Will you marry me?» suddenly asked Stas, addressing Nadia.
The girl stopped, looked at the young man with surprise. «What a silly joke,» she thought, but he immediately repeated:
«Marry me.»
This time his voice sounded different, and his gaze… Yes, his gaze—he wasn’t laughing, and that meant Stas was speaking from the heart.
«Are you serious?» Nadia asked cautiously, addressing the person she’d been dating for half a year.
Yes, strangely enough, she loved him. The first time she saw him, she looked at this rich boy with disdain: the watch, the jacket, the expensive car, the sneakers as if they had just been taken out of the package. He even boasted about his connections, money. And yet, she couldn’t remember the moment when she, like an addict, became hooked on his flattery, and when he wasn’t around, she missed it. Then she fell in love, yes, she fell in love, kissed him, but it never went further. And now Stas was saying she should become his wife. Usually, boys like him just played with girls, like a cat with a mouse, and afterward either devoured them without even a second thought or forgot them and left, while the poor mouse fled in panic to save her life.
«Yes, seriously,» the young man immediately responded. «Marry me.»
For a while, Nadia thought, could this be some sort of joke? It couldn’t be, that this rich boy, her beloved rich boy, was suddenly proposing.
They were walking down the street: no ring, no flowers, no kneeling—he said it casually, as if he were inviting her to sit in a café.
«Say it again,» Nadia asked him. She just wanted to be sure and hear his tone once more.
«Be my wife,» Stas said sincerely. Nadia believed him, she was sure he was sincere.
The girl stopped, looked into his eyes, approached him, stretched her neck, and kissed him on the lips. If he had lied, he would have surely smiled, but no, that didn’t happen.
«Okay,» Nadia said cautiously. «Okay,» she repeated, and added, «I agree.»
What else could she say? After all, she really loved her boy, loved him like never before. Yes, she had her first love: she went crazy, stayed awake at night crying, writing letters, tearing them up, her soul tearing apart. She loved him deeply, very deeply, and now she loved Stas, but she tried not to show it. She was probably afraid that someone would spit on her soul again.
A smile appeared on Stas’s face, he hugged the girl, and quietly whispered:
«Thank you, you won’t regret it.»
Words were unnecessary, she kissed him again. She didn’t want to do it again, but he stopped her.
«But,» Stas said, and that «but» immediately made Nadia uncomfortable, «we need to discuss it with the family.»
«Why’s that?» she asked her fiancé, yes, her fiancé, because if he proposed, that made him her fiancé.
«My family… well, how can I put it…»
«I understand,» the girl agreed with him. «If it needs to be done, it needs to be done.»
Running home, Nadia immediately ran to her mother, hugged her, and her mother, seeing the joyful look on her daughter’s face, immediately asked:
«Tell me, what have you done?»
«Mom,» the girl said in a conspiratorial tone, «I’m getting married!»
«I’m here!» Nadia’s younger sister Irinka immediately cried out. She jumped up, climbed onto her sister’s shoulders, and started kissing her neck, the back of her head, and her cheeks. The girl was squealing.
«Get off!» Nadia, shaking off her sister, sat heavily in a chair.
Her mother looked at her daughter, placed her hands on her chest, and asked:
«And who is this unfortunate one?» she asked jokingly.
«Stas, you haven’t met him, I’ll bring him over later.»
«Hooray!» Irinka shouted. «That means you’re leaving! I’ll take your room! Hooray!» The girl shouted again.
«Wait, wait,» her mother calmed her down, «what if your sister is coming to live with us with her fiancé?»
«Yuck!» the girl responded disgustedly.
«No, Mom, we’ll rent an apartment. Stas already talked about it.»
«Oh,» sighed the woman. «So that’s how it is… You’ve grown up and now you’re getting married…» Oh, she sighed again and looked at her daughter with some sadness.
«Mom, everything will be fine, you’ll see!»
A couple of days later, Stas approached Nadia:
«That’s it, my family is ready.»
«And what did they say?» the girl asked.
«My mom wants to meet you.»
«Wow, it’s like some kind of interview!»
«Don’t worry, she’s normal, she’ll just ask about a few things.»
«Got it,» Nadia immediately responded.
«Tomorrow, we’ll go to a restaurant.»
«Wow!» she was surprised. «A restaurant, really!» She immediately started thinking about what to wear.
«I’ll pick you up tomorrow at 6:00 p.m., don’t forget.»
«Okay.»
They didn’t discuss the topic anymore. They went to a café with friends, chatted, and in the evening, as usual, Stas drove Nadia home. They sat in the car for a while, and when it started to get dark, he kissed her.
Having agreed with Izolda, Nadia borrowed a beautiful dress from her for the evening—not a ball gown, of course, what for—but something beautiful. Seeing his bride in it, Stas broke into a smile—he was clearly pleased. The girl got in the car, and about 30 minutes later, they arrived at the restaurant, went up to the second floor, and as soon as they entered the hall, they headed straight to the table where a woman and a man were already waiting for them.
«Mom, we’re not late, right?» Stas asked his mother.
«Hello,» Nadia said, first addressing the man, then the woman.
Stas pulled out a chair and, like a true gentleman, helped Nadia sit.
«My name is Olga Leonidovna,» introduced the future mother-in-law.
«Igor Pavlovich,» immediately introduced the man sitting to the right of the woman.
«Nadia,» the girl responded.
A waiter approached and handed them the menu.
Not knowing what to choose, Nadia asked Stas to decide for her, and he immediately started rattling off, pointing at the menu.
«Son said you’ve already graduated from university?» Olga Leonidovna asked.
«Yes,» Nadia answered, adding, «With honors.»
Hearing this, the woman nodded approvingly.
«And where do you work now?» came the next question.
«In an agency as a translator, but it’s a temporary job.»
«Mom,» Stas spoke up, «Nadia speaks two languages.»
«Good,» murmured the woman in a purring voice, like a cat that had just eaten fish.
The waiter arrived and began setting the table. Dishes, glasses, and wine appeared. Nadia felt awkward—she had only been to a restaurant a couple of times in her life, and never in such an expensive one.
«Just a minute,» Igor Pavlovich spoke up and stood up from the table, heading towards a man talking to someone in the middle of the hall.
Nadia turned her head and, seeing the man, smiled at him in return. He smiled back and slightly tilted his head—this didn’t go unnoticed by Olga Leonidovna.
Nadia set the napkin aside, moved her chair.
«Excuse me,» she said to her future mother-in-law.
The girl stood up, walked up to the man, they spoke for a couple of seconds, and she returned.
«Sorry,» she said, taking the napkin in her hands again.
When Igor Pavlovich returned, Olga Leonidovna continued her questioning. She was interested in everything: what clubs she attended, what diseases she had, which pioneer camps she went to, where her parents worked, and of course, her future plans.
Half an hour later, the woman who had been with the man approached the table, bent down, whispered something in Nadia’s ear, and handed her a business card.
Olga Leonidovna paused for a second, and when the woman left, she continued her questions.
Half an hour later, dinner was over. Igor Pavlovich stood up, followed by Olga Leonidovna, and after saying their goodbyes, they left.
«Phew!» Nadia exhaled and, turning to her fiancé, asked: «How did it go?» She meant her presentation as a bride.
«It could’ve been better,» Stas replied gloomily. «Okay, let’s go,» and he stood up, helping Nadia to her feet.
After wandering around the city for a bit, they got in the car.
«So? When are we going to submit the application?» she asked her fiancé.
«We need to wait and see what mom says,» he said quietly.
The girl looked at him in surprise.
«What does your mom have to do with our wedding?»
«Everything,» Stas answered curtly.
Nadia didn’t ask any more questions. She kissed him again and, jumping out of the car, ran home.
The next day, when Nadia finished work, her fiancé met her. She immediately jokingly asked:
«Well, did mom give her blessing for the wedding?»
Stas answered seriously:
«Yes, and tomorrow we’ll go to choose the wedding dress.»
«Wow! I don’t even know whether to be surprised or happy,» the girl said.
And indeed, the next day, Nadia, along with her friend Izolda and Stas, went to the boutique.
It was something else! She had always imagined a boutique as a small store with exclusive items, but this boutique was much cooler: it had a café, a sewing workshop, and four large halls filled with everything you could possibly need for a wedding.
Olga Leonidovna greeted them. Nadia said hello to her mother-in-law, and she, with a business-like attitude, immediately started listing requirements for the dress to the sales consultant.
Nadia and Izolda exchanged glances. It seemed as though Olga Leonidovna was getting married and picking out a dress for herself, but Nadia didn’t argue and decided to go along with it.
They moved to another hall, and the sales consultant began showing one dress after another. Olga Leonidovna rejected each one: she didn’t like the bow, the color, the lacing on the back. In the end, they narrowed it down to three options.
«Go try it on,» she told her daughter-in-law.
Izolda went to help her friend. After all, a wedding dress was no simple matter—it was more like knight armor, and you couldn’t put it on without a squire. That’s how wedding dresses were: sometimes the sleeves needed adjusting, sometimes the lacing, a petticoat, a skirt, ribbons, and all sorts of other things.
On the third dress, Olga Leonidovna nodded approvingly.
«We’ll take it,» she said, turning to the sales consultant.
Nadia was again surprised because her mother-in-law hadn’t even asked if she liked it. Yes, she liked all the dresses, but at least out of politeness, she could have asked.
«How much is it?» she whispered to the sales consultant, who whispered back. Hearing the price, Nadia’s eyes widened.
«Don’t worry,» Olga Leonidovna said. «You need to shine at the wedding so everyone can see what a diamond my son has.»
«Yeah…» the bride-to-be murmured, but the number still kept swirling in her head.
«We’ll take it,» she said firmly. «On credit. You’ll pay for it later.»
Nadia didn’t argue, went behind the screen, and Izolda helped her change.
Her mother-in-law left, and her friend quickly kissed her cheek and ran off. Stas suggested they sit in the café attached to the boutique. Nadia agreed.
«You know,» she was still thinking about the price and the talk of credit.
«You look stunning,» the young man said admiringly.
«Yeah,» the girl replied, «but I think I’ll order a different dress. This one is too expensive for me.»
At that moment, the same sales consultant came over and told her that the dress had already been taken to the groom’s house. After she left, Nadia turned to Stas:
«I didn’t agree to this, I’m probably going to refuse it.»
«Don’t worry,» he smiled. «I’ll take care of it.»
«Okay,» she agreed, trusting her beloved.
A few days later, Stas, as usual, drove Nadia home. They sat in the car for almost an hour, making plans for the future. She didn’t want to leave her beloved boy, dreaming of the day when they’d rent an apartment together, and she’d never leave him again.
«It’s time,» Nadia thought, looking at her phone. She kissed Stas on the lips and was about to open the door when he said:
«Mom wants to meet with you tomorrow.»
«Another viewing?» Nadia asked jokingly.
«This is important,» came his short reply.
«Okay, I’m ready,» and, kissing her fiancé once more, the girl got out of the car and reluctantly walked to the entrance.
The next day, as promised to Stas, Nadia went to the café in the five-star hotel, but Olga Leonidovna wasn’t there. The girl sat down at a table, and the waiter immediately brought the menu. The prices were clearly steep, so she decided to just order a coffee.
About five minutes later, Olga Leonidovna appeared, apologized for being late, sat down across from her. The waiter came, but she didn’t look at the menu.
«The dress is sorted,» her future mother-in-law said confidently.
Nadia didn’t ask who would pay for it: if Olga Leonidovna said it was sorted, it was sorted.
«So, the wedding day,» the mother-in-law began in a businesslike manner, «we’ll split it into two days.»
Nadia didn’t ask why two days; she just nodded in agreement.
«We’ll cover the first day’s expenses, your parents will cover the second.»
And again, Nadia didn’t ask any unnecessary questions, waiting for Olga Leonidovna to lay out all her cards.
At that moment, Stas came to the table and sat down.
«What did I miss?» he asked his mother.
«I’m talking about the two days.»
«Why?» Nadia finally asked, but it was Olga Leonidovna who answered for him:
«The first day is for my son’s parents, friends, and acquaintances, and the second day you get to celebrate with your family and friends.»
To say that Nadia was surprised by this would be an understatement—she was in shock. She turned her head to Stas, waiting for an explanation.
«Understand this,» Stas tried to explain, «my parents, they hold very important positions, so do our relatives, friends, and acquaintances, and your parents… well, you know…»
«Workers,» Nadia thought to herself. She felt her heart stop, and her face went pale. She took a sip of her drink. She couldn’t believe Olga Leonidovna was really saying this.
«If we gathered your family and ours together, it would be uncomfortable,» Stas tried to explain why the wedding needed to be split into two days.
«You should shine like a diamond,» added Olga Leonidovna.
«Yeah,» Nadia quietly replied.
For the next five minutes, Olga Leonidovna described the future prospects of the newlyweds. She declared that after the wedding, they would live in a well-furnished three-room apartment, with everything they needed, including tableware.
«And when you give birth,» said Olga Leonidovna, «bonuses will be credited to your account.»
«Are they serious about this?» Nadia thought and looked first at her mother-in-law, then at Stas.
«Well, are you happy?» Stas asked her.
Just yesterday, she kissed him on the lips, basked in his touch, and now he was talking about bonuses for childbirth as if she were a pedigree bitch who had to give him offspring.
«I need to think about it,» the girl whispered.
Stas took it as a «yes,» so he turned to his mother and smiled. At that moment, Olga Leonidovna snapped her fingers, the waiter approached, she said something to him, and he quickly left. A moment later, a man with a camera appeared, turned it on, and aimed the lens at the girl.
«Why is this happening?» she asked Stas in confusion.
«For the history books,» answered Olga Leonidovna on his behalf.
The girl’s heart began to race, and she felt like a rabbit trapped in a burrow by hunting dogs.
The mother-in-law opened her purse, took out a small velvet box, and handed it to her son. Stas took it, opened it, and, turning toward Nadia, ceremoniously said:
«Be my wife!»
«So, the proposal he made earlier,» Nadia thought, «was a fake, a lie.»
The cameraman moved closer. Nadia looked at the lens, then at Olga Leonidovna, and then at Stas, who was shining with happiness, like a newly polished coin. Stas took the ring out of the box and extended it to the girl. She took it and carefully examined it. «It must be expensive,» she thought, and turned her head back toward the camera.
«A moment ago, I respected you,» Nadia said, and placed the ring back in the box. «But now, after what you’ve said to me, I despise you.»
Olga Leonidovna’s face turned red, while Stas, on the other hand, turned pale.
«I despise you, you flaunt your money, your position, and think you’re kings of this world.»
The girl pushed the chair away. At that moment, the waiter came with three glasses of champagne, and she took one of them, took a small sip, and then gleefully splashed the rest in Stas’s face.
«Historical moment,» she said, addressing Olga Leonidovna directly.
The cameraman froze. He switched the camera between the girl, the wet Stas, who was frozen and didn’t know what to do, and the red-faced Olga Leonidovna.
«Snap out of it,» the young man finally spoke. «You’ll only get an offer like this once in your life.»
«It’s good that I’ll only experience such humiliation once in my life,» Nadia replied, and, turning around, walked toward the exit.
At that moment, the musicians started playing, perhaps taking it as a signal to act, or maybe just to support the girl.
Offended, Olga Leonidovna stood up sharply. The cameraman, realizing that it was better to leave, quickly disappeared. «Snotty girl,» thought the woman. «You’ll suffer and cry.» Her gaze followed the former fiancée, who had gone outside, taken out her phone, and was already chatting happily with someone. Nadia did this on purpose; she didn’t want to cry. It hurt, deeply hurt, because she had really loved Stas, and even now, if he had come to her and said that it was all his mother’s fantasy, she would have forgiven him. But he didn’t say that. The phone rang, pulling her from her thoughts. She picked it up—it was Izolda. Pressing the phone to her ear, Nadia turned and, seeing Stas standing in the café, waved to him with a smile, and then, as if nothing had happened, walked away from the hotel with quick and clearly happy steps.
