Daniil ground his teeth so hard that his jaw started to ache — these endless lectures had driven him to the point of fury! He wanted to slam the door and leave, but his father, Saveliy Sergeevich, stood in his way like a steel wall and then firmly pushed him back.
«Where do you think you’re going?» his father thundered. «Sit down immediately! Stop showing off! You’re twenty-four years old — you could use your brain a little!»
Daniil involuntarily shrugged his shoulders. The same old thing again! And yet he, for one, took care of himself: he worked out, led a healthy lifestyle. His father, on the other hand, according to the stories, spent his youth bar-hopping and ruining his health. Meanwhile, Daniil regularly went to the gym and worked like a dog to live by his principle: a real man must be strong! At the very least, strong enough to lift his girlfriend in his arms.
Muttering something under his breath, Daniil nevertheless sat down.
«Same old lecture? Trying to educate me? I hate to break it to you, old man, but I outgrew diapers a long time ago.»
Saveliy Sergeevich moved over to the window, shoving his hands deep into his trouser pockets.
«Listen to me, son,» he sighed. «I just don’t understand — what exactly are you trying to achieve with your behavior?»
Daniil smirked.
«I’m not trying to achieve anything! You old-timers are the ones who keep making plans, boxing yourselves in, and then suffering for it. I just live. Drift along with the flow, relax, enjoy life.»
«Enjoy life?» Saveliy Sergeevich’s face turned crimson. «And what then? When your mother and I are gone, who will feed you?»
«I’ll think about it when the time comes,» Daniil snapped. «Is the lecture over? Can I go now?»
«You really don’t understand anything, do you?» His father looked at him with clear disappointment.
Daniil grinned.
«What’s there to understand? That you’re in a bad mood today and decided to take it out on me?»
«No, not that! Listen carefully: either you pull yourself together, or in a month, I’ll block all your accounts. You’ll have to live off what you earn yourself. Clothes included.»
The grin instantly disappeared from Daniil’s face. His father, ignoring the reaction, continued:
«I know you, smart guy. You’ll rush to withdraw everything you can. But I’ve taken care of that too. There’s now a daily withdrawal limit on all your cards and accounts.»
Daniil ground his teeth again. Damn it, it’s like he’s reading my mind!
«Dad, when you say ‘pull myself together,’ what exactly do you mean? You want me to go join a monastery or something?»
Saveliy Sergeevich shrugged.
«Normal people work, get married, live full lives. And what do you do? Drink until morning, pass out wherever, sleep till noon. Is that normal?»
«So you’re suggesting… marriage?» Daniil almost choked with indignation.
Saveliy Sergeevich sighed heavily.
«I’ve said what I needed to say. It’s up to you now. You’re an adult.»
Just then a message arrived. Daniil quickly glanced at it and shouted:
«Dad, have you lost your mind?! I can’t even buy a shawarma with this!»
«Some families live off that amount for two weeks,» his father replied calmly. «That’s half a month’s salary for them.»
«Dad, that’s insane!»
Saveliy Sergeevich silently left the room. Daniil, seething with anger, hurled his phone at the wall. But, to his surprise, the device survived. He immediately called his friend.
«Hey, Kolyan, we need to meet — urgently! I need advice.»
«How about our bar on the corner?» Kolyan suggested.
Daniil hesitated. He didn’t have a single ruble of cash on him.
«Better somewhere outside. I’m not in the mood for eating right now. Maybe just something cheap like chips…»
«What’s going on?»
Daniil told him everything. Kolyan whistled.
«Man, that’s rough! You don’t joke around with your dad, that’s for sure. You know what? I think I’ll stay home for now. I don’t want to risk getting caught in his bad books. My dad’s entire business depends on yours…»
Daniil stared at his friend in surprise.
«Seriously? You’re scared?»
Kolyan looked at him like he was a little kid.
«You should be more careful too. Honestly, maybe you should just do what your father says for once. Imagine if he really cuts you off?»
«Come on, I doubt he’d go that far,» Daniil said, waving him off, although a tiny seed of doubt sprouted inside him.
«Well, it’s your call,» Kolyan shrugged. «But I’m not getting involved. Call me later.»
Kolya simply stood up and left, leaving Daniil completely bewildered. Something inside told him his friend was right, but the idea of working… God, he hated it! So what now? Get married just to get his father off his back?
Daniil went back home and grabbed his phone. He needed to call every girl he knew. Maybe one of them would agree to play the role of a loving fiancée, maybe even go through with a wedding, and then — a divorce and done. The main thing was to make his father relax. After that, they could stage a fight before the wedding — happens all the time, right?
But with each call, his enthusiasm faded. At first, the girls would squeal with joy, thinking he was proposing, but then… their tone would suddenly change, and they would hang up. Daniil was boiling with anger. What was this string of failures?! That evening, he even watched a movie with his mother — his father wasn’t home; he had gone somewhere.
«Mom, could you please talk to him?» Daniil asked.
His mother had always been on the side of her only son, and he knew it well. But this time, she looked at him… almost like a stranger.
«When you were little,» she said, «I dreamed of the day you’d grow up — strong, independent… I imagined myself being proud of you, thinking you would achieve things no one else could. But now… I’ve stopped calling my friends, just so I don’t have to hear about the successes of their children. My son has been nothing but a constant disappointment.»
That hit Daniil deep in the heart. He flared up so badly he started shaking. He decided he would show both his mother and father what he was capable of.
Two weeks passed, but he still couldn’t come up with a plan of action. He hadn’t even gotten drunk once during that time — he just wasn’t in the mood. A couple of times, he dropped by his father’s office, but the atmosphere there was so dreary that he quickly lost interest. He decided to take a drive around the city to clear his head. Sometimes, driving helped him gather his thoughts. Maybe some idea would come to him.
And that’s when he spotted the market. He hadn’t been there in what felt like a hundred years — not since he was a boy running around. Daniil drove through the gates. Nothing had changed. Everything was just as it had been years ago. Meat being sold right out on the street, with no care for the dust or flies. And dairy products too…
He froze. At the end of the rows stood a girl. She was selling dairy products too, but her stall was different: everything was neatly covered with white cloths, and she wasn’t shouting like the others. She just sat there quietly, staring ahead with a sad, distant look.
Daniil took a few steps toward her. A vague idea began to form in his mind.
«Hi,» he said.
The girl looked up at him. For a moment, he saw caution in her eyes. «She probably thinks I’m just another player,» Daniil thought.
«Hi,» she answered and turned away.
Daniil, being quick-witted, immediately understood what she was thinking.
«How much for everything?» he asked.
She looked at him in surprise.
«What exactly are you interested in?»
«All of it,» he said, waving at her goods. «How much for everything?»
She looked confused.
«I… haven’t calculated.»
«Then do it,» Daniil smiled. «But let’s make a deal: I’ll buy everything, and afterward, we’ll go have coffee at that café over there.»
She glanced in the direction he pointed, then looked back at him.
«Why?»
«I want to talk. Offer you a job.»
«Yeah, right,» she smirked. «You really think I have trouble finding suitors?»
«No, it’s not that. We could actually help each other.»
«Alright,» she suddenly smiled. «Even if we don’t, I’ll still sell everything.»
Daniil stared at her, his mouth slightly open. Then he closed it. What an unusual smile she had! It wasn’t about beauty — something about that smile made him feel uneasy, as if he were doing something wrong.
He ordered himself coffee and a salad and got her some ice cream.
«Do you have parents?» he asked.
«I had them,» she sighed. «Three years ago, they died from carbon monoxide poisoning. They closed the stove too early, and we weren’t home. We were by the river, trying to keep my little brother distracted.»
«Brother? Who’s that?»
«Romka. He needs treatment now. He’s very sick. I’m saving up from my salary — I work as a dairymaid on a farm. We live off what I make from selling products. Life’s been nothing but hardships.»
«How much money do you need?»
«It depends. For us, it’s a huge amount. For you, it might seem laughable.»
Daniil realized he liked her. She was so… genuine. Why not help each other? Besides, he didn’t have to follow through completely. He could always say he tricked her, that she was only interested in his money. He pushed his mug aside.
«Masha, I have a proposal. I’ll explain everything, but first, weigh the pros and cons. Don’t say no right away.»
Later, Daniil walked into the living room.
«Morning, Dad!» he said cheerfully. «By the way, if you haven’t noticed, I’m sleeping at home again now.»
«I noticed. And I’m glad, what can I say?»
Daniil poured himself some coffee.
«I have something to tell you. I’m inviting the whole family to a restaurant tonight.»
«A restaurant? What’s the occasion?» Savely Sergeevich looked up from his newspaper, glancing at his wife.
«Did we miss something?» he asked.
«If we did, I missed it too,» said Anastasia Markovna with a shrug.
Daniil grinned.
«You’ll never guess, so don’t even try. I want you to meet my fiancée. Her name is Masha.»
Savely froze, his mouth open. Anastasia nearly fell off her chair.
«Fiancée?! But… We didn’t even know you had a steady girlfriend! Is she someone we know?»
Daniil winced.
«Dad, come on. I wouldn’t marry any of the girls you know. I know them too well.»
He sneaked a glance at Masha. She looked absolutely stunning, even though he hadn’t given her much money for an outfit. How had she pulled it off? And almost no makeup… just a little. Unlike the girls he knew, who plastered on so much makeup it was better not to look too closely. Masha was clearly nervous. Daniil placed his hand over hers.
«Relax,» he whispered. «We’re not doing anything wrong… Well, almost not lying. Dad would have given in eventually; you just sped things up.»
«And here come the parents!» Daniil nodded toward the approaching Anastasia and Savely.
They came to the table. Savely said:
«Hello. So, where’s the brave soul willing to marry our rascal?»
He looked at Masha, who stood up shyly, then back at Anastasia, then at Masha again.
Daniil noticed his mother’s face suddenly go pale.
«Mom…» was all he could manage to say as Anastasia slowly sat down.
He was stunned: Masha and his mother looked incredibly alike! What a strange coincidence. Savely also sat down, looking from one to the other in confusion.
«This… I don’t get it,» he muttered.
Anastasia cleared her throat and asked in a trembling voice:
«Masha dear, when’s your birthday?»
«March 7th,» the girl answered quietly.
Daniil raised his eyebrows in surprise. What a coincidence! His birthday was also March 7th. He looked back and forth between his parents, completely bewildered.
Savely Sergeevich sighed heavily and began to explain:
«You see, son… I’m still not sure, but we’ll need to do some tests. Still, I’ll tell you what we know. On the day your mother gave birth to you, there was a fire at the hospital. It was chaos… All through the pregnancy, they told us we were having a girl. But after the evacuation, they said it was a boy. They told us, ‘It happens.’ I read about it — it really can happen. I calmed down, but your mom… she always thought they had mixed up the babies in the confusion. We tried to find records but had no luck… And now you’re introducing us to Masha…»
Daniil felt goosebumps all over.
«So… I’m not your son?»
«No, you will always be our son,» Anastasia quickly said. «But… Masha…»
A week later, the DNA test confirmed it: Maria was Anastasia’s daughter.
It was as if Daniil had woken up from a long dream. He even forgot about alcohol and his old buddies. And it wasn’t because his father reopened access to the family credit cards — though that did happen the same night at the restaurant. It was because of Masha. She turned out to be much deeper than he had assumed when they first met. And her brother Romka became a true friend to him. Daniil and Masha kept seeing each other… secretly, because they were completely confused about how to proceed now.
Almost a month later, Savely gathered everyone in the living room.
«Alright, all the paperwork is ready. We just need to go to the notary, and you’ll officially become my daughter.»
Masha looked at him, surprised.
«What? No, I don’t want to be officially recognized.»
«Why not?» Savely was shocked.
«Because then I couldn’t marry Daniil.»
Savely dropped into a chair, clutching his head.
«Now I really don’t understand anything! What should we do?»
Masha smiled gently and laid a hand on his shoulder.
«We don’t need to do anything. I’ll become Daniil’s wife, and that way, I’ll be both your daughter and daughter-in-law. Isn’t that enough? Why bother with formalities? We know the truth — that’s what matters.
