying a word, he grabbed Sergey by the shirt collar and pushed him out of our apartment like some kind of cockroach. He stumbled and flopped onto the floor. Our neighbor passed by and shook his head disapprovingly. It was a pitiful and funny sight. Our family continued to live happily, and I haven’t heard about the sorry ex-husband for a long time. They say he moved to another city to start a new life.
