“Are you tired, darling?” he asked, settling down next to her on the sofa.
– A little, – Irina smiled and snuggled up to her husband. – The report took all my strength. But now I can breathe a sigh of relief and enjoy the weekend.
The coziness of the three-room apartment enveloped them in warmth. Every thing here had its own history, every corner breathed memories. Irina carefully preserved her grandmother’s inheritance, turning the old apartment into a modern nest for her and Anton.
Anton’s phone vibrated on the coffee table. The man frowned as he looked at the screen.
“Mom again,” he sighed. “The third time this evening.”
Irina straightened up.
— Did something happen?
“I doubt it,” Anton ran his finger across the screen. “Hello, Mom? What’s urgent?”
Irina prepared to listen to her mother-in-law’s next complaints. Valentina Petrovna was famous for her ability to turn minor everyday troubles into catastrophes of universal proportions.
– Cockroaches? – Anton’s eyebrows rose. – Where did they come from?
Irina chuckled. Of course, Valentina Petrovna is not to blame for the appearance of cockroaches. The neighbors probably brought them in.
– So what? Call the pest control service, – Anton rubbed the bridge of his nose. – No, I can’t come now… Mom, you’re a grown woman, you can handle it.
The spouses exchanged knowing glances. Valentina Petrovna knew how to make her children guilty in any situation. Especially Anton.
– Yes, Christina can call too, – Anton’s voice became firmer. – Thirty-five years old, time to learn to solve problems.
Irina noticed how her husband’s shoulders tensed. Talking about his sister always threw him off balance.
“Okay, give her the phone,” Anton gave in.
Irina watched her husband’s expression change. Surprise, distrust, irritation – a whole range of emotions flashed through in a matter of seconds.
“Three days?” he asked again. “Christina, you can’t just… Okay, pass the phone to Mom.”
Anton closed his eyes and took a deep breath.
– Mom, are you serious? We work, we’re not home all day… Yes, we have three rooms, but…
Irina touched her husband’s hand and nodded. He covered the microphone with his palm.
– They want to stay with us while they exterminate the cockroaches. Three days.
“Let them come,” said Irina. “It’s only three days.”
Anton squeezed her hand gratefully.
– Okay, Mom. Come tomorrow… No, not today! Tomorrow morning.
He put the phone down and pulled Irina towards him.
– Thank you. I know how you “love” unexpected guests.
“This is your family,” Irina shrugged. “We’ll manage.”
The morning greeted them with a doorbell. Valentina Petrovna with a huge suitcase and Kristina with two branded bags were standing on the threshold.
– My boy! – Valentina Petrovna hugged her son. – You look tired. Doesn’t Irisha cook you breakfast?
“Mom,” Anton said warningly.
“Just kidding,” Valentina Petrovna walked inside, looking around. “Wow, how luxuriously you’ve settled in here!”
Christina slid past Irina, spreading a cloud of expensive perfume.
“Hello, little bride,” she said. “What a big hallway you have! Mum and I have more cramped space.”
– Kristinochka, don’t start, – Valentina Petrovna patted her daughter on the shoulder. – Will you accommodate us?
The next three days turned into a test of patience for Irina. Valentina Petrovna rearranged things, criticized the interior, and constantly hinted that Irina was not taking good enough care of her son. Kristina placed a year’s supply of clothes and cosmetics that her mother bought for her in the guest room.
“You can’t even imagine how hard it is to find a good job,” Christina complained at dinner. “There are such demands everywhere! And I’m a creative person, I can’t sit in an office.”
“But you have to live on something,” Irina noted.
“Mommy helps,” Kristina smiled at Valentina Petrovna. “She’s my gold!”
– Everything for you, my sunshine, – Valentina Petrovna kissed her daughter on the cheek. – Look, Anton made it on his own, and you are my delicate flower.
Irina saw her husband’s cheek twitch. He never complained, but his mother’s injustice had hurt him for years.
On the third day, Irina returned from work earlier than usual and found Christina exploring their bedroom.
– What are you doing here? – Irina froze in the doorway.
– Oh, I’m just looking, – Christina stepped back from the closet. – You have such space! Mom and I live like sardines in a barrel.
“You have two rooms,” Irina frowned.
“Yes, but your grandmother chose a good layout,” Christina ran her hand over the chest of drawers. “How lucky you are with your inheritance!”
In the evening, after the guests had left, Irina noticed a mess in the documents.
– Anton, did you take the papers for the apartment?
“No, why not?” the husband responded from the bathroom.
— It seems like someone has been rummaging through my desk.
The following Monday, Irina ran into Kristina at the mall. Ira was leaving a jewelry store with a branded bag.
“What are you doing here?” Christina asked.
– Just like that, – Irina smiled. – I decided to treat myself.
Irina didn’t notice how Kristina pursed her lips in displeasure. On the way home she firmly decided – in six months she would have her own place!
Time flew by. Valentina Petrovna sat in the modest kitchen, watching Kristina slam the cabinet doors in irritation.
“Daughter, would you like some tea?” the elderly woman timidly offered.
“I don’t have time,” Christina snapped, nervously adjusting her hair. “I have a meeting with an interior designer. We need to discuss the renovation of your… my bedroom.”
Valentina Petrovna frowned, not recognizing her daughter. Where had her affectionate girl gone? Only two months had passed since the gift of the apartment, and Kristina was already behaving like a sole owner.
– But my daughter, we agreed that this is only for your safety. So that the apartment remains in the family.
Christina turned around sharply, her eyes flashing.
– Mom, let’s be honest. The apartment is mine now. The documents are drawn up. I have the right to dispose of it as I see fit.
“Of course, of course,” Valentina Petrovna hastily agreed. “I just need my own corner. A small room is quite…”
– Do you know how much it costs to maintain this apartment? – Kristina interrupted. – And the utilities? And the taxes? And anyway, I want to live alone! Without you by my side! Look how happy this Irka is! How am I any worse?
Valentina Petrovna dropped her hands helplessly.
– But where can I go?
“Don’t be dramatic,” Christina snorted, throwing on a fashionable coat. “You have another child. Anton and Irina live in a huge apartment. Three rooms for two! An unaffordable luxury.
After her daughter left, Valentina Petrovna sat motionless for a long time. Then she began to pack her things.
Anton opened the door and froze.
– Mom? What happened?
Valentina Petrovna stood in front of him with two battered suitcases and tear-stained eyes.
“Son, take your old mother,” she said in a trembling voice. “I have nowhere else to go.”
Irina looked out of the kitchen and froze. Not this. Not now, when she was exhausted after difficult negotiations with clients.
“Valentina Petrovna? Is something wrong with Kristina?” she asked, trying to hide her anxiety.
– Kristinochka… – the mother-in-law sobbed. – She wants me to move out. Can you imagine? My own daughter is throwing me out of my house!
Irina and Anton exchanged glances. The situation was delicate.
– Come in, Mom, – Anton took the suitcases. – We’ll sort this out now.
Over tea, Valentina Petrovna told a dramatic story of betrayal. According to her version, Christina suddenly turned into a cruel possessive woman who forgot about her mother’s love.
“I gave her everything!” Valentina Petrovna exclaimed. “I took off the last thing I had, just so she would feel good.”
“Why did you rewrite the apartment?” Irina asked quietly.
The mother-in-law lowered her eyes.
– Kristinochka said that it would be more peaceful in my old age. That she would take care of me better than the state.
Anton shook his head but remained silent.
– In general, I decided that I will live with you now, – Valentina Petrovna suddenly perked up. – You have such a spacious guest room! I will settle in there perfectly.
“Mom, stop,” Anton interrupted the flow. “You can’t just show up and change our lives.”
– But where can I go? – Valentina Petrovna’s face distorted. – Is it really possible that my own son would throw his mother out into the street?
“He won’t kick me out, but I can!” Irina answered sharply.
The mother-in-law clutched her heart.
– Is it possible to speak so cruelly to an old woman? Is it too much to ask? Just to give her one room! Do you feel sorry for even that for your husband’s mother?
Irina took a deep breath. Her patience had snapped.
– You won’t see my apartment! Go live with your daughter, to whom everything was written off! – Irina answered her mother-in-law sharply. – You love her so much! And you never supported Anton. Why should I help you now?
Silence reigned in the room. Valentina Petrovna stared at her daughter-in-law with her mouth open.
– Anton! Did you hear how she talks to me?
All eyes turned to the man. He rose slowly from the table.
– I heard, Mom. And I completely agree with Irina.
Valentina Petrovna staggered, clutching her heart.
– How can you? I put so much effort into you!
Anton smiled bitterly.
— Really? And who refused to help me pay for college? Who said “get by yourself” while paying for Kristina’s resorts and shopping?
“But she’s a girl! It’s more difficult for her,” Valentina Petrovna objected.
– A thirty-five-year-old “girl”? – Anton shook his head. – No, Mom. You made a choice when you signed over the apartment. Now live with him.
Irina gently took her mother-in-law by the elbow and led her to the door.
– Anton will call you a taxi.
“You’ll regret it!” Valentina Petrovna sobbed on the threshold. “You’re throwing out your own mother!”
When the door closed, Irina leaned against the wall. Anton hugged his wife.
“I’m sorry about that scene,” he whispered. “You were great.”
A month later, Anton’s phone rang. His sister’s name appeared on the screen.
– Can you imagine, I’m broke, – Christina began without greeting. – This apartment eats up all my money! Utilities, repairs, taxes… I didn’t think it was so expensive.
Anton silently listened to his sister’s complaints, exchanging glances with Irina.
“I had to take Mom back,” Christina sighed irritably. “Her pension at least saves the situation a little. But now she walks around with an air of being indebted to her for life.”
“You took her apartment, didn’t you?” Anton noted.
– That’s different! Okay, now she sits in her room, I – in mine. Like in a communal apartment. We even drink tea on schedule, so as not to cross paths.
After the conversation, Irina prepared dinner. She and Anton settled down on the balcony.
“For us,” Anton said quietly. “For the fact that we are together and don’t owe anything to anyone.”
Irina smiled as she watched the lights come on in the windows across the street. Their home was a fortress of respect and love. No storm could destroy it.
