Maria fell in love at first sight with a new classmate. His name was Rustam. Such guys are usually called «majors» – they drive expensive cars, wear designer clothing, and the case on their phone costs more than the average monthly salary.
But it was him that attracted Maria, not his status. She liked everything about him: his smile, his brown eyes… He exuded a kind of special magnetism that made her head spin.
Maria grew up in an ordinary family. Her parents worked as doctors, and she too dreamed of following in their footsteps by diligently studying medicine. The girl was her parents’ delight. Quiet, gentle, intelligent… an example for all daughters.
But after meeting Rustam, Masha’s life changed dramatically. She secretly longed for him until he finally took notice of the quiet honor student. And, as the saying goes, «still waters run deep.»
At first, Maria couldn’t believe her good fortune, but as soon as he took her hand, she lost her mind with love. They skipped lectures together, skipped classes, and kissed in the last row…
Deciding that this was a love for a lifetime, Maria introduced Rustam to her family. The family dinner went pretty well. Rustam presented himself in all his glory, and Maria glowed with happiness beside him. It was only that her mother became profoundly worried after meeting the suitor.
— Darling, perhaps you and Rustam should slow down a bit?
— What do you mean, Mom?! — Masha exploded.
— Don’t get me wrong, but I believe you should finish the Academy first, and only then plan a serious relationship.
— First comes studying, then practice, internship, residency, and then… retirement! Do you think Rustam will wait until I redo everything?!
— If he loves you – he will wait. Not until retirement, of course, but at least until you have your diploma. Look at your father and me…
— You married my father twenty years ago! Times have changed now! Nobody lives like they did before!
— Alright. But keep in mind, Rustam isn’t an ordinary guy. Be careful and don’t make mistakes that you’ll regret for the rest of your life…
— You’re saying that on purpose! — Masha ran off in tears. She felt that her parents didn’t truly want happiness for her.
Masha called Rustam, and he comforted her all night, and she gave him the most precious thing a young, innocent girl could offer. After that, he was obligated to get married, or at the very least introduce Maria to his family. But Rustam was in no hurry.
— My father respects traditions. He will be surprised if I bring you along.
These words struck Masha so painfully that she was left speechless. Masha stood there silently swallowing tears of indignation. And Rustam merely shrugged and drove her home.
But despite all this, their relationship did not end. Maria loved Rustam, and he reciprocated in every way – except when it came to anything related to family. And nevertheless, Masha clung to the hope that sooner or later he would change his mind.
And then one day, a few months into their «secret» relationship, a meeting finally took place. It happened by chance, or perhaps not. But it was certainly not as Masha had hoped.
Rustam and Maria were strolling along the embankment, and their path took them past a posh, expensive restaurant where Maria had never been before. She hoped that Rustam would invite her in, but something unbelievable happened: as they passed the restaurant’s terrace, Rustam suddenly stopped and his expression changed completely.
— Is something wrong? — Maria asked, frightened.
— Stand here. Wait for me.
Instead of entering the restaurant with his girlfriend, he left her on the street and went to one of the tables. Maria saw that an older man was sitting there, intently watching her. The man was alone, possibly waiting for someone. Masha didn’t hear what he and Rustam talked about. But from Rustam’s face it was clear that the conversation was far from pleasant.
She waited for him for a long time. And when Rustam finally came out, he was no longer the same. Maria tried to find out the reason for his changed mood, but he remained silent. Rustam’s behavior wounded Maria. She wanted to feel hurt, but she couldn’t. Her feelings were too strong.
But Rustam was completely unbound by emotions. From that evening on, their meetings ceased without any explanation from his side. Masha tried to keep herself busy with her studies, but her mind was consumed with a single thought – how to win Rustam back. In the end, she called him herself.
— Where have you been?! What on earth is happening?
— I am getting married, — he said.
— To whom?!
— My family has chosen a bride for me.
— And what, do you love her?! — Masha burst out laughing hysterically. She thought it was a joke.
— No, but I’ll have to love her. Recently, my grandfather’s will was announced – he left a large inheritance that will only come into effect once I get married and continue our lineage. On the condition that the firstborn is a boy.
— Are you serious? In the 21st century, does that still happen?!
— I’m not going to discuss it, Maria. And I wouldn’t advise you to either if you want us to keep any warm feelings between us.
— Warm feelings? What do you mean by that?
— I’ll settle my affairs and, perhaps if you behave well and are an obedient girl, we might continue to see each other – strictly confidentially, of course.
— Why don’t you go to hell, Rustam?! — Masha shouted and hung up. She couldn’t believe that this wasn’t just a dream.
But the most unpleasant part happened a few weeks later. Masha discovered that she was pregnant. And her first thought was joy. She hoped that this would win Rustam back.
She called him again.
— I told you not to call.
— I’m pregnant, Rustam. We are going to have a baby.
— Are you divorcing me? You know, Masha… I thought you were an honest girl, but it turns out you’re just like all the others.
— If you don’t believe me, you can take a test.
— I have nothing to do with your problem. Get rid of this disgrace and don’t call me again. After the news of Maria’s pregnancy, the father of the child, Rustam, disappeared from her life. He took the documents from the Medical Academy where they had studied together and transferred to another university.
Maria was crushed. She couldn’t concentrate on anything and almost failed her session from stress and emotional turmoil.
Apart from her parents, she had no one to support her. She was afraid of their anger, but her belly was impossible to hide, and she had to confess. Her parents, due to their moral principles and medical background, forbade Maria from having an abortion.
— Just give birth. Otherwise, there might be problems later, — her mother said.
— The child will grow up without a father… — Masha burst into tears.
— You should have thought about this earlier. Now there’s nothing we can do.
Summoning her courage and “tightening her belt,” Maria’s family managed to prepare for the baby’s arrival. And Masha was able to negotiate an academic leave so that she wasn’t expelled.
She gave birth on time. Ironically, a boy was born.
Maria gazed into her son’s brown eyes and couldn’t stop admiring him. Despite what Rustam had done to her, in the child she saw his reflection, and the feelings she had carefully hidden flared up again.
Masha couldn’t help herself. She desperately wanted to show Rustam what he had lost by refusing the child. She took a drastic step and sent a photo of the newborn to the child’s father, without thinking that someone else from his family might see it. And that is exactly what happened. After a while, she received a call.
— Maria? This is Rustam’s uncle. Listen carefully, I won’t repeat myself… — and then came a brief monologue, after which Maria realized that she had made a huge mistake,
— You’re right. My son has no father. Goodbye, — Masha said in a trembling voice. She decided that Rustam’s family should in no way be involved in her child’s life.
— So what do we write in the “father” section? — asked the registrar.
— Nothing.
— But your child must have a patronymic; please indicate a name. You can choose any if you do not want to mention the father’s name. Those are the rules.
— I want it to be like this, — Maria expressed her wish, and despite being tried to talk out of it and told that it couldn’t be done, she went ahead and chose an appropriate counterpart from the list of male names.
— Timur Maryevich? — everyone asked in turn.
— Yes.
— And what kind of name is that for a father? Mari? — those who heard the patronymic were surprised.
— The father has nothing to do with it. My son has only a mother, Maria. He does not have a father. So Timur Maryevich is derived from my name.
— You are strange… that’s abnormal, — some even condemned Maria’s choice. But she replied in the same manner:
— It’s my decision, not yours. My son will have a patronymic. All according to fairness.
Three years later, when Maria was walking in the park with her son, a man approached them. He removed his glasses, and Maria flinched. Standing before them was Rustam.
— Well hello there, little one… — he said, trying to make contact.
— You’ve mistaken us for someone else, — Maria quickly took her son’s hand and walked away. And later she found out that Rustam never managed to produce an heir. His wife turned out to be infertile… and he remembered his son, the one he had abandoned. But Maria was determined to defend her child’s rights and deny the ex-lover any chance of seeing his son.
