«Your mother is calling again, Misha,» I said irritably. «Every three hours, it’s getting on my nerves.»
«He misses you, I don’t see anything wrong with that,» my husband replied.
I could understand my mother-in-law’s attachment to her only son, but her constant interference in our life had been a strain from the first day of our marriage with Misha. We had been married for a year and a half. We weren’t rushing to have children, deciding first to buy our own home. Meanwhile, we lived in a rented apartment, which was quite cozy. Misha suggested moving to his mother’s place in another city, but I flatly refused.
Fortunately, at that time I was just offered an internship at a large company, and I gladly accepted it, and afterward, I got a well-paid, interesting job. My husband agreed that now we could afford to rent our own place and he stopped bringing up the topic of moving to his mother’s. However, Ekaterina Semyonovna couldn’t come to terms with being left alone after her only child’s wedding.
She called Misha on weekdays and weekends, arguing that she missed him a lot. My husband willingly communicated with his mother, sometimes sending her money as Ekaterina Semyonovna had a small pension. I tried not to interfere in their relationship, but my mother-in-law’s intrusiveness annoyed me.
Then my grandmother passed away. She never complained about her health, lived in a spacious two-bedroom apartment, which she and my grandfather had bought in their youth. Grandma was well over eighty when she followed grandpa. We were shocked. My mother grieved a lot and cried a lot. I also loved Grandma Tanya very much and missed her. This sadness brought me and my parents closer together, as we had drifted apart somewhat after my wedding.
Now we talked for a long time, sitting in the parents’ kitchen, remembering Grandma Tanya. She was a quiet, patient, and very kind woman, who had an enormous inexhaustible love for both her children and grandchildren. All the great-grandchildren from us with Misha were expected, but she did not live to see them. It’s very bitter when a person leaves. You can no longer call them, write to them, come visit to hug them. It’s a forever goodbye.
When the grief receded a bit, we started thinking about what to do with Grandma’s old two-bedroom. It needed repairs, but the apartment was spacious and bright, in a quiet residential area. My parents lived in a private house and were quite tired of maintaining a large plot.
They wanted peace, quiet, and coziness in their old age. My parents discussed and declared that they would move to Grandma’s apartment and sell their house. The proceeds would be given to me so I could buy an apartment for Misha and me. My mother had long been worried that we were living in rented accommodation.
«Daughter, a roof over your head is very important. You don’t have to worry too much now since there are no children yet, but what about when the kids come? You need to think about everything now. We’ll give you the money, you buy the apartment. Just make sure to register it in your name, okay?»
«We wanted to take a loan from the bank with Misha, and we would have paid it off gradually.»
«And you would have paid extra to someone else every month for fifteen years,» my father reasoned. «We’re tired of living in a private house. It’s old, we’re not getting any younger. But here, we’ll move to an urban apartment with a bath and a fitted kitchen. It will be good and convenient for everyone, don’t argue.»
In the end, the decision was made. My parents put their private house up for sale. They didn’t overprice it, so buyers came in droves. While selling, they immediately began renovating Grandma’s apartment. They wallpapered, installed stretch ceilings. Mom changed the curtains, Dad redid the old electrics himself.
The house sold quite quickly, and they moved into Grandma’s two-bedroom. I was looking for an apartment for Misha and me. It wasn’t an easy task and involved a lot of hassle, but I looked at real estate listings every day. I tried to involve Misha, but he was going through a busy period at work and didn’t have time to come with me to view options.
I hired a reputable good realtor. He was the same one my parents had used to sell their house, and now I was looking for an apartment with him. I looked closer to the center but in quiet old districts, to be closer to my parents. When the grandchildren come along, mom and dad will help, so I also had to think about that ahead of time. The realtor and I looked at options for two weeks. One I really liked. A spacious bright three-bedroom overlooking an old park, where huge chestnuts and dark firs grew, their branches reaching straight into the sky.
The apartment had a spacious loggia, insulated floors, and the sellers even left some appliances and furniture for a small extra payment. They were moving to another city to a married son and were in a hurry to say goodbye to the property. We were already preparing to close the deal when I decided to discuss everything with my husband again.
«Mish, you really need to look at the option I chose. I’m sure you’ll like it. Please find some time, let’s go together. If you approve, then we’ll buy it,» I told my husband during dinner.
This time I made a very delicious turkey in a sweet and sour sauce with rice and vegetables. Misha loved rice and was ready to eat it almost every day. I also managed to bake an aromatic fish pie for tea, so we enjoyed eating and talking.
«Phew, honestly, I don’t know how I can manage everything!» my husband admitted. «There’s such a fuss at the office right now. And I have an idea that I’ve long wanted to share with you.»
«What is it?» I looked at him with interest.
«Bring the keys to the inherited apartment, my mom will live there,» my husband told me.
I looked at him dumbfounded.
«Mish, my parents are living there, what are you talking about? They sold their house so we could buy our own home, you know that very well,» I tried to explain to Misha.
«Mom misses me a lot in another city, she can’t be alone, you understand?»
«And what do you suggest, to evict my mom and dad to rented accommodation or what? Why doesn’t your mom rent something here then, closer to us?»
«Because she has a small pension, and I’m not a millionaire to pay for her apartment!» Misha insisted.
«This is a conversation about nothing. I will never do such a thing. Mom and dad have already helped us a lot. And you, instead of saying thank you, want to throw them out on the street!»
«My mother is more important to me!»
«And my mom and dad are more precious to me.»
We silently looked at each other for a long time, then my husband got up from the table and said:
«Then I’m leaving you. You’ll come running to wash my feet and drink water, and you’ll forget your pride!»
I raised an eyebrow demonstratively and shook my head. Misha walked around the apartment, gathering his things, continuing to throw accusations and insults. He was sure that I would stop him, and if not, I wouldn’t last long alone and would rush to him, agreeing to everything just to have this golden man return to me. No way! After what he dared to demand from me, I didn’t want to see or hear Misha.
My husband left overnight, and I was left alone in the rented apartment, which I was soon planning to leave. I was very angry at my husband. I couldn’t fall asleep for a long time, I called my mom, and told her everything.
«I never particularly liked Misha, you know. But I didn’t expect this from a son-in-law!» my mom said.
«Nor could I have imagined that he would turn out like this. He doesn’t respect me, and was almost ready to throw you out on the street. His mom, you see, misses him! If he had offered her to rent an apartment near us, I would have agreed. But there was no talk of that,» I vented on the phone.
«And what are you going to do now? Will you leave him?»
«He left me, and I will file for divorce. I don’t need such a mama’s boy,» I said. «Will you come with me tomorrow to look at the apartment?»
«Of course, daughter. And let’s, my dear, go to sleep. Morning is wiser than the evening. You need to rest, tomorrow is such an important day.»
I said goodbye to my mom, changed into my favorite pajamas with bears, but still couldn’t fall asleep for a long time. I thought about buying an apartment and about Misha. In the morning, I filed for divorce, then rushed to meet the realtor. Mom was with me, supporting me in everything, and that was important to me. Misha didn’t write or call, which pleased me more than it upset me. I really didn’t want to continue arguing with my now almost former husband.
Mom and I looked at the apartment for a long time. We liked everything there. It was decided to proceed with the deal. Everything was registered completely in my name, the divorce with Misha was processed quickly, as we had no common children. My father also supported my decision to leave my husband when he found out what he had done.
«You did the right thing, daughter. You deserve better. Go ahead, live, don’t be sad. Everything will work out, you’ll see. You’ll meet a worthy man yet and bring us grandchildren.»
I smiled tiredly at my father. Our houses were in neighboring yards, and mom and dad often came to see me, and I visited them. I settled into the new apartment quickly. I arranged everything to my taste, bought a small but very comfortable sofa, a new refrigerator. My parents also gave me money for it.
I wasn’t burdened by loneliness; I enjoyed it. I quickly erased the nagging mother-in-law from my memory, and a year and a half of marriage seemed like an annoying misunderstanding that finally ended. I got a puppy, and every evening we walked in the park with cheerful noisy Jack. The park was beautiful. Old giant trees soothed with their whisper, providing pleasant dense shade. I enjoyed walking here, looking at the fallen autumn leaves and numerous cones that fell from the old firs. Now I didn’t need to prepare hearty varied dinners that Misha so loved.
Everything became much simpler after separating from my husband. I breakfasted on a couple of eggs and some fat-free cottage cheese or yogurt, had salad for lunch, and a handful of poppy seed bagels and sweet tea were enough for dinner. I lost weight, eating much less. And I added morning runs. They cleared my mind, calmed me, and invigorated me for the whole upcoming day. I earned enough to pay for the utilities in the apartment. There was much less laundry without a husband, and there was always perfect cleanliness at home. Misha constantly made a mess when eating, scattered his things, and I put up with it, although I preferred order.
I was never bored with Jack. He slept with me, amusingly sprawled on the blanket, his little paws twitching. The dog grew quickly, we went to training courses that opened nearby. My little guy already knew how to sit, understood the commands «no» and «heel.» The clever puppy quickly learned to bring me cozy fluffy slippers at home, barked when it was required of him. They say hunting dogs are harder to train than companions. But my beagle turned out to be quite a smart guy and mastered everything quickly. We even went to a show with him and brought back a beautiful medal with colorful ribbons.
In the evenings, I watched movies and engaged in handicrafts. I returned to weaving various jewelry from beads. At first, I made them only for myself, then started posting photos of the products on my social media page. To my surprise, strangers began to praise my jewelry, and expressed a desire to buy some for themselves.
I happily made several necklaces and earrings to order, and after that, it became a nice side income. Money is never superfluous, but it’s especially pleasing when it comes from a beloved hobby. I wove with pleasure, didn’t skimp on buying the best beads, hardware for jewelry. My mom sincerely praised my work, even wore a simple but very beautiful bracelet I had woven herself.
Misha never appeared in my life again. Apparently, he harbored a grudge. I was quite happy with that. I had outgrown our marriage, as a child outgrows sandals every summer. It was time to change, and I changed, enjoying these changes. I believed that I would definitely meet my love in the future, and while we were still waiting for each other, I would engage in my favorite thing and love myself.
I continued to run in the mornings, weave jewelry, walk a lot and play with the charming clever Jack, creating coziness in my apartment. Happiness is definitely within us; we just need to be able to see it and feel it. And I was learning this, rejoicing in every new day and every night. Life is beautiful, but so short. Therefore, you have to leave a bad movie in the cinema, not live with a person who is not worth your little finger, be able to respect yourself and choose yourself, whatever it takes.
