“What the hell do you think you have the right to our finances? ” Nadezhda’s voice sounded so cold that the temperature in the room seemed to drop by several degrees.
– Don’t get cocky! Always pretending to be a saint! My brother’s money has spoiled you! – the guest snorted, nervously pushing the cup away.
A gloomy silence filled the space between the two women as Stepan watched the scene, frozen with a mug in his hands.
A spacious apartment in the city center became not only a home for Nadezhda and Stepan, but also a kind of “charity center” for the entire family. Behind their backs, they were called “our generous ATMs” and “the family mutual aid fund”, although the spouses simply lived on their hard-earned money. The couple’s income allowed them to help their loved ones without denying themselves, and this became a habit.
They sponsored the mothers’ annual trips to the sanatorium. They helped Stepan’s sister, Anzhelika, and her husband Demyan with their summer cottage. It would seem to be ordinary human support, but everything turned out differently.
The relatives got so used to it that one day, Angelica’s daughter, having sprained her leg during physical education, called not her father, but her uncle. Naturally, Stepan rushed over, paid for the treatment and bought his niece a huge teddy bear.
“He’s an uncle, so what? Let him participate,” Angelica shrugged, taking her brother’s help for granted.
Nadezhda had her own opinion on this matter. She was driven mad when her husband jumped up in the middle of the night at the first call of his mother.
– Sorry, honey, I have to help.
– What this time?
— Mom’s refrigerator broke.
– What are you, a refrigerator master?
– No, but I can help her choose a new one. You know how emotional she is.
– I know…
– Come with me if you want.
Usually after such trips Stepan returned exhausted and with his head full of other people’s problems. His mother Sofya Nikolaevna masterfully turned her son into an emotional sponge for her experiences.
“Can you imagine, she spent an hour getting a certificate for a sanatorium! And the doctor there was rude!” he told his wife indignantly.
– And what?
– She says she’s tired of the paperwork and won’t go anymore. She hints that you should get a certificate through your doctor friend. In her opinion, “it doesn’t take much brains.”
– I see. That means he won’t go to the sanatorium anymore.
Stepan stared at his wife in bewilderment.
— No one is asking for the impossible! Just get a certificate! If she doesn’t want to go to a free clinic, let her go to a private one. She stubbornly chooses queues and complaints so that she has someone to vent her dissatisfaction on.
– Nadya…
– What? My mother also goes for certificates, but never complains. If she’s tired, rest, and don’t bother those around her!
– I thought you would support me.
– In what? In endlessly indulging your mother? She travels at our expense, and now she wants us to run around getting certificates for her.
– But you have a friend who is a doctor…
– My friend Christina is my friend, period. And the fact that she is an ophthalmologist should not concern your mother at all!
Nadezhda remembered how Sofia Nikolaevna called late at night, demanding a consultation about a fatty tumor on her eyelid: “She’s a doctor! So what if it’s an eye tumor? The fatty tumor is on the eye!”
Having calmed her mother-in-law down by deception, Nadezhda found the name of the ointment on the Internet and presented it as advice from a friend. And at a family celebration, Sofya Nikolaevna caught the unsuspecting Kristina: “Your ointment for a lipoma is complete nonsense. What do they teach you at college?”
After this, Nadezhda swore off using her friendly connections to satisfy her mother-in-law’s whims.
“Okay, I’ll solve this issue myself,” Stepan gave in.
– I think we’ve spoiled your mother. A little more and she’ll be sitting on our neck.
“That’s the evil daughter-in-law speaking in you,” the husband jokingly shook his finger, trying to defuse the situation.
– Common sense speaks in me. I don’t participate in these games anymore.
The incident was forgotten. Sofia Nikolaevna left for a sanatorium and returned just in time for the pre-New Year bustle, when the question of celebration arose.
Several years ago, when the couple’s financial situation strengthened, they proposed a new format – renting a cottage at a tourist center in the middle of a pine forest.
“Let your mother take a break from cooking. Everyone will be visiting, no one is the host,” Nadezhda suggested, and Stepan supported the idea.
– Rent a house?! Are you crazy? – Angelica met the offer with suspicion.
– Why?
— Where can we get so much money?
– If money is the problem, we’ll take care of the rent. You’ll pay for the shashlik and drinks.
The first time, the relatives were delighted. They brought food, gifts, and the celebration was a success.
The following year, the enthusiasm waned. Demyan didn’t like the pillow, Sofya Nikolaevna caught a cold by the window, and the general verdict sounded dismal: “It was better last time.”
A year later, Angelica herself called her brother:
“When are we leaving?” she asked in a businesslike tone.
“Where to?” he said, confused, immersed in work problems.
– What do you mean where? To the base! I’m already ready, and my daughter is waiting – you promised her skates, and there’s such a good rink there!
— To be honest, I haven’t booked yet…
– What do you mean?! Where should we celebrate? We’re already used to it!
– Of course, I’ll call back.
Without having time to discuss plans with his wife, Stepan instructed his secretary to book a familiar cottage.
– There again? And you don’t need to consult me? – Nadezhda frowned.
“I… that’s…” the husband hesitated.
– I see. Yours insisted, although last time they didn’t like everything. Warn your sister, let them take their own pillows and blankets. I don’t want to hear complaints about “bad service”.
Stepan nodded, internally admitting that Angelica had really gotten cheeky. Skates, toys, sponsoring her niece’s birthday party at the entertainment center…
– You are my favorite uncle! – said the sister. – Demyan and I don’t have that kind of money. It all goes on food, and the child needs a holiday. It’s not fashionable to be poor now.
Stepan was surprised then: does it mean that without money for the whims of his relatives he will no longer be needed? Having thrown these thoughts aside, he remembered the happy look of his niece, who received a new phone. For such moments he paid for gifts and trips.
But no matter how much you feed a wolf…
Having become accustomed to generosity, the relatives stopped rejoicing. The next time they brought nothing but symbolic gifts. The mother-in-law and Nadezhda had to set the table. Anzhelika complained about lack of money all evening and accused her husband of cheating. Demyan stared sullenly at his phone.
– Angela, stop it. Your daughter is sitting at the table, – Nadezhda could not stand it.
A storm began. Angelica ran upstairs in hysterics, Demyan silently went outside, and their daughter burst into tears, deciding that her parents were getting divorced.
“Will dad leave us?!” the girl cried while Sofya Nikolaevna tried to calm her down.
“What is this?” Nadezhda whispered to her husband, but received a furious rebuke from her mother-in-law, who called her “an insensitive bitch.”
“You know, it’s New Year’s Eve for me. I won’t let it be ruined, ” Nadezhda snapped and, grabbing a glass, led her mother out onto the veranda. There they celebrated the holiday after all.
After the scandal, Angelica and Demyan made peace. There was no talk of divorce. Sofia Nikolaevna continued to exploit her son, and Nadezhda waited for her husband’s patience to run out.
“It’s time for us to have our own children. I think you spend too much on your niece,” Nadezhda said a year later.
“Perhaps,” Stepan thought. But a child required time, which was always in short supply due to work and endless requests from relatives.
“We need to rest,” Nadezhda suggested one evening.
— New Year is coming soon. Let’s take a rest.
– Yes, about that…
Their conversation was interrupted by the doorbell.
– Surprise! – Angelica and her daughter stood on the threshold.
“Not the best time for surprises,” muttered Nadezhda, dreaming of a quiet evening with her husband.
“Put the kettle on, we’ll have some cake,” the guest ordered in a businesslike manner. “I’ve been hungry all day, I haven’t had time to do anything.”
———————————————
Nadezhda had to set the table, laying out everything she had prepared for dinner for her husband.
“I came to talk about the New Year,” Angelica began.
“I haven’t booked yet. You know, I’m always busy,” my brother answered guiltily.
– It’s good that I didn’t book.
Nadezhda looked at her sister-in-law in surprise, not expecting a glimmer of conscience.
“We want to go somewhere else. We’re tired of this house, and the service there… isn’t great,” Angelica continued.
“I also wanted to say that I won’t go there,” Nadezhda agreed. “We had a great ‘vacation’ last year.”
– Anyway, I won’t stir up the past. Since we’re not going with you, I’d like to receive this amount in cash.
Nadezhda choked on such impudence. Stepan froze with his cup.
– We are not going, so please transfer our share to my card. I will decide myself where to spend it.
Nadezhda was the first to come to her senses:
– What the hell do you think you have the right to our finances? You owe us for all the years you vacationed at our expense!
– Don’t get cocky! Always pretending to be a saint! My brother’s money has ruined you!
– I earn quite well myself, your brother has nothing to do with it. And you, except for begging, have learned nothing. Finish your tea and get lost. You will not get another kopeck from us.
Surprisingly, Stepan did not object. He silently escorted his sister and niece out and locked the door.
The couple remained silent all evening, avoiding a difficult conversation. Then Sofya Nikolaevna called, unleashing a stream of accusations on her daughter-in-law. Nadezhda hung up and blocked her mother-in-law’s number.
They celebrated that New Year together. Without telling anyone about their plans, they spent five days alone with each other.
After the New Year holidays, spent together, something changed in their relationship. Nadezhda noticed how her husband flinched at the sound of the phone, as if expecting a new portion of reproaches from relatives. But gradually the tension began to subside.
“You know, I’ve been thinking a lot,” Stepan said one evening as they settled into a cozy spot on the couch with glasses of wine. “All these years, I was sure I was doing the right thing. That taking care of my family meant being a constantly available ATM.
Nadezhda listened silently, without interrupting.
— I thought I was just doing my duty. But now I understand that my family has long since stopped seeing this as help. It has become… an obligation.
“There are no debts of gratitude,” Nadezhda said softly. “You are not obliged to support your entire family just because you have the opportunity.”
Stepan nodded, looking out the window at the evening city.
— I read all the messages they sent over the holidays. You know what’s weirdest? Not a single one asked how we were doing. Just complaints and accusations.
Calls and messages from relatives continued to arrive with enviable regularity. Sofia Nikolaevna used fake numbers to get through to her daughter-in-law to voice her accumulated grievances. Angelica wrote long messages to her brother about how he had betrayed the family and “chose a wife against his own blood.”
By spring, Stepan and Nadezhda decided to take a break from communicating with his relatives. There were no loud statements or ultimatums – they simply answered calls less often, and politely refused direct requests for financial assistance.
“Where are we going this summer?” Nadezhda asked one day, leafing through a travel catalogue.
– To Karelia? – Stepan suggested. – It’s beautiful there now, and the fishing is good.
– I agree. Just let’s not tell anyone where we’re going this time. No hard feelings or explanations.
In July, they went north — just the two of them. They rented a small house on the shore of a lake and spent two weeks, completely disconnected from the bustle of the city. Stepan learned to cook fish soup from freshly caught fish, and Nadezhda discovered her talent as a photographer, capturing the beauty of northern nature.
I didn’t want to return to the city, but work called me back.
“We could buy a house like that,” Stepan said thoughtfully as they packed their things. “Not necessarily here. Maybe somewhere closer to the city.”
“You know, that’s a great idea,” Nadezhda smiled. “A home of my own, away from all this hustle and bustle.”
On the way home, they stopped at a real estate agency and left a request to find a country house. The criteria were simple: in a pine forest, near a lake or river, and within a two-hour drive of the city.
In the fall, they received a call from an agency – they had found the perfect option. A two-story wooden house surrounded by pine trees, with a fireplace and a terrace overlooking a small lake. The owners, an elderly couple, were moving to another city to be with their children and wanted to sell it quickly and to reliable people.
“It’s fate,” Nadezhda whispered when they first entered the house and smelled the wood and pine resin.
The deal was completed a month later. They didn’t tell anyone about the purchase, deciding that it would be their own quiet haven, a place to recuperate and be alone with each other.
By New Year’s the house was fully furnished. They brought only the bare necessities, deliberately avoiding urban comfort and luxury.
“Who are we going to celebrate with?” Stepan asked when there was a week left before the holiday.
– Let’s invite my parents? – Nadezhda suggested. – And your mother. Without Angelica and her complaints. Just a family dinner.
Stepan looked at his wife in surprise.
– Are you sure? After everything that happened…
– Look, I don’t want war, – Nadezhda took his hands. – I just want a healthy relationship. Your mother has the right to see her son on a holiday. But on our terms – no scandals or complaints.
Sofia Nikolaevna accepted the invitation with caution, but agreed. The prospect of spending the holiday alone was too depressing.
On December 31, the closest people gathered at their home – Nadezhda’s parents and Stepan’s mother. At first, the atmosphere was tense, but gradually the ice melted. Sofia Nikolaevna, to her daughter-in-law’s surprise, helped set the table and even praised her salad.
“It’s a beautiful house,” she said when they were alone in the kitchen. “Did Stepan choose?”
“We’re together,” Nadezhda answered. “We wanted a place where we could just be ourselves.”
Sofia Nikolaevna nodded, looking out the window at the snowy forest.
“I… I suppose I should apologize,” she said suddenly. “These months have been difficult. Angelica was constantly turning me against you. And then I got sick, and no one except my neighbor even stopped by to check on me.”
Nadezhda put her hand on her mother-in-law’s shoulder.
— We didn’t know you were sick.
“I wouldn’t tell you even if you asked,” admitted Sofya Nikolaevna. “Pride wouldn’t allow it.”
Closer to midnight, when the house was filled with laughter and the smell of pine needles, Stepan took his wife by the hand and led her into the bedroom.
“I have a present for you,” he said, holding out a small box.
Inside was a gold pendant in the shape of a house.
“Turn it over,” Stepan asked.
On the back was engraved: ” My home is where you are .”
“I also have a gift for you,” Nadezhda smiled, taking an envelope out of the nightstand.
Stepan opened it and saw the ultrasound results.
“We… we’re going to be parents?” His voice wavered.
Nadezhda nodded, her eyes shining with happiness.
– In the middle of summer. We’ll just have time to finish the nursery.
They returned to the guests a minute before the chimes. When everyone raised their glasses, Stepan decisively announced:
— We’re having a baby!
The room filled with joyful exclamations. At that moment, Stepan realized that his real family was here, next to him. And that caring for loved ones is not only financial assistance, but also the ability to set healthy boundaries in order to preserve the most important thing – love and respect.
After the holidays, life went on as usual. Angelica tried to renew the relationship several times, but on her brother’s terms – without financial claims. Gradually, she came to terms with the new rules and even began to complain about her husband less often.
In the spring, Stepan and Nadezhda finished furnishing the nursery. Sofia Nikolaevna helped choose furniture and often came for weekends. The relationship with the daughter-in-law gradually warmed up – not because of money, but thanks to the common anticipation of a new family member.
In July, when the pine trees around the house were filled with the scent of resin and the lake sparkled in the sun, their daughter was born. And at that moment, the house in the pine forest finally turned into what a real home should be – not just a place to live, but a space of love, where everyone can be themselves, without masks and expectations.
And next to it, on the nightstand, stood a photograph of a happy family against the backdrop of a pine forest – a reminder that sometimes you have to lose in order to truly gain.
“The most precious thing that money can take from a man is his happiness.” – Benjamin Franklin
