Hi, sweetheart, had a tough day? – Mikhail asked as he helped his wife take off her coat and boots.
“A little,” Olga replied. “And my head feels heavy today. I don’t know, maybe I’m coming down with something…”
“We should check your temperature,” her husband fussed. “Just lie down for now, I’ll get the thermometer. I already fed the girls their dinner—haven’t eaten myself yet, was waiting for you…”
“I don’t really have an appetite, so go ahead and eat without me. I think I’ll just rest for a bit…”
Mikhail and Olga had been married for sixteen years. It took Mikhail almost a year to win over the woman he liked. At first, Olya didn’t even look his way—he wasn’t her type at all.
She always liked tall, strong guys with dark hair. But Mishka was only a bit taller than her, skinny, and a blond to top it off… Totally not her type. Olga thought he was kind of plain… And her mother kept chiming in:
“You’re such a beauty, why do you need that short guy? He’s not right for you at all… Now Romka, that’s a different story…”
“Mom, Romka is in the past,” Olya would sigh.
“Yeah, I get it, it’s a pity things didn’t work out with him… He was such a handsome guy, you two looked so good together… People would turn to look at you both when you walked down the street with Romka… Sigh… And Mishka? What’s that about? He’s got nothing going for him…”
“Mom, I’m not planning on getting into anything with Mishka…”
“Well then, just tell him straight!” demanded Taisiya Grigoryevna. “He’s always circling around you, bringing you flowers… Doesn’t he get that you’re too good for him? He should pay attention to your friend Lida; he’d be perfect for her, but not for you!”
“Hey, I’m not against it at all if something happens between Lida and him…” Olya would shrug.
But then Olga ended up in the hospital… She broke her leg, and it turned out to be a complicated fracture… She had to stay in the hospital for a while… Mikhail visited her every day, brought flowers, fruit, and books so Olga wouldn’t get bored…
And that’s exactly when Olga started seeing him in a new light… He didn’t seem plain or dull anymore, but rather a pretty attractive young man. Most importantly, Olga realized she was interested in Mikhail… She even started missing him and looking forward to his visits…
Taisiya Grigoryevna was in shock when her daughter told her that she and Mikhail were planning to get married…
“You’ve lost your mind, daughter! Why do you need that little guy?” her mother exclaimed, clutching her head and trying to talk her out of what she thought was a rash decision.
“Mom, I’ll decide who I love and who I marry, okay?” Olga answered, making it clear the conversation was over.
“You’ll regret it…” her mother cried out, barely holding back tears. She just couldn’t believe her beautiful daughter could actually fall in love with someone as unremarkable as Mishka…
Sixteen years have passed, and not only did Olga never regret her choice—she’s grateful for crossing paths with Mikhail. Their life together has been happy and harmonious, with both of them working and lovingly raising their two daughters: thirteen-year-old Varvara and nine-year-old Polina. Mikhail turned out to be a wonderful husband—loving and caring. And when it comes to his daughters, he absolutely adores them…
Even Taisiya Grigoryevna eventually came around and admitted she’d been wrong…
“Looks really aren’t what matters, that’s true… I can see now, my dear, that you absolutely made the right choice marrying Mikhail. His love for you is obvious. But Romka… did you know he’s already been divorced twice?”
“No, Mom, I didn’t know. And honestly, I’m not interested…”
“But you and he were so in love… I still remember how you cried when you two broke up…”
“What’s in the past is in the past… Why bring it up now?”
“How are you feeling, sweetheart?” Mikhail asked, poking his head into the bedroom. “Do you still have a fever?”
“Yes, it’s 37.6°C. Now I understand why I felt so out of it all day.”
“I’ll go make some cranberry juice right away… And I’ll cook some chicken broth, too…”
“At least tomorrow is Saturday—hopefully I’ll feel better by the end of the weekend. I really don’t want to take a sick day.”
“We’ll see, your health should always come first… I’ll get the broth started and prep the juice. And if you need anything, just call me…”
“Thank you, Misha… I’ll try to get a little rest…”
Mikhail gently tucked his wife in under the blanket and quietly left the room…
Olga ended up having to take a sick day, since her fever lingered for several days and other symptoms began to appear… She also felt incredibly weak…
During her illness, the girls went to stay with their grandmother—Taisiya Grigoryevna lived just five minutes away from Olga and Mikhail’s home… And Mikhail took a few days off work himself to look after his wife… Olga wasn’t happy about that.
“Misha, why? I’m not dying, I can manage on my own…”
“No, Olya, I’ve made up my mind, and that’s final. You’re too weak right now, and it’s important that someone is here with you…”
“I just hope you don’t get sick yourself…”
“Don’t worry, I’m tough and well-prepared…”
And it was true. Mikhail really did take care of himself and stayed fit. He’d splash himself with cold water every morning, go for runs, and hit the gym three times a week…
“I live with three beautiful women,” he’d say about his wife and daughters. “It’s my duty to stay in great shape so I can protect you all…”
Thankfully, the illness passed, Olga went back to work, and life returned to normal…
One weekend, Mikhail took Varvara and Polina to the movies. There was a new fantasy film playing, and the girls really wanted to see it. But Olga wasn’t a fan of that genre, so she decided not to join them…
“I’ll go do a bit of shopping,” she said. “Mom’s birthday is coming up, and I need to find a gift. Plus, I’d like to treat myself to something new… You don’t mind, do you? Honestly, if I went with you I’d probably fall asleep right there in the theater, and then you’d be embarrassed because of me…”
“Well, we won’t be embarrassed,” Varvara laughed. “But personally, I won’t be upset. If you don’t like fantasy, there’s no need to force yourself…”
“Can we go to the pizzeria too?” Polina asked.
“If Mom doesn’t mind, of course we can,” Mikhail replied.
“Why would I mind? Go have fun and enjoy yourselves, I’d be happy. Just bring me a slice of pizza, will you?”
“Absolutely!” father and daughters exclaimed in unison…
After sending her family off to the movies, Olga got ready and headed to the shopping center. There was a huge crafts store there, and she wanted to buy something special as a gift for her mom. Tatyana Grigoryevna loved crafting, so Olga knew this gift would definitely make her mom happy…
“Olya!” she suddenly heard someone call out… And the voice sounded so familiar… She looked around, hardly believing her eyes… Roman. Romka. Her once-great love…
“Hi, Olenka!” the man said, coming over to Olga. “I recognized you right away—you’ve hardly changed at all, you look wonderful…”
“So what brings you here? I thought you moved to Moscow…”
“Yeah, I’m still living there… But I flew in for a week to visit my mom…”
“How is she doing?”
“She’s hanging in there… But she’s struggled a lot since my dad passed away…”
“I didn’t know Herman Sergeyevich had died… When was that?”
“Three years ago… I want to bring Mom to Moscow, but she’s resisting. Says she’d miss her friends here and the summer house… She likes her familiar, peaceful life…”
“I can imagine it’s tough to make big changes at that age,” Olga agreed.
“Olenka, I’m so glad to see you! Are you in a hurry? Do you have half an hour? There’s a coffee shop on the first floor—let’s go grab a drink and chat…”
“Alright, let’s do it,” Olga accepted the invitation…
As she looked at Roman, Olga remembered just how deeply in love she once was… And he really hadn’t changed much, either… For forty, he looked amazing… Clearly he takes care of himself. Good for him.
“So, Olenka, tell me,” Roman smiled as they sat down and ordered. “I see a ring on your finger. So you’re married?”
“It’s been sixteen years now…”
“Are you happy?”
“Yes, very. I have two daughters.”
“Wow, that’s wonderful! Things didn’t really work out for me. I was married to my first wife for five years; she didn’t want kids, and back then I was young and didn’t insist—I figured we’d have time. But then she left for someone else… And, by the way, she had a child right away there… I guess I just wasn’t the right man for the job. And with my second wife, we didn’t even make it two years… We turned out to be completely different people. I’ve been alone now for several years…”
“You’ll find your person, don’t worry—you’re still young…”
“Young? I’m forty now… Not a boy anymore. Olenka, looking at you, I keep thinking what a fool I was… Why did I ever decide to break up with you back then…”
“I don’t know,” Olga shrugged. “You never really explained it to me back then…”
“I was just stupid…I got scared… I could see you were serious, ready for a family… And I just wasn’t prepared. If only I could turn back time… Maybe that’s why nothing’s worked out for me since—maybe I lost my one true chance. What do you think?”
“Roma, I really don’t know how to answer your question… But I can speak for myself: I have no regrets. I have a wonderful family and I wouldn’t want to change anything at this point…”
“I understand, Olenka, it’s not easy… But when I saw you, it felt like all those old feelings came rushing back… Like after all these years, you were the only one I ever truly loved… And us running into each other today—it can’t be just a coincidence, can it?”
“Roma, you’re mistaken…”
“No, Olya, I’m not mistaken… And I don’t believe you have no feelings left for me… That just can’t be, I remember how deeply you were in love with me…”
“I was, Roma, I won’t deny it… But that’s all in the past…”
“No, my dear… You know, lately I’ve been dreaming about you a lot. And before I came here, I thought—if I see you, maybe you really are my destiny! Olenka, come with me to Moscow! I have a big three-room apartment, earn a good living… I have everything… except happiness… And I realize now, happiness for me is you! Please, give me a chance to make things right!”
“Roma, you’re thinking only about yourself, just like always. You haven’t changed… How could I go with you to Moscow when I have a husband and two daughters?”
“Olenka, you can get a divorce and bring the girls, I have no issues with children… We’ll enroll your daughters in a prestigious school, and besides, the opportunities in the capital are so much greater… My sweet Olenka… I get that all this might be overwhelming for you, but I won’t pressure you or ask you to decide right now… Just think about it, I’ll be in town until Friday…”
“Roma, I’m sorry, and thank you for the coffee, but I need to go…” Olga said, standing up from the table…
“Already? We barely got to talk…”
“I really do need to go…”
“Wait, Olenka… Sorry if I scared you, I didn’t mean to… Here, take this, it’s my business card… My number’s on it, I’ll be waiting for your call… Whatever you decide, please call! We could meet up again, just the two of us… Then you can decide what you want to do. Will you promise?”
“I don’t want to make any promises,” Olya replied, heading toward the exit…
She stepped out of the mall into the street, took a deep breath of fresh spring air, glanced at the business card she was still holding, and tossed it in the trash… No, she wouldn’t call, and she wasn’t going to change anything… After all, Roman was just acting on a passing impulse…
For just a moment, even she thought those old feelings could return… But only for a moment… Because her one true love is and always will be her husband, Mikhail, and she would never, ever betray him… Roma is the past, and that’s exactly where he belongs…
Olga checked the time and hurried home… She still had time to bake a cake before her beloved husband and daughters returned… And even though she usually only bakes cakes on special occasions, why not make her family happy on any old day? Of course she could…
Warmth and comfort filled Olga’s heart, and whatever was going on inside Roman didn’t matter… He made his choice years ago, and it’s for the best that things turned out just the way they are now…