My 25-year-old son is marrying a 100-year-old woman. They are already planning to give me a grandchild, and I still can’t come to terms with the fact that my future daughter-in-law is my peer.
Alexey was born when his mother, Nina Alexievna, was 28. He grew up without a father. Nina had Alexey “for herself.” She had a successful business inherited from her father and a wonderful life. Nina was self-sufficient. Alexey always stood out for his extraordinary thinking. As he grew older, he began assisting his mother with the business and eventually became Nina Alexievna’s full-fledged partner.
One day, a tragic accident occurred: Alexey was involved in a car crash. Nina learned about it from Alexey’s friend, Lyosha, who was sitting in the passenger seat and came out unharmed. Lyosha told her that Alexey had been taken to the hospital. Nina was nearly devastated. She immediately contacted the hospital and was informed that her son was fine.
An hour later, Lyosha called Nina from a friend’s phone. “Mom, I’m okay. There’s no need for you to come. It’s better if you focus on your affairs. They put a cast on my leg, and I’ll be discharged in a few days.” After this conversation, Nina felt relieved. Alexey was in another city. In that city, Nina had a friend named Zara.
Nina asked Zara to go to the hospital to visit her son, just in case he needed help. She even sent some treats for Alexey with Zara. A week later, Alexey returned home, but he seemed different—quieter and not quite himself. Nina Alexievna thought it was due to the car accident. However, with time, Alexey became increasingly distant and changed.
One day, he told his mother that he wanted to have a serious conversation. Nina Alexievna already feared the worst. Alexey revealed that during his time in the hospital, he had developed feelings for Zara. He wanted to warn his mother that he intended to invite Zara to live with them. Nina Alexievna was shocked. She cried, yelled, and pleaded, but none of it swayed her son—he remained resolute.
She even contacted her friends to intervene, explaining how much younger Alexey was compared to Zara and how disastrous the situation could be. But Zara and Alexey were deeply in love. Nina hoped that their infatuation would fade over time and Alexey would return to his old life.
One day, Alexey called and said he was coming to visit his mother. Nina Alexievna anticipated that he would share that things hadn’t worked out with Zara, but that wasn’t the case. Alexey joyfully entered the house, placed a cake baked by Zara on the table, and revealed that he and Zara were planning to get married in three months.
They wanted Nina to attend the celebration. However, the biggest news was yet to come. Alexey told his mother that she was going to become a grandmother soon. Nina Alexievna sat in the kitchen and cried. She didn’t even know if those were tears of joy or sorrow.
