– Nastya, are you kidding? I thought we were getting married. I was going to propose to you. We loved each other… Nikolai said in confusion.
– Kolya, I’m sorry, but this is life! It happens that way. It wasn’t love, you know?! It’s just a crush that’s gone. I don’t want to deceive you, so I told you as it is! And you’re going to meet your fate, so don’t worry.
After Nastya left, the stunned Nikolai sat on the couch for a long time and looked at the floor. He couldn’t get over it.
Nastya, confronted him with the fact that they were breaking up. She met another man, fell in love with him and wants to be with him.
With such ease, she announced that she no longer wanted to meet with him, as if there had never been confessions, vows of eternal love and promises to be always together.
The first month after the breakup, Nikolai waited for his beloved to come to her senses and return. But this did not happen.
She was passionate about the new relationship and happy. And Nikolai suffered. He couldn’t think of anything better than trying to make his ex jealous.
“He’ll see how happy I am with someone else and come running back,” he reasoned.
He started dating Nastya’s friend Katya. Her appearance was inferior in beauty to the bright red-haired Nastya. She was thin and fragile, with long brown hair braided in a braid, did not use makeup and dressed casually.
She was also different in character from her friend. Nastya was bright, funny, groovy, loved noisy companies. And Katya loved spending evenings alone, reading and watching films with deep meaning.
Even when meeting Nastya, Nikolai noticed that Katya liked him. And now I decided to take advantage of this, in the hope that the ex-girlfriend would become jealous.
But his plan didn’t work out. Upon learning that a friend had started dating her ex-boyfriend, Nastya laughed:
– Well done, Katka! Why go sour alone? Kolya is cool, you’ll be fine with him. You look good together. And she slapped Katya approvingly on the shoulder.
Nikolai continued to date Katya, but he did not have any special feelings for her. He liked the girl, it was comfortable with her, but he still loved Nastya.
Every time he saw his ex, his heart skipped a beat. And she lived her bright life and did not feel longing for the past.
Four months later, Katya unexpectedly announced that she was pregnant. Nikolai was not ready for such a development. His conscience did not allow him to offer a girl an abortion, and he did not want to get married.
Kolya decided to tell his parents about everything and consult with them.
His father, a man of the old school, after listening to his son, said:
– Get married, son! Since the girl is pregnant with your child, there’s nothing to think about. I’ve always taught you to be responsible, so show me how you’ve learned your lesson.
Nikolai’s mother supported her husband:
– Yes, Kolya, Dad is right. You’re already twenty-six, you have a job, you have a place to live. It’s time to get married. And Katenka will be a good wife for you, I’m sure.
– But I don’t love her, I love Nastya. Nikolai sighed.
– I know your Nastya! – said the mother. – Today with one, tomorrow with another. And do you know what they call them?! It’s good that you broke up. You wouldn’t have done anything good with her anyway, even if you were together. And Katya loves you, I can see that. Get married and don’t think about it, Dad and I will help you with the baby.
Nikolai proposed to Katya. He understood that he got into this relationship himself, so he must be responsible for the consequences.
And despite his lack of love, he treated Katya well. He liked her calm, easygoing nature. And he was sure that she would not betray or change.
Soon the couple got married, and Katya moved in with Nikolai. Family life began.
Katya turned out to be very economical and tidy, cooked delicious food and kept order.
The atmosphere at home was calm and cozy. Outwardly, everything was fine, but neither Katya nor Nikolai felt happy.
Katya understood that her husband did not love her as much as she would like, and suffered from this.
Yes, he respected her, helped with the housework, spared no money and never offended her. But he did not have that passion, he did not have the tenderness that he felt for Nastya.
Nikolai also suffered from the fact that he could not give his wife the feelings she dreamed of. He saw how Katya loved him, how she cared for him, how tenderly she looked at him, and felt like a scoundrel.
He tried his best to be a good husband -he didn’t drink, didn’t walk, and spent his evenings at home. But he did it all somehow mechanically, without involvement.
The man hoped that the birth of a child would correct the situation and he would have feelings, if not for his wife, then at least for the baby.
Soon Katya gave birth to a daughter. They called her Lisa. Katya doted on the baby and literally did not leave her side.
Nikolai’s parents were also very pleased with their granddaughter. They adored their daughter-in-law and helped her with the child in every possible way, often visited the young.
But Nikolai’s feelings have not changed with the birth of his daughter. When he first took the newborn Lizonka in his arms, he felt neither a surge of tenderness nor tenderness, but only an increased sense of responsibility.
Lisa grew up and made her first successes – first she learned to hold her head, then turn over from her back to her stomach, crawl…
Family and friends often told Nikolai that he had a wonderful wife and daughter. But he was looking at Katya, and in front of his eyes was Nastya, whom he could not forget.
When Lisa was six months old, she suddenly fell ill, and she and her mother were admitted to the hospital.
The doctors’ forecasts were disappointing.
– Is it really that serious? Katya cried when an elderly doctor informed her about her daughter’s serious condition.
– Unfortunately, yes. He sighed.
The young mother couldn’t find a place for herself with worries. She did not eat, did not sleep and was constantly on duty near her daughter.
Nikolai rushed to the hospital after work, bought everything he needed, and supported his wife. Looking at the suffering of Katya and Lisa, he himself lost sleep and appetite.
His wife and daughter were in the hospital, and Nikolai was at home. There was such a heaviness in his chest that it was difficult to breathe. He couldn’t sleep all alone for a long time.
I remembered Lizonka lying under a drip, I remembered Katya – fragile, thin, with a disheveled braid and dark circles under her eyes.
And suddenly he felt such tenderness for these two defenseless girls of his that he began to cry.
Nikolai realized that he could lose his daughter, and he became afraid. He realized that he really loves Katya and Lisa. At these moments, Nastya’s image faded.
The man realized what a fool he was, that he was fixated on a woman who had already forgotten about him. I was chasing the ghost of a past love and didn’t notice my own happiness.
But happiness is it. In this little girl, in whom his features were already clearly visible… In this woman who truly loved him…
That night, Nikolai did not fall asleep. He thought about everything that had happened in his life over the past two years.
Everything turned upside down in his mind. He realized that he didn’t need any Nastya. He has a wife and a daughter, whom he loves more than anything in the world, and for whom he is ready to give his life.
In the morning, he called work and asked for a day off. Then he rushed to the hospital.
Katya greeted him with good news: Lizonka’s temperature dropped, the danger was over. It was as if a stone had fallen from Nikolai’s soul.
When he and his wife were alone in the room, he sat down next to her on the hospital bed, took her hand and said:
– Katyusha, please forgive me. I was a bad husband. I didn’t feel the love for you that you deserve. You’ve never once accused me of that. But I saw that you were in pain.
During these days, something happened inside me, and I realized that I really love you, I love Lizonka. You are the most precious thing I have. I am very afraid of losing you. And I promise you that everything will be different for us now.
Katya burst into tears. From fatigue, from the excitement she had experienced, from her husband’s words, which she had dreamed of hearing for so long and now she finally heard…
She was sobbing soundlessly and couldn’t stop. Nikolai understood that she needed to cry herself out. He just hugged her gently, stroked her back, inhaled the scent of her hair and felt happy.
A week later, Lisa was discharged from the hospital. Nikolai went to pick up his wife and daughter. On the way, he bought a cake, fresh fruit and a large bouquet of flowers. Nikolai drove the car and smiled: a new stage was beginning in his life.
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