Olga was slowly stirring the buckwheat on the stove when the front door slammed so hard the glass in the display cabinets rattled. The September morning had only just begun, but her husband had already dashed off somewhere and come back in a near-frenzy.<\/p>\n
\u201cWife, have you lost it? Why doesn\u2019t your card work?! I wanted to give your salary to Mom for groceries!\u201d Igor bellowed, bursting into the kitchen.<\/p>\n
Her husband\u2019s face flushed a dark crimson, his eyes blazing with fury. Olga set the spoon aside and turned to him. Igor was brandishing a bank card like an indictment.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhich salary?\u201d Olga asked calmly, wiping her hands on the kitchen towel.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe one you got yesterday! Mom asked for a week\u2019s worth of groceries, and your card is blocked!\u201d<\/p>\n
Olga nodded as if confirming an obvious fact.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s right. I withdrew all the money in advance.\u201d<\/p>\n
Igor froze in the middle of the kitchen, digesting what he\u2019d heard. Then his face contorted even more.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat do you mean\u2014in advance?! Without telling me?! I wanted to give it to Mom for shopping! And you ruined everything!\u201d<\/p>\n
He began pacing around the kitchen, waving his arms as if trying to catch invisible flies. Olga watched this performance with growing amazement. In eight years of marriage, Igor had more than once taken money from her card without asking, but this was the first time he\u2019d run into an obstacle.<\/p>\n
\u201cIgor, stop,\u201d Olga said, frowning and tilting her head. \u201cExplain to me why you think my salary should go to your mother.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause we\u2019re a family!\u201d her husband shouted, still pacing. \u201cAnd family helps each other! Especially elderly parents!\u201d<\/p>\n
Olga sat down, studying her husband closely. Yelena Vasilievna, her mother-in-law, was far from a helpless old lady. At sixty-two, she received a decent pension, owned a one-bedroom apartment in the center, and had a dacha plot. Yet she regularly asked her son and daughter-in-law for financial help.<\/p>\n
\u201cElderly?\u201d Olga repeated. \u201cYelena Vasilievna is two years younger than my mother, who still works and doesn\u2019t ask anyone for help.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDon\u2019t you dare compare them!\u201d Igor flared. \u201cMom worked all her life and raised me alone after divorcing my father! She\u2019s earned a rest!\u201d<\/p>\n
Olga recalled a recent conversation with a colleague who had complained about a similar situation. Back then, Olga genuinely couldn\u2019t understand how someone could let relatives climb onto their neck. Now the picture was clear from the inside.<\/p>\n
\u201cIgor, sit down,\u201d his wife asked, pointing at the chair opposite. \u201cLet\u2019s talk calmly.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat is there to talk about?!\u201d He kept flailing his arms. \u201cPut the money back on the card immediately!\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI won\u2019t,\u201d Olga replied firmly. \u201cAnd for the first time I\u2019m saying this openly: I\u2019m no longer going to support your mother. Let her spend her own money.\u201d<\/p>\n
Igor stopped dead. His mouth fell open, his eyes widened. Apparently, in all their years of marriage, Olga had never voiced such thoughts aloud.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat\u2026 what did you say?\u201d he croaked.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat I\u2019ve been thinking for a long time. Your mother is a perfectly well-off woman. Pension, apartment, dacha. Yet every week she asks for money\u2014for groceries, for medicine, for repairs. And we live paycheck to paycheck and can\u2019t put anything aside.\u201d<\/p>\n
Olga stood and walked to the window. Autumn leaves were swirling in the September wind, a reminder that the cold would soon arrive. Winter lay ahead; she needed to think about warm clothes for herself and her husband, and about utility bills that would skyrocket.<\/p>\n
\u201cSelfish!\u201d Igor exploded. \u201cA heartless selfish woman! How can you say that about an elderly woman?!\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAbout a woman who in eight years has never once asked about my needs,\u201d Olga countered without turning around. \u201cWho demands money for groceries and then brags to her friends about a new fur coat.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou\u2019re lying!\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIgor, your mother told me about the coat herself. Last month, when we gave her money to fix the kitchen tap.\u201d<\/p>\n
Her husband fell silent, apparently pulling up the details in his mind. Olga continued:<\/p>\n
\u201cYelena Vasilievna spends our money on her whims and then tells us she\u2019s in need. That\u2019s manipulation, Igor.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDon\u2019t you dare!\u201d he barked, grabbing his phone from the table. \u201cI\u2019m going to call her right now and tell her everything!\u201d<\/p>\n
Olga turned, watching as Igor dialed. His hands trembled with anger.<\/p>\n
\u201cHello, Mom?\u201d Igor said, ostentatiously switching on the speaker. \u201cCan you believe it, Olga took out the money! Can you imagine what a witch she is! She withdrew the money and is hiding it from us!\u201d<\/p>\n
Yelena Vasilievna\u2019s voice came sharp and displeased:<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat do you mean she withdrew it? What money?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHer salary! I wanted to give it to you for groceries, and the card doesn\u2019t work!\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIgoryok, dear,\u201d her tone instantly turned syrupy. \u201cAnd what does Olga think she\u2019s doing? We agreed she would help!\u201d<\/p>\n
Olga stepped closer to hear better. What agreements? When and with whom? No one had ever asked Olga herself.<\/p>\n
\u201cMom, I don\u2019t know what got into her,\u201d Igor complained. \u201cShe says she won\u2019t help you anymore!\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cOh, that\u2019s how it is!\u201d The mother-in-law\u2019s voice turned ice-cold. \u201cSo she decided to show some character! Fine, son, I\u2019ll come over myself. We\u2019ll see how brave she is when she has to look a mother in the eye and flaunt her insolence!\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cCome, Mom!\u201d Igor brightened. \u201cMaybe you can explain to her how to treat her elders!\u201d<\/p>\n
Olga straightened to her full height. So now the group pressure would begin. The mother-in-law would arrive, and the two of them would explain to the daughter-in-law how to live and how to spend her own money.<\/p>\n
\u201cYelena Vasilievna,\u201d Olga said loudly toward the phone. \u201cBy all means come. We\u2019ll have an honest talk.\u201d<\/p>\n
Silence hung on the line. Then the mother-in-law hissed:<\/p>\n
\u201cExactly, Olga. We\u2019ll talk.\u201d<\/p>\n
Igor hung up and stared at his wife. Confusion and anger mingled in his eyes.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy did you call her here?\u201d he hissed.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd why did you go complaining to your mother about your wife?\u201d Olga replied evenly. \u201cDid you think I\u2019d be scared?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI thought you\u2019d come to your senses! Mom\u2019s right\u2014you\u2019ve gotten brazen!\u201d<\/p>\n
Olga went into the bedroom, took a small bag from the closet, and began putting documents into it. Passport, work record book, bank cards, passbook.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat are you doing?\u201d Igor peered into the bedroom.<\/p>\n
\u201cGetting ready for the conversation with your mother,\u201d Olga said, putting the documents into the bag. \u201cI want all the important papers at hand.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat for?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou\u2019ll see.\u201d<\/p>\n
Olga returned to the kitchen and started washing the dishes. Her hands moved automatically while her thoughts sketched out the upcoming conversation. Over eight years of marriage, so much had gone unsaid that it would be enough to write an entire book of grievances.<\/p>\n
Yelena Vasilievna didn\u2019t keep them waiting. Half an hour later the doorbell rang insistently. Igor rushed to open it, while Olga stayed in the kitchen, finishing up.<\/p>\n
\u201cHello, son!\u201d came the bracing voice of the mother-in-law. \u201cWhere is that wife of yours? Time to put the impudent one in her place!\u201d<\/p>\n
Olga dried her hands and stepped into the hallway. Yelena Vasilievna stood there in an expensive coat that clearly cost more than a few thousand rubles. A gold pendant gleamed on her neck, and in her hands was a handbag of genuine leather. Odd\u2014 for a woman who regularly asked for money for the bare necessities, she looked more than prosperous.<\/p>\n
\u201cGood afternoon, Yelena Vasilievna,\u201d Olga greeted politely.<\/p>\n
\u201cLet\u2019s talk, then!\u201d the mother-in-law declared, taking off her coat. \u201cIgoryok told me everything! How dare you refuse help to an elderly woman?!\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cLet\u2019s go to the kitchen,\u201d Olga suggested. \u201cIt\u2019s more comfortable to talk there.\u201d<\/p>\n
The three of them settled at the kitchen table. Yelena Vasilievna sat across from Olga, taking the position of prosecutor. Igor perched to the side, clearly ready to back his mother up.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo then, my dear,\u201d the mother-in-law began, tapping her finger on the table. \u201cExplain this disgrace to me. Why are you hiding money from your own husband?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m not hiding it,\u201d Olga folded her hands on the table and looked her straight in the eye. \u201cI\u2019m disposing of my salary at my own discretion.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHow dare you!\u201d Yelena Vasilievna shot up, slapping her palm on the table. \u201cWhat right do you have to make decisions without agreeing with your husband?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThe right of ownership,\u201d Olga replied coolly. \u201cThe money was earned by me, at my workplace, by my labor.\u201d<\/p>\n
The mother-in-law jumped to her feet, her face reddening with indignation. Igor watched the scene unfold in silence, occasionally nodding at his mother in support.<\/p>\n
\u201cIgoryok, do you hear what your wife is doing?\u201d Yelena Vasilievna turned to her son. \u201cShe\u2019s gotten completely out of hand!\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMom, I told you,\u201d Igor spread his hands. \u201cShe\u2019s become unmanageable.\u201d<\/p>\n
Olga rose from the table and went to the window. Rain was starting outside; the first drops slid down the glass in fanciful patterns. The September weather reminded her that a long winter was ahead, which meant more spending on heat and warm clothes.<\/p>\n
\u201cYelena Vasilievna,\u201d Olga said without turning, \u201chow much money have you received from us over the last six months?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat impertinent questions!\u201d the mother-in-law sniffed.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ll answer myself,\u201d Olga went on. \u201cIn March, fifteen thousand for medicine. In April, ten thousand for groceries. In May, twenty thousand to fix the kitchen tap. In June, fifteen thousand for the dacha. In July, ten thousand again for groceries. In August, twenty-five thousand for new windows in your apartment.\u201d<\/p>\n
Olga turned and looked at her speechless husband and mother-in-law.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s a total of a hundred and fifteen thousand rubles in six months. That\u2019s more than I spend on myself in a year.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSo what?\u201d Yelena Vasilievna snapped. \u201cIt\u2019s not like I threw it to the wind! It was all for necessities!\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd the new fur coat is a necessity too?\u201d Olga asked. \u201cOr the gold pendant you\u2019re wearing right now?\u201d<\/p>\n
The mother-in-law instinctively covered the jewelry with her hand.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s\u2026 a gift! From acquaintances!\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThe exact same one as in the jewelry store for thirty thousand rubles?\u201d Olga clarified. \u201cThe same store where you bought a ring in June?\u201d<\/p>\n
Yelena Vasilievna\u2019s face went pale. Igor glanced between his mother and his wife, trying to understand what this was about.<\/p>\n
\u201cHow do you know?\u201d the mother-in-law whispered.<\/p>\n
\u201cI work near that store. I saw you through the window on my way to lunch. You were trying on a ring and paying in cash.\u201d<\/p>\n
Silence fell. Igor opened his mouth but didn\u2019t say a word. The mother-in-law sank into her chair, realizing she\u2019d been caught.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo,\u201d Olga said slowly, \u201cthe money you asked for to fix the tap went to jewelry?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2026 I have the right to treat myself!\u201d the mother-in-law tried to justify herself. \u201cI worked my whole life; I\u2019ve earned it!\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWith someone else\u2019s money,\u201d Olga stated. \u201cBy deceiving your relatives.\u201d<\/p>\n
Igor finally found his voice:<\/p>\n
\u201cMom, is that true? You lied about the repair?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSon,\u201d Yelena Vasilievna said ingratiatingly, \u201cI did fix the tap! There was just enough for that and a little treat for myself\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cA \u2018little treat\u2019 for thirty thousand,\u201d Olga said. \u201cThat\u2019s my monthly salary after taxes.\u201d<\/p>\n
Olga returned to the table and sat across from her mother-in-law.<\/p>\n
\u201cLet\u2019s be honest, Yelena Vasilievna. Your pension is thirty thousand rubles. You also rent out the dacha for twenty thousand a month. Plus you get interest from a bank deposit. That\u2019s more than fifty thousand a month in income.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHow do you know that?\u201d the mother-in-law asked, frightened.<\/p>\n
\u201cIgor told me. He bragged about how well-off his mother is.\u201d<\/p>\n
Olga turned to her husband:<\/p>\n
\u201cRemember last year you said your mom was doing great, had saved up so much? That she had more money than we do?\u201d<\/p>\n
Igor nodded, recalling his own words.<\/p>\n
\u201cThen explain to me,\u201d Olga addressed them both, \u201cwhy a woman with a fifty-thousand-ruble income asks for money from a family that lives on thirty-five thousand?\u201d<\/p>\n
The mother-in-law lowered her eyes, and Igor frowned, apparently thinking about this for the first time.<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause she\u2019s greedy,\u201d Olga answered her own question. \u201cWhy spend her own money when she can wheedle someone else\u2019s?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDon\u2019t you dare talk like that!\u201d Igor snapped. \u201cThat\u2019s my mother!\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cShe\u2019s a swindler,\u201d Olga corrected calmly. \u201cAnd you\u2019re her accomplice.\u201d<\/p>\n
The day dragged on painfully. After being exposed, Yelena Vasilievna left, muttering something vague about ingratitude and insolence. Igor locked himself in a room and didn\u2019t come out until evening.<\/p>\n
Olga used the time to think. Eight years of marriage, eight years of constant requests for financial help, eight years of living hand to mouth for someone else\u2019s whims. Enough.<\/p>\n
Around nine in the evening, the doorbell rang again. Igor darted out of the room, clearly expecting someone. Olga stayed in the kitchen, but the voices carried clearly.<\/p>\n
\u201cSon, I\u2019ve thought it over!\u201d came Yelena Vasilievna\u2019s voice. \u201cThat wife of yours has gone too far! Time to put her in her place!\u201d<\/p>\n
The mother-in-law came into the apartment without even greeting anyone and headed straight for the kitchen. Her face showed determination and anger at once.<\/p>\n
\u201cOh, there you are!\u201d she screeched from the doorway. \u201cGive the money back! You\u2019re obliged to help your elders!\u201d<\/p>\n
Olga froze, eyes wide at such gall. Even after the afternoon\u2019s exposure, the mother-in-law kept demanding money as if nothing had happened.<\/p>\n
\u201cAre you joking, Yelena Vasilievna?\u201d Olga said slowly.<\/p>\n
\u201cI am not!\u201d The mother-in-law stepped closer and raised a finger, almost jabbing it in her daughter-in-law\u2019s face. \u201cSay whatever you like, but you\u2019re obliged to hand over the money!\u201d<\/p>\n
Igor appeared behind his mother. He stood next to her, nodding in support.<\/p>\n
\u201cOh, what does it cost you?\u201d Igor chimed in. \u201cMom needs it more! You\u2019ll earn more, and Mom is old!\u201d<\/p>\n
Blood rushed to Olga\u2019s face, coloring her cheeks bright red. Her patience had run out.<\/p>\n
\u201cOne more step toward me and I\u2019m calling the police,\u201d Olga said firmly, looking her mother-in-law straight in the eye.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat?\u201d Yelena Vasilievna was taken aback but kept flailing her arms. \u201cHow dare you threaten me?! I\u2019m not your equal!\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cExactly,\u201d Olga agreed. \u201cYou\u2019re a swindler, and I\u2019m an honest person.\u201d<\/p>\n
The mother-in-law snorted and took another step forward, clearly intending to continue her assault. Olga then took out her phone and, in front of both of them, dialed the emergency number.<\/p>\n
\u201cHello, police?\u201d Olga said loudly, not taking her eyes off her mother-in-law. \u201cI\u2019m being harassed in my own apartment. A woman forced her way into my home, is threatening me, and demanding money.\u201d<\/p>\n
Igor\u2019s words died in his throat, and Yelena Vasilievna instantly toned it down, realizing the game had gone too far.<\/p>\n
\u201cYes, the apartment is mine,\u201d Olga continued into the receiver. \u201cI\u2019m the only one registered here. I have the documents for the apartment. The intruders are my husband and his mother. Yes, my husband isn\u2019t registered here either; he\u2019s staying temporarily.\u201d<\/p>\n
Igor\u2019s face went slack. He had apparently forgotten that the apartment was registered only to Olga, inherited from her grandmother before the marriage.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou\u2019re coming? Thank you, I\u2019ll wait,\u201d Olga finished and put the phone away.<\/p>\n
Yelena Vasilievna and Igor stood in the middle of the kitchen in silence, not knowing how to react.<\/p>\n
\u201cAre you insane?\u201d Igor whispered. \u201cCalling the police on my own mother?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cOn an extortionist,\u201d Olga corrected. \u201cWho entered someone else\u2019s apartment and demanded money.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cOlga dear,\u201d the mother-in-law said ingratiatingly, \u201cmaybe let\u2019s not take it to extremes? I didn\u2019t mean anything bad\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou did,\u201d Olga cut her off. \u201cEight years of deceit is most definitely \u2018bad.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n
Twenty minutes later the police arrived. Olga explained the situation, showed the title documents for the apartment and proof of income. Yelena Vasilievna tried to justify herself, but the facts spoke for themselves.<\/p>\n
\u201cMa\u2019am,\u201d the senior lieutenant addressed the mother-in-law, \u201cdid you in fact demand money?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2026 asked for help,\u201d she mumbled.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhile having a higher income than the people you asked?\u201d the officer clarified after looking over the documents.<\/p>\n
The mother-in-law said nothing.<\/p>\n
\u201cUnderstood,\u201d the lieutenant nodded. \u201cPlease leave the apartment voluntarily, or we\u2019ll have to write up a report.\u201d<\/p>\n
Yelena Vasilievna hurriedly gathered herself and left, shooting her daughter-in-law a venomous look. Igor stayed, looking bewildered and deflated.<\/p>\n
After the police left, the spouses were silent for a long time. At last Igor spoke:<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy did you do all this?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI didn\u2019t \u2018do\u2019 anything,\u201d Olga replied. \u201cI just stopped putting up with it.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBut Mom\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYour mother is a swindler. And you knew it perfectly well.\u201d<\/p>\n
Igor lowered his head. Apparently, deep down he understood how wrong it all was, but preferred to look the other way.<\/p>\n
The next morning, Olga went to the registry office to file for divorce. There was virtually no joint property, and no children either. The process promised to be simple.<\/p>\n
Igor tried to talk her out of it, promised to speak with his mother, to convince Yelena Vasilievna not to ask for money anymore. But Olga knew: after eight years of deceit, trust couldn\u2019t be restored.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe can fix everything!\u201d her husband pleaded. \u201cStart from scratch!\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou fix a mistake,\u201d Olga said. \u201cWhat we had was a system. A system of deception and extortion in which you were an active participant.\u201d<\/p>\n
A month later, the divorce was finalized. Igor moved in with his mother, and Olga stayed in her apartment. At first, the quiet felt strange, but gradually she got used to her new life.<\/p>\n
The money that had once gone to support Yelena Vasilievna, Olga spent on renovating the apartment and buying new furniture. For the first time in years, she could afford good groceries and quality clothes.<\/p>\n
Igor called several times, trying to patch things up. But Olga was adamant. Life without constant demands for money turned out to be much calmer and happier.<\/p>\n
Yelena Vasilievna no longer showed up. Apparently, she realized that the free source of income had dried up forever. She had to learn to live on her own means\u2014which wasn\u2019t so difficult, given an income of fifty thousand rubles.<\/p>\n
Olga often remembered that September day when Igor couldn\u2019t withdraw money from the card. If not for that accident, the deception could have gone on for years. Now she thanked fate that everything came to light while it wasn\u2019t too late to start a new life.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Olga was slowly stirring the buckwheat on the stove when the front door slammed so hard the glass in the display cabinets rattled. The September morning had only just begun, but her husband had already dashed off somewhere and come back in a near-frenzy. \u201cWife, have you lost it? Why doesn\u2019t your card work?! I […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-33077","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/newzdiscover.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/33077","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/newzdiscover.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/newzdiscover.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newzdiscover.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newzdiscover.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=33077"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/newzdiscover.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/33077\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":33078,"href":"https:\/\/newzdiscover.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/33077\/revisions\/33078"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/newzdiscover.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=33077"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newzdiscover.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=33077"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newzdiscover.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=33077"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}