All parents, someday marry or give in marriage their children. That’s a problem, that’s a problem. In addition, it is always somehow unexpected and there is no money.
That’s exactly what happened to Victor.
***
– Dad, Mom! – My daughter ran into the apartment, joy on her face. – I’m getting married, we have already applied!
And then the girl noticed that the joy of this news was not read on the faces of her parents. Finally, her mother asked, probably the first question that came to mind:
– To Jeremy?
– Well, of course, mom! Who else?
– Astrid, you are only nineteen years old. You still have two years of college left.
– Mom, we’re not going to have children right away.
– We don’t even have money for a wedding. You know that the factory where Dad worked closed down. He’s only been working at the new place for a month…
– Mom, it happens once in a lifetime.
– Astrid, where will you live? – Dad also asked.
– Dad, what difference does it make? For now we’ll live with you or Jeremy’s parents. Then we’ll get a mortgage for a two-room apartment.
– Does your Jeremy earn so much that it will be enough for a mortgage?
– Dad, you will help, his parents will help.
– Yes, – Victor mumbled.
– Dad, mom, do you agree?! The wedding is a little more than a month away, – and the daughter continued to tell the good news, – Tomorrow is Sunday. His parents will come to the wedding at one o’clock in the afternoon. You get ready. Okay? Get acquainted, sit down! You’ll decide!
The daughter ran to the bathroom. And the parents sat down on the sofa and stared at the turned off TV:
– “Victor, what are we going to do?” Finally, the bride’s mother asked.
– You know very well that we have enough money only to meet matchmakers tomorrow.
– And for the wedding?
– Iris, why do you ask such questions? You know very well that we have no money. I don’t have parents, yours are retired, they make ends meet.
– I need to tell my daughter something.
– Tomorrow the matchmakers will come, we’ll talk…
– Oh, we have to get ready for their meeting! – Iris got up from the couch. – Let’s go to the store!
– Let’s go!
***
They still hoped to somehow hold out until the salary, which is ten days away, but after preparing for the meeting of new relatives, there was no money left at all. And this is only the first, perhaps the smallest wedding problem.
The front door opened and a man and a woman entered. The hosts immediately realized that the new relatives were their equal. On the one hand, it was good – it would be easy to communicate with them. But on the other hand…
The young people immediately left, and the matchmakers sat down at the table.
They turned out to be good people. But this did not reduce the problems with the wedding.
When everything was considered, it turned out that just to dress the newlyweds and buy wedding rings, a lot of money was needed. The wedding itself, very modest in a cafe, also cost a lot of money. And where to live for the newlyweds is the most important problem. The groom’s parents have a three-room apartment, but still have a daughter. The bride’s parents have a two-room apartment. Mortgage? Immediately after the wedding – absolutely impossible. And how many other small problems that also need money.
***
The owners of the matchmakers saw the bride and groom off, having previously agreed on a return visit.
– Well, Victor, where are we going to get the money? – my wife asked when the guests left.
– I don’t know yet, – he shrugged his shoulders. – Maybe I’ll take a loan from the bank.
– Who will give you a loan? You’ve only been working at your new job for a month, and even if they do, it will be at such interest that you won’t be able to pay it back.
– What can I do?
– Okay, I’ll call my parents, tell them about the wedding, – the wife sighed heavily and went to the kitchen, – Maybe they will help, at least a little.
– Iris, don’t tell them anything about the money, they still need to buy a gift for the wedding.
Then the daughter returned. She happily rushed to her father:
– What, Dad, have you met?
– Yes, we have.
– And how are they?
– Good people.
– Dad, I mean the wedding, – and there is so much hope in the eyes of my daughter.
– We’ll decide.
Mom came into the room. Her face was not very happy.
– “Mom, what?” – her daughter rushed to her.
– Everything is fine! – she nodded her head, but tears appeared in her eyes.
– As I understood, – the daughter sadly shook her head, – everything is bad!
– Okay, daughter, – the father gently hugged her, – we’ll think of something.
– Dad, what will you think of?
“Really, what can I think of,” the father thought. “Borrow? None of my friends will give so much. And it will take a long time to pay back. You’ll have to take a loan from the bank at a huge interest. You won’t pay it off forever”.
And suddenly Victor froze from the thought that suddenly appeared in his head:
– “Dad, what?” – his daughter asked with hope in her voice.
– Astrid, you have a great-grandfather. Harold…
– What great-grandfather? – the daughter did not understand.
– The one who came to say goodbye to your mother? – Iris remembered. – Yes, he must have passed away. Even then he was far over seventy, and fifteen… sixteen years have passed. Astrid was three years old then. We left her with my parents.
– Dad. Why don’t I know anything about him?” the daughter asked surprised.
– We once met him… – the father shrugged his shoulders.
– Dad, why? – Astrid continued to ask.
– Once upon a time, long ago, when not only you but also I was not born, – the father began to tell about what he had heard from his mother, – My grandfather was a wealthy man.
When my mother grew up, my grandfather decided to marry her to a guy who worked as his deputy. My grandfather himself worked as a director of a factory at that time. But my mother disobeyed him and went with my father here. She had a big fight with her father. He did not want her to marry an unemployed handsome man, who was also a drunkard. So she left. And that’s where I was born.
As it turned out later, my grandfather was right. My mother was proud, my grandfather too, and they were not going to reconcile. My father died when I was twenty. My mother – sixteen years ago. My grandfather and son, my uncle came to say goodbye. Six months later, a beautiful monument appeared on my mother’s grave. But after the farewell, I did not talk to my grandfather properly.
– Dad, why did you decide to contact him now? – the daughter did not understand.
– Astrid, I want to ask him for forgiveness for everything, – my father lowered his head low, – He will help with your wedding.
– Dad, why did you decide that? – Astrid still didn’t understand.
– Because you are his great-granddaughter, and your stern great-grandfather was never poor.
Father took out his phone, found a number he had not used for many years. He thought for a while and pressed the call. He looked at the display with hope… Seconds flashed.
– Victor, is that you? – an old voice sounded.
– It’s me, grandpa. Hello!
– Hello! What are you doing calling? Something’s happened.
– Your great-granddaughter is getting married.
– Married? – a surprised voice sounded. – How old is she?
– Nineteen.
– Nineteen already? – Grandpa’s voice became very sad. – Oh, Victor, what are you doing? I’ve never seen her like this before.
– Grandpa, well, it just so happened…
– Your uncle has two sons and already three grandchildren, my great-grandchildren, though they are still small, – the grandfather was silent, only a minute later continued in a trembling voice, – but I have never seen my granddaughters or great-granddaughters.
– Okay, grandfather, forgive me!
– The wedding, when?” – my grandfather turned the conversation.
– On the ninth of July.
– Victor, I’ll be there!
***
Preparations for the wedding, though slowly, but went on, until the time was less and less. And even then it was only because the matchmakers had a small amount of money.
Everything changed after a melody played on Viktor’s phone one Saturday morning.
– Yes, Grandpa! – the grandson jumped out of bed.
– I’ll be at your station in an hour. Meet me! Car seven.
– Viktor, what is it? – My wife got out of bed too.
– Grandpa’s coming! We have to meet him! – He ran to the bathroom.
– Mom, what happened? – My daughter came out of the room.
– Your stern great-grandfather is coming.
***
And then he came in.
He came in, hugged the hostess. Turned to his great-granddaughter, who came up, and… froze.
– What’s wrong? – She didn’t understand.
– You look so much like your grandmother!” the great-grandfather said enthusiastically, and then Astrid noticed tears in his eyes.
Over tea, the grandfather began to share his plans for the future:
– “These two weeks before the wedding I will stay with you. Maybe another week after the wedding, – he turned to his great-granddaughter. – Astrid, are you on vacation?
– Yes, I am.
– During these two or three weeks we have a lot to do. Tomorrow you will bring your fiancé here, we will get acquainted.
The grandfather waited a minute for the relatives to digest what he said and continued, addressing the hosts:
– Who of you in the family is responsible for money?
– Well, we… somehow together… – Victor answered uncertainly.
– That’s not good. Someone should be responsible for the money in the family, – he took out a wad of bills and handed them to the hostess, – Iris, you will be responsible for the preparation for the wedding!
Again he gave them a minute to come to their senses. I turned to my great-granddaughter:
– I’m going to sleep for two hours. Parents will prepare for the wedding. You, – he smiled at his granddaughter, – will make a list of everything you need. Starting with the wedding dress and ending with… In short, everything you need. When I wake up, we’ll start doing things. There’s a lot to do in the two or three weeks I’m here.
Iris quickly laid her grandfather on the couch and he fell asleep in no time. And she, happy, threw her arms around her husband’s neck:
– “Victor, it’s good that your grandfather came, – she said to her husband, calming down a little, – Let’s go to the matchmakers! We have some business to settle!
– And me? – the daughter came up to them.
– “Do what your great-grandfather told you!” – the mother replied and she and her father started to get ready.
And Astrid called the groom, told about her great-grandfather who had arrived. She warned that she would be busy today.
Then she sat down at her laptop and began to make a list of what she needed for the wedding. To her surprise, the list grew longer and longer. Well, a dress, shoes and a veil – it goes without saying. Then she needed some jewelry. And for the wedding itself, she would need a hairstyle, makeup and manicure. You will need a bouquet. She looked at the prices for all this, and the prices were different…
She looked at her sleeping great-grandfather and suddenly she had some tender feeling for him:
“He has never seen me since he arrived. He is already ninety, and he takes care of his relatives. Of course, his character is strict, but a man must be like that.”
***
Harold woke up, looked at the clock, smiled and called out:
– Is anyone at home?
– I am, grandpa, – Astrid ran out of the kitchen, – Let’s go drink tea!
– Make me a strong one, but with milk!
– I’ll do it right away.
We drank tea and grandfather asked sternly:
– Have you forgotten anything for the wedding?
– Here I wrote, – the great-granddaughter held out the list.
– It doesn’t concern me. The wedding is yours, – he held out the envelope – Here is a bank card. Check everything on the list again and start buying. But that’s later…
I stopped talking, realizing that in the next five to ten minutes, my great-granddaughter would not be able to think about anything. Seeing that she calmed down a little, I continued:
– “Now the most important thing,” he paused again, “for the time left before the wedding, you must find an apartment. Apartments in your city are inexpensive, but we will buy it only if I approve your choice and review all the papers for this apartment.
– Grandpa, is it true?
– Yes, it’s true.
The usual pause.
– Then, when the apartment is ready, you’ll get more money to furnish it.
– Grandpa, is all this true?
– Don’t forget to introduce the groom to me tomorrow. I’ll control you, otherwise you’ll do something wrong. I’m talking about the apartment. You can do whatever you want with your preparations. You have the card.
***
A day ago, neither the parents nor the groom knew what to do to make the wedding “like people”. Now everyone, including matchmakers, knew exactly what to do.
It lasted all two weeks before the wedding. Harold’s son, grandchildren and great-grandchildren came to the wedding. They presented the young people with a voucher to the sea. There must be a honeymoon trip.
***
The wedding was wonderful. But it is not the main thing. The main thing is that Harold’s family, which broke up forty years ago, reunited again.
A week later, the head of the family returned to his village. And began to wait… For what? When he would become a great-grandfather.
