Andrei himself had also turned his life around. He no longer went on long voyages and had taken a job as an instructor at a maritime training centre. That morning he walked into the kitchen with two bouquets of daffodils: one for Yulia—it was her birthday—and the other for Zinaida Igorevna, who had become almost like family to them over the years.
‘Well then, birthday girl, are you ready to receive your congratulations?’ he asked with a smile, holding out the flowers.
Yulia laughed:
‘Dad, you do remember that I’m ten today, don’t you?’
‘Of course I do. And the cake’s almost ready. But that’s not all. We’ve got a surprise.’
Soon Tatyana Vasilyevna appeared in the doorway, followed by a young woman with kind eyes and bags in her hands.
‘This is Olga,’ said Andrei. ‘She’s a paediatrician, currently working at a rehabilitation centre. We met when Yulia was undergoing rehabilitation. And… she’s agreed to become part of our family.’
Yulia froze, then slowly walked over to the woman and asked quietly:
‘Will you be our mum?’
Olga crouched down in front of her and gently took her hands.
‘I’ll try my very best, if you’ll let me.’
Yulia hugged her without hesitation. Denis, smiling sheepishly, moved closer too. Andrei watched them and felt a sense of true peace settle in his heart for the first time in a long while. He realised this wasn’t the end, but the beginning of a new chapter.
Later, when everyone was sitting around the table, laughing, reminiscing about what they’d been through and making plans, Andrei looked around — at Yulia, Denis, Olga, and Zinaida Igorevna, who was surreptitiously wiping away tears of joy.
And then he finally realised: there had been no curse. There had only been a series of terrible trials. And the real miracle was the people who had stayed by his side. Those who hadn’t broken. Those who had learnt to believe, trust and love again, despite the pain.
Amidst the clinking of cups, the smell of baking and the laughter of children, Andrei felt, for the first time in many years, not just relief, but genuine certainty:
now everything really would be all right for them.