— Yulka, it’s no use running from me. You’re going to be mine anyway—whether you like it or not.
— Oh, come off it! Do you really think that just because your dad works in the police everything’s allowed for you? The law is the same for everyone. Just try it—and you’ll end up behind bars.
— I’ll try, but for now it’s difficult. After that incident, your granny started taking you to school and picking you up. She even keeps an eye on you at home.
— That’s all your fault. Why did you drag yourself into the schoolyard bushes during recess? A janitor saw you from the window and intervened.
— And that’s why he got his comeuppance. His father forced him to resign, sell his house, and leave town.
— Your father did that?
— I said all that to him… He’ll always remember how he tried to interfere with me.
— You’re just spoiled by your father’s attention. How could he have fallen for your provocations? Vadim Sergeyevich is a respectable man—our local officer.
— And what about mom? Seven years ago she left me and dad, ran off with some outsider. She didn’t even show up for the divorce proceedings; dad handled everything himself. You women are all the same. You fixate on someone, but not out of love. Understand?
Nikita stepped away from the girl, and at the classroom door his friends burst into laughter.
— So, are you going to keep humiliating yourself, Nikitos? Yulka is a tough nut to crack.
— I’ll crack her when the opportunity arises. How about a bet—at graduation I’ll charm her into it? Dimka, you’re on for the computer, and Yurka, you’re getting a new phone.
The boys high-fived and went into the classroom. Yulia sat at her desk, and Nikita stuck his tongue out at her. His friends only smirked.
The graduation day arrived. In the assembly hall, diplomas were handed out, and the celebration continued in the gymnasium where tables were set up.
The graduates didn’t linger long indoors. According to a long-standing tradition, at ten o’clock they headed to the river. There, they lit a bonfire, and plenty of conversation topics arose. Yulia sat between her friends Katya and Sonya, feeling protected from Nikita. They promised to see her safely home at dawn.
— Girls, let’s slip away into the bushes before Nikita, Yurka, and Dimka show up in the clearing. They took Larka to the river, — Katya suggested.
Of course, each chose her own spot among the bushes, but it was all in vain. It seemed Nikita had been waiting for this. He crept up from behind, covered Yulka’s mouth with his palm, grabbed her waist, and dragged her into the woods. Thanks to his training in a sports club, he was strong and enduring. Yulia, though she struggled, couldn’t do anything. From afar, her name was being shouted, but she couldn’t answer.
Nikita ran until the voices completely died down. He crossed the road, reached the edge of the settlement, veered towards the forest, and stopped at a small hut, where he finally dropped her.
— There, Yulka, now you’re going to get exactly what I’ve longed for. Don’t complain later. After all, your father will blame you…
Yulia appeared at her home at daybreak. Her grandmother, grandfather, and parents, having lost hope of finding her in the woods, were waiting in the yard.
— Yulenka, darling, — her mother wept, looking at the tattered, dirty graduation dress with its ruffles dragging on the ground. The bodice, missing its buttons, was wrinkled on her chest. Makeup mixed with tears.
Her grandmother hugged her, and her father asked:
— Who did this to you, darling? Nikita?
— Him, dad, — she immediately admitted.
Her father rushed outside. His path led him to the local officer, where he filed a report.
— Take this, Vadim Sergeyevich, and do what’s right by conscience and law. I’m taking my daughter to the clinic for tests. If you try to interfere or swap the results, you’ll have only yourself to blame. Under Yulka’s nails, there’s the skin of your son.
— Calm down, Valentin Ignatievich. My son will answer for everything under the law. I’m not going to cover for him. I’ll personally take him to the clinic. He’s sleeping at home now. I noticed scratches on his shoulders and arms, but he said he got into a fight.
Nikita received his sentence. His father resigned from service and started working as a private detective, opening his own agency.
Yulia learned about the pregnancy and signed up for an abortion. At the clinic, she encountered Nikita’s father and tried to pass by, but he stopped her.
— Wait, Yulia. We need to talk.
— I have nothing to discuss with you. Your son ruined my future. I had so much trouble scheduling the procedure. I have a rare blood type, and there’s a risk I might never be able to have children again. But I definitely don’t want this child.
— Let’s get into the car. I have an important conversation to have. Please, listen.
— Fine, I’ll listen.
In the car, Vadim confessed: — I went to the colony to see my son… and buried him there. I couldn’t bring myself to take him home, so I left him in the local cemetery. You’re carrying his child, and I have no one left. I grew up in an orphanage myself; my mother abandoned me in a cardboard box by a dumpster. I survived to always act honestly. But I lost my son.
— Lost him? Is that what it’s called now? And who forced the janitor to resign from the school, sell his house, and leave?
— Yulia, I swear, I had nothing to do with that.
— And Dina, the saleswoman? Her boss fired her for refusing to sell cigarettes to your son. And you deny that too?
— I swear, I didn’t know anything. For such “exploits” I was always very strict with Nikita—confiscating his phone, laptop, money. He was never a spoiled kid.
— That’s enough, I’ve heard you. I must go.
— Wait. If you decide to keep the child, he will be my grandson, a part of my family.
— I’m not going to be your incubator. Get married and let your wife have the baby. You’re not that old and you’re attractive. You’ll find someone.
— And will you agree to be my wife? Together we can raise the child.
— How can you suggest such a thing? I won’t tell anyone. — Yulia dashed out of the car.
At home, she told her grandmother about the impending abortion and its possible consequences.
— My dear, I understand your feelings. But when you find love, you’ll understand: without children, a family is incomplete.
— Grandma, what are you saying? This is Nikita’s child! I’ll never be able to love him.
— Think it over for a couple of days, and then we’ll decide.
At the store, Yulia met Vadim again. He approached her and led her outside.
— So, have you decided to marry me? The thing is, after my injury I became sterile. Now, I have neither a son nor any chance for offspring. The grandson you bear will be the meaning of my life. I’m willing to arrange a sham marriage; you move in with me. Everyone will believe that the child is mine. Do you agree? That way, you’ll preserve your health and the chance to be a mother again.
— With you? You’re sterile, and in marriage I won’t be able to stray or get divorced. You’ll take the child away immediately.
— That won’t happen, I swear. The main thing is—the child must be born. I’ll come by this evening; we’ll discuss it. Do you agree?
— Fine, you won’t let up anyway.
Yulia went home, while Vadim continued on his way.
In Yulia’s family, heated disputes broke out. In the end, they reached a compromise: Yulia would marry Vadim and move in with him.
There was no wedding celebration. They registered the marriage and returned to Vadim’s home.
— Make yourself at home, settle in. Nikita’s room is off-limits, but upstairs you can choose any room. My bedroom is large, and there are two spare rooms. One will become a nursery.
— Alright, Vadim Sergeyevich.
— No patronymic. So that everyone truly believes it’s a genuine marriage.
— Fine, Vadim. You’re my husband, and I’ll get used to it.
Yulia gave birth to a boy, and soon everyone noticed that he resembled Vadim.
The shock for her family came with the news of a second pregnancy. She explained: — I’ve come to love him. It turned out he thought he was sterile, but he was mistaken.
The second son was biologically Vadim’s, yet he also adored his grandson.
This is the story of an event that took place in one of the towns in the Moscow suburbs.
