“Gena, are you absolutely sure about this?”
“Mom…”
“I’ve seen it all before. She’s only with you for your money, isn’t she?”
Gennady let out a long sigh, the kind that comes from years of walking the same path in circles.
“Mom, I know you’re worried, but you’re wrong. Completely wrong. I’ve tried explaining, but you don’t listen. You never do. You’ve already made up your mind, haven’t you? Think what you want. We’re not planning some grand spectacle.”
“Gena, don’t be naive. She’s using you. You must see that, deep down.”
“Please, Mom, just stop. Lena and I have known each other for more than five years. This isn’t something we rushed into.”
Anna Nikolaevna shook her head, frustrated. “You’re a catch, Gena. Any woman would want you. Don’t forget who we are. This isn’t just about love—it’s about our name, our place in society.”
Gennady leaned back, eyes closed, as if shielding himself from her words.
“Tell me, Mom—what matters more to you? Your social image or my happiness?”
Anna looked at her husband, searching for backup.
“Sasha, say something!”
Alexander lowered his newspaper and gave a quiet smile.
“You always pull me in when you hit a wall. Twenty-seven years, Anya, and you’ve made most decisions solo. But when something doesn’t go your way? Suddenly it’s my responsibility.”
Anna scowled. “Can we get serious for a minute?”
“Gena’s an adult. It’s his life. Personally, I think Lena’s lovely.”
“Oh, please! Lovely doesn’t pay hospital bills. No one gets far without money these days.”
“And yet you weren’t exactly born wealthy yourself, if I recall.”
Anna flushed, irritation rising.
“You’re being irresponsible, Sasha! He’s sick—he needs care, not dreams!”
Alexander stayed calm. “He’ll still get his check-ups. And who knows, maybe being with Lena will do him good. What’s the harm?”
Anna stormed out, leaving a trail of tension behind.
Gennady stood up slowly. “Thanks, Dad.”
“How are you really feeling?”
“I’m okay. Don’t worry.”
When Gennady was 17, everything changed. His health began to decline in mysterious ways. The best doctors couldn’t pin down a diagnosis. One professor said grimly:
“It’s as though his body can no longer resist illness. A century ago, we’d call it a curse. Today? We don’t have an answer.”
Alexander threw everything at the problem—money, specialists, treatments in the best clinics. Still, Gena only worsened. Until one day, Gena asked:
“Please. Let me come home. I don’t even remember what my own bed feels like.”
Surprisingly, Anna agreed.
“Maybe he’s right. He needs rest.”
Alexander didn’t argue. There had been no progress, and Gena’s condition only drained him further. Back home, something unexpected happened—his strength started returning. He ate. He gained weight.
From then on, he only visited the clinic twice a year. He even managed to graduate from university, thanks to his father’s support. That’s when he met Lena.
They were friends for years before Lena confessed her love. That moment gave Gena a spark of life he hadn’t felt in ages.
The wedding turned out much grander than they’d intended—Anna insisted on hosting a celebration fit for royalty. Lena tried to stay cheerful, though the tension was palpable.
Anna and Lena’s mother, Galina Ivanovna, didn’t see eye to eye. Anna looked down on her for not having wealth or status. Galina, in turn, kept a polite distance.
Then came the gift-giving. When Galina announced that she was giving the couple a small house in a protected area, Anna scoffed.
“You call that a gift? That crumbling hut in the middle of nowhere?”
“Mom, please,” Gena said softly. “That’s enough.”
But Anna wouldn’t stop. “She wants to hide you away, Gena! Out of sight, out of mind! So she can take everything we’ve built!”
“We’ve already bought the tickets,” Gena replied calmly.
Anna turned icy. “Then don’t come crawling back when you need help.”
Alexander, ever the mediator, offered his quiet support. “You know where to find me if you need anything.”
“But why that place?” he asked, a bit puzzled.
“There are springs there—healing ones, they say. Lena believes in it. And I figured… why not try?”
When they arrived, the yard was overgrown, wild. Gena looked around in disbelief.
“It’s like a jungle out here.”
Lena laughed. “A little elbow grease and it’ll shine again.”
And it did. As the days passed, Gena started to change. He was eating again, sleeping well. His energy returned. One evening, he wiped his plate clean and said, amazed:
“I don’t know what’s happening… but I feel good.”
“See?” Lena smiled. “Told you this place was magic.”
“Why are you so sure?”
“I used to come here as a kid. I saw things… good things. Things that made people better.”
A month later, back in the city, Anna was fuming again.
“Six months! And you haven’t done a thing, Sasha! That girl dragged our son off and you just sit here!”
“Do you want to send a SWAT team?” Alexander said dryly. “He’s married. Let him live.”
But Anna’s concern was real. Alexander saw it in her eyes.
“Let’s visit them,” he suggested gently. “See for yourself.”
When they arrived at the village house, Anna expected the worst—but what she saw left her speechless. Gennady stood at the gate, glowing with health and joy.
“Mom! Dad! I missed you!”
Anna burst into tears as she hugged her son. “You look incredible!”
“It’s all thanks to Lena. And the bees.”
“Bees?” Alexander raised an eyebrow.
“Yeah. I’ve taken up beekeeping. You wouldn’t believe how fascinating it is.”
Lena greeted them warmly. Anna looked at her, then said quietly:
“Thank you. You’ve done what no doctor ever could.”
That evening, they sat around the table, eating and laughing like family. Gena brought out a bottle.
“Homemade mead. Want a taste, Dad?”
Everyone drank—except Lena.
Anna, still a little prickly, noticed.
“Why aren’t you drinking? Still mad at me?”
“I can’t,” Lena said shyly.
Anna turned to her son, alarmed. “Is she sick?”
“No, Mom,” Gena said with a wide grin. “She’s pregnant.”
The room fell silent for a beat before Anna broke into tears again, this time of joy. She hugged them both, already slipping into planning mode.
“That’s it. I’m staying a few weeks. Sasha, I need a car—something big! I’ve got a grandchild to prepare for!”
Everyone laughed. Even Lena giggled through her nerves.
“I’ll listen to you,” she told Anna. “I don’t know much about this. I’m scared.”
Anna wrapped her arms around her. “Don’t be. I’m here. I’m not going anywhere.”