“Let’s see what’s going on here,” Lyudmila Sergeyevna said in a haughty voice as she walked into the apartment of her son and daughter-in-law.
The woman’s behavior seemed strange, so the couple looked at each other in an attempt to understand what was going on.
– Mom, what happened? You came so suddenly… we didn’t even have time to really wake up, the coffee was just brewed. Do you want some?
“Drink your own coffee!” the woman said indignantly, walked into the room and glanced around.
Anna was overcome by a strange, bad feeling. It was as if her mother-in-law had gone crazy. What had come over her? Why was she behaving like a housewife and looking at every corner?.. Had someone managed to tell her some nasty things, and she had believed them and decided to make sure of everything?
– Mom, maybe you can finally explain to me what happened? I don’t understand what came over you, – Maxim continued trying to get to the truth.
Was the awakening too… emotional? Her chest was seething with an unpleasant feeling. They hadn’t hidden a fugitive criminal, and they hadn’t done anything illegal. Then why was her mother looking around like that? Had the neighbors complained? They shouldn’t have… The couple led a quiet life. They had never had a loud argument in the year and a half of their marriage, and they hadn’t caused anyone any trouble.
– I’ll explain, of course, what happened. Did you think I’d tolerate this and act as if nothing unusual was happening? No way! I’m tired of being silent. Why should I always keep my mouth shut and pretend that everything suits me?
– Maybe I should pour you some tea? Chamomile and lavender help calm down, – Anna intervened, realizing that something had made her mother-in-law very angry. It wasn’t for nothing that she had arrived so angry. If she could, she would have started shooting lightning bolts from her eyes. The woman needed to calm down so as not to make a mess, but something told her that tea alone would definitely not be enough in this case.
– Drink your tea yourself. If anyone needs a soothing herbal tea, it’s you. I didn’t think you’d be like this… I thought I’d find a daughter in you, but you don’t know how to appreciate what you have. And rightly so, they told me I was too soft with you, but I didn’t listen. I tried to mend the relationship, and now I see that I did it in vain.
Maxim had already clenched his fists, as his nerves were taut, reminiscent of guitar strings, and it was becoming increasingly difficult to keep his emotions inside.
– Free the apartment! Your wedding present was too expensive! – the mother-in-law said coldly, fixing an angry gaze on her daughter-in-law, as if indicating that the reason for her bad mood was hidden in her.
Anna felt a trickle of icy sweat run down her back. Maxim raised his head sharply and looked at his mother, not recognizing her.
– What gift are you talking about, Mom? Why should we vacate the apartment? What came over you? Explain everything at once, please, – Maxim said through gritted teeth, trying to keep his voice calm.
– Well, isn’t it obvious? – Lyudmila Sergeyevna slowly walked around the living room, as if assessing each detail of the interior, which she was now going to take away. – I gave you this apartment, thinking that you knew how to thank. But, as it turned out, for the daughter-in-law, her relatives are still more important. I don’t see the point in leaving you such a gift. In the end, instead of gratitude, I only get humiliation. This can’t go on. I’m tired. I thought for a long time and made a decision. I’d rather move tenants in here and get money than let you continue to live in the apartment, not respecting me!
Anna nervously swallowed the overly viscous saliva that had formed in her mouth. She looked at her mother-in-law with bewilderment, not understanding what she had done wrong. She knew that Lyudmila Sergeyevna had been accumulating discontent for a long time, but to do it like this… She would never have thought that her mother-in-law would arrange something like this, and now she did not know how to react. From the very beginning, Lyudmila Sergeyevna tried in every way to separate Anna from her family: she demanded that her daughter-in-law come to her more often, that all holidays be celebrated exclusively at her place. It was worth only hinting at inviting Anna’s relatives, as the mother-in-law literally exploded and said that they were too different, and they would have nothing to talk about. Anna’s parents saw the woman’s behavior and did not seek to be friends with her. Since she had set up such a separation from the very beginning, there must be reasons.
In order not to harm their daughter’s marriage, her parents simply tolerated and turned a blind eye to Lyudmila Sergeyevna’s royal behavior, although they could have put her in her place long ago. And now the woman exploded. But Anna had done nothing wrong, had not shown disrespect to her mother-in-law. So why did she decide to kick her and her husband out of the apartment? The apartment that she herself had given them as a wedding gift. True, she was in no hurry to draw up the documents. While doing the renovation, Anna told her husband several times that he should hurry up with the re-registration of the documents. Lyudmila Sergeyevna had already stated that she would re-register the documents in her son’s name using a deed of gift. Although this was a wedding gift for the newlyweds, she was afraid that Anna would decide to divorce Maxim and leave the man without a roof over his head. The young woman easily accepted this condition, because she was not going to get divorced, and she did not plan to take away someone else’s property either, but… her mother-in-law was in no hurry to re-register the documents. Either she would get sick, or she urgently had to meet with a friend whom she had not seen for many years. Lyudmila Sergeevna found all sorts of reasons, but she told all her relatives that she had given the apartment to her son and daughter-in-law, bragging about it for the sake of envious glances.
“I’m just talking to my parents,” Anna said quietly. “Is that a crime?”
– Just hanging out with them? – The mother-in-law laughed loudly. – You spend every weekend with them. You were probably planning to go again today. Do you think I don’t know that? And what did you do on my birthday? People still whisper about it, saying that I’m a bad mother-in-law if you rushed off from the party to your mother.
A few days ago, it really happened. Anna and her husband came to her mother-in-law’s birthday party, congratulated her, but Anna could not stay there for long. Her father called and said that her mother had a heart attack. He called a doctor and waited for him to arrive, asking if his daughter knew what medications could be given for first aid. Anna simply could not sit at the party, smile and pretend that she was happy. She apologized to her mother-in-law, saying that she had to go to her parents. Even then, Lyudmila Sergeyevna’s look seemed unkind, but now many things fell into place. The woman harbored a grudge then, thought about what she should do for a whole week, and as soon as she heard from one of her acquaintances how this topic was discussed again, she finally lost it.
Maxim tensed up. He knew his mother was jealous, but he hadn’t expected it to come to an ultimatum. Take the gift back? Would a loving mother do that? Or had she given it only to make herself look good and generous in the eyes of others? Maxim understood that he couldn’t forbid his wife from communicating with her parents at his mother’s whim, and now he felt devastated, because the scandal that had happened made him think about a lot. And what was his wife like? Pale as a chalk mountain, Anna could barely take a breath. What can we say about excuses? Confidence flashed in Anya’s eyes, letting Maxim know that he had to act decisively in order not to lose his wife.
“Mom, this is too much,” Maxim began, but Lyudmila Sergeevna sharply raised her hand.
– No, son, you let your wife go too far. My apartment, my rules. Or she will finally understand that now her family is you and me, and not those who gave her her maiden name… Or you will vacate my apartment and stop disgracing me. I will not tolerate such treatment.
———————————–
Anna felt a lump rise in her throat. She loved her family. But now she had to choose – either break ties with them or lose the roof over her head. The worst thing was her husband’s doubts. It seemed that if Anna made the wrong choice in her mother-in-law’s eyes, she would lose her husband. Maxim looked thoughtful. He stood with his head down and was gathering his words, but it was as if he had lost the gift of speech at that moment. All three of them had to make the right decision. Anna was ready to part with the apartment, which she had not considered hers from the very beginning.
Even when her mother-in-law started making up excuses to avoid re-registering the documents, it became clear that she did not want to do it. Anna had already guessed back then, so she tried to slow down with the implementation of her plans and invest less money in this home. Now she understood how right she was. But her husband… She did not want to lose him at all. Anna loved Maxim with all her heart, but even this love was not enough to up and renounce her family. All that remained was to hope that her husband would not put his wife in front of such a choice. It seemed that time stretched out into a real eternity. A minute resembled an endless time loop. It seemed that someone had put life on pause until Maxim took a step towards his mother.
“Thank you for opening my eyes to the truth, Mom,” the man said.
– I wish I had done that a long time ago! Since you yourself didn’t notice that she didn’t value your mother at all, I had to give you a choice. And now it’s up to you to decide – to make your wife change or to leave my apartment.
Just leaving before everyone else on the birthday. Yes, Anna did not help her mother-in-law clean up, but at that moment she had neither physical nor moral strength. But Maxim stayed and helped his mother, and what now? Now everything was turned upside down, and the mother-in-law threw a real tantrum for no reason. However, this was not the last tantrum. Anna understood that it would only get worse, even if everything could be resolved peacefully now, and she was also terribly tired of pretending and pretending that she was completely satisfied with everything. She was also a living person. If Lyudmila Sergeyevna gave the apartment to make her daughter-in-law crawl at her feet for the rest of her days, then it would have been better if she had actually taken it back.
– Anya, pack your things. I’ll call my realtor friend now, he’ll find us an apartment to rent for a few months, and then we’ll take out a mortgage, – Maxim snapped.
Lyudmila Sergeyevna was speechless. She thought her son had taken her side, but how wrong she was. Only now did she realize that he had no intention of supporting her and was ready to vacate the apartment. The housing that her ex-husband had left for their son, but of course the woman had not told anyone about this, deciding to take all the credit for herself in order to control her son.
– What did you just say? Are you really ready to lose the roof over your head and live in debt? – Lyudmila Sergeyevna asked, stuttering, still not believing her own ears.
– I’m ready. Nothing terrible will happen, but my wife will live a normal, calm life, and she won’t have to constantly be afraid of meeting her parents. Now you’ve opened my eyes to the truth, Mom. You’ve shown me how unbearable my wife’s life has been for the last year and a half. Thank you. From now on, I’ll do everything to fix it.
Lyudmila Sergeevna twitched nervously and hurried to leave the apartment. That same evening, the couple quickly packed their things and moved into a rented apartment. Maxim apologized to his wife, because he had previously turned a blind eye to his mother’s behavior and did not notice how skillfully she manipulated him and deprived his wife of normal communication with her relatives. Maxim wanted to fill this, so he suggested that Anna now celebrate all the holidays with her relatives. The couple began to look for an apartment with a mortgage, and Lyudmila Sergeevna turned on the mode of a proud and independent woman, declaring that she no longer wanted to communicate with her daughter-in-law, and with her son, since he was on the wrong side. Maxim did not try to somehow fix this, deciding that his mother needed time. Perhaps it will help her realize how wrong she had behaved before.
Lyudmila Sergeevna was unlucky with the tenants: after just a couple of weeks, they set the apartment on fire and ran away without paying her. There was no money for repairs, so the apartment had to be simply closed. Lyudmila Sergeevna was upset that her manipulations had not worked, she was angry with her son and daughter-in-law, but… according to the laws of the genre, she considered herself the most righteous in this situation.
