I never understood my parents. They had two wonderful daughters, but only one mattered to them. I always thought there should be a unique approach to each child, that parental love should be equal for all. Unfortunately, maternal and paternal attention passed me by.
I was the first child in our family. The child they couldn’t raise the way they wanted. By the time I was five, they realized it was futile to try to make me into the person they wanted to see. So, they decided to have a second child—my younger sister Vika.
Vika was their angel incarnate; they adored her. And suddenly, everyone forgot about me. Who was I? Just a failed version of the child they honestly didn’t want.
One day I found out I was an accident. Mom got pregnant with me while she still hadn’t finished university, and dad was then forced to work all day to support the family. Sometimes it seemed to me that they blamed me for their hardships back then.
‘You can’t do anything, Vasilisa. Your father and I went through hell to provide for you, and you can’t even help us,’ mom complained. ‘All you do is sit with your books and daydream. Why not help your mother!’
‘If you want me to help, just ask,’ I calmly replied.
‘Can’t you figure that out yourself? I have to look after your sister, and dinner isn’t ready yet. God, why do I have such a daughter? Thank goodness I have Vika; she’s no trouble at all.’
‘I’m very sorry that your failed attempt to raise me properly is bothering you.’
‘How dare you talk to your mother like that? Go and make dinner, your father will be home soon. If it’s not ready by the time he arrives, I won’t defend you.’
‘As if you ever defended me.’
‘You know, daughter, sometimes it’s better to just keep quiet and do what’s expected of you.’
During my teenage years, I often fought with my parents. Due to the lack of attention, I subconsciously did everything to infuriate them. I dyed my hair all sorts of colors, stayed out late, and behaved poorly at school, forcing my parents to frequently visit my teacher or the principal. Perhaps it was my fault that I created the image of a rebel, which caused my mom and dad to distance themselves further from me and idolize my younger sister.
At 18, I finished school and moved south. There I entered university and finally felt freer. My parents weren’t exactly opposed; they generally didn’t care. They were probably even glad that their eldest daughter stopped being a burden. That’s when my new life began.
‘So tell me, how are you doing, still not expelled?’ my mom would ask during our biannual phone calls.
‘I see you’re really hoping for that,’ I would reply hurt. ‘Don’t worry, apparently they still haven’t realized who they’re dealing with.’
‘Yeah, right. You’re probably just getting D’s, aren’t you?’
‘Imagine, mom, I’ve bamboozled everyone so well they’re giving me all A’s. They even think I could graduate with honors.’
‘Sure you will,’ mom laughed. ‘I’ll never believe in my life that you could graduate from university with honors.’
‘But you’d believe if they expelled me?’
‘Not just believe, I know that’s exactly what will happen. You should’ve gone to college, would’ve been more use.’
‘Thanks for believing in me, mom. How’s your precious Vika doing?’
‘Smart girl, she’s studying. True, her behavior is sometimes poor, but she got that from you. Otherwise, she’s our best daughter, you should take an example from her.’
‘Sure, mom. Well, thanks for such a warm chat, I guess I’ll go study. We’ll talk in six months.’
‘How ungrateful you are! Thank goodness your sister isn’t like that, she at least appreciates her parents.’
‘Very happy for her. Alright, goodbye.’
That’s how each of our conversations went. Mom would pretend to be interested in my life, and always ended by saying something about my sister and how wonderful she was. Sarcasm was my salvation, to keep from bursting out and saying everything I thought about my family. Deep down, I didn’t want to hurt anyone.
In my final year of university, I met a wonderful guy, Andrey. More accurately, I got to know him better. I knew who he was and which faculty he studied in, but we weren’t personally acquainted. One day, Andrey gave me a ride to the university, and we had a nice chat. Later, he offered to drive me whenever our schedules coincided. One day, we skipped classes and spent the whole day together. That’s how our relationship began.
Two years later, we got married. My parents weren’t at the wedding because, you see, traveling that far was too expensive and energy-consuming. When I offered to pay for their tickets, they came up with a bunch of excuses not to attend their daughter’s wedding. Vika didn’t come either, claiming she needed to prepare for exams.
‘Vasilisushka, why is your family not here?’ my mother-in-law asked at the wedding.
‘It’s a long journey, and tickets are expensive,’ I defended.
‘How so? Aren’t you their beloved daughter? I would have come to another country if my son decided to marry there.’
My eyes teared up, and my mother-in-law saw it.
‘Darling, what’s wrong? Forgive me, this must be a sensitive topic for you. Don’t worry, now we’re your family. We’ll always be here and support you.’
‘Thank you so much,’ I sincerely smiled and hugged my mother-in-law.
A month later, Andrey and I moved to Gelendzhik, where his entire family lived. My husband had an apartment there, which his parents bought us as a wedding gift. The sunny weather, the sea, and the mountains—everything was wonderful.
A couple of months later, it was my sister’s birthday. Although we weren’t very close, I couldn’t not congratulate her.
‘Thanks, sis! And for the money you sent!’ Vika thanked me.
‘You’re welcome. How are you, how will you celebrate?’
‘Going to drive around with friends in my new car, then we’ll head to a cottage overnight. You know, barbecue, sauna, boys,’ my sister giggled.
‘Wait, new car?’ I was surprised.
‘Yeah! Turns out, our parents had been saving all this time and bought me a car with their savings! Great, right?’
‘Yeah…’
‘How about you? Haven’t split up with your husband yet?’
‘Why would you think that?’
‘Oh, just something mom mentioned. Well, I gotta run, friends are waiting. Thanks again! Bye!’
My mood was ruined. Andrey noticed.
‘Dear, what’s wrong? Why are you so sad?’
‘My sister got a car for her coming of age. When I turned 18, they didn’t even congratulate me, only remembered several days later.’
‘Oh, dear…’
‘They didn’t come to the wedding because they didn’t have money for tickets. They didn’t come even when I wanted to pay for them. And a couple of months later, I find out they bought a car for my sister. Tell me, where is the justice?’
I cried on my husband’s shoulder all evening, and he listened and comforted me. Suddenly, I felt so hurt that my parents had never paid attention to me. They acted as if I was a stranger to them. But I decided I would enjoy my life and definitely become happy, no matter what.
A few months later, I found out that my younger sister had severely violated the rules, resulting in her driver’s license being revoked. Huge fines, naturally, were paid by our parents. But even this didn’t make them complain or scold Vika. They continued to idolize their younger daughter and indulge her. This situation didn’t surprise me; it only amused me.
Another summer came around. I worked remotely, and in my free time, I helped my husband’s parents with the household. They had a guest house and a small garden. Sometimes I hosted guests, and in the evenings, I sat with my mother-in-law on the veranda and chatted with visitors.
One day, someone knocked on our apartment door. I thought it was one of my husband’s relatives, as they often came over to bring us some fruit or berries. But I was wrong.
‘Vika?’
‘Hi, sis!’
‘What are you doing here?’
‘I’ll stay with you for a couple of weeks, and you’ll take care of me,’ my sister declared.
‘What do you mean stay? And what do you mean ‘take care of you’?
‘Oh, I’m just kidding. Don’t worry about it. I came to work. There’s definitely work here in Gelendzhik during the summer season, and I want to earn some money. And I don’t have anywhere to live yet, so I came straight to you. I promise I’ll rent my own place with the first money I earn!’
‘I don’t know, I need to talk to my husband.’
‘Talk to him. Meanwhile, I’ll settle in. We haven’t seen each other in a long time, and now we can spend some time together. It’ll be fun, sis!’
‘Yeah, fun…’
Surprisingly, my husband agreed, though I hoped he would refuse. After all, I really needed to live with my sister for a couple of weeks. I heard her call our parents via video chat that same evening, showed them ‘her’ room, and told them how bad her train neighbors had been.
Of course, my parents pitied their darling daughter, and they reacted to our room as if it was only suitable for a temporary stay, despite our apartment having modern renovations, and even the lights could be turned on and off using voice commands. But naturally, I didn’t expect anything different from my parents, considering they didn’t even want to greet me.
Vika got a job as a waitress and mainly worked nights. In the morning and during the day, she slept, and at first, I thought that was even better. But soon, problems started.
My sister would come home very loudly and happily at night. I constantly woke up, and a couple of times I asked her to come in quieter because my husband and I had to get up early. She swore it wouldn’t happen again, but, of course, her words were empty.
Vika had the annoying habit of leaving all her wrappers, dirty plates, and cups in her room, which would sit there for days until I noticed and cleaned up after her. When I asked her to clean up, my sister cleverly brushed me off.
‘Vas, I come home tired from work,’ my sister excused herself. ‘I wake up two hours before my shift, and I have so much to do! I just don’t have time to take all your dishes where they need to go. It’s your apartment, you’re the hostess, so you clean up.’
‘Vik, you’ve been living here for a month, you don’t pay for anything. We don’t take money from you, we feed you at our expense, wash your clothes. Please, at least clean up your room. And by the way, when are you going to rent your own place?’
‘God, you’re just like our ancestors! Stop being such a nag! I’ll rent that place, I just don’t have enough money. I’ll move out soon, since I’m bothering you so much!’
Vika behaved like a spoiled child. No wonder, considering how our parents coddled her. She knew no independence. At almost 19, she didn’t even know how to cook pasta.
One day, Andrey and I decided to walk along the promenade. Vika was supposed to be at work. I decided to stop by the cafe where she worked and say hello to her. But the cafe administrator said Vika only worked three times a week, and today was her day off. I was perplexed.
‘Are you her older sister?’ the cafe administrator unexpectedly asked.
‘Yes. Do you know where Vika is?’
‘I know. She loves to talk about everything that happens to her. Right now, she’s probably somewhere having fun and blowing all her earned money. You do know that her parents send her money every day?’
‘No, I didn’t know…’
‘She’s a spoiled girl. I don’t know how you put up with her.’
‘I don’t know either.’
A feeling of anger didn’t leave me. I thought my sister had finally come to her senses and at least learned how to earn and spend money properly, but it turned out she was still thinking about entertainment. I was sure she never intended to rent her own place but wanted to live in our apartment with my husband and me for free. Only I intended to thwart her plans.
The cafe administrator told me where I could find my sister. After half an hour of searching, I found her on a dance floor in some cafe-bar surrounded by young people. I pulled her aside so she could clearly hear my words.
‘What are you doing, Vasilisa? Let me go!’
‘I really hoped my sister had become an adult who keeps her word and knows what responsibility is. I don’t care where you’ll spend the night, but definitely not in my apartment. I’ll leave your stuff at the doorstep, so you can pick them up tomorrow.’
‘Are you serious? You’re kicking your own sister out of your home?’
‘Exactly, Vika. You’ve been taking advantage of my kindness as long as I allowed you to. But now I’m not willing to tolerate it.’
‘I’ll tell our parents everything! I’ll tell them what kind of person you are! You think you’re the smartest? You’re nobody!’
‘Say whatever you want, sis. They don’t care about me anyway. And since they apparently send you money every day, I’m sure you’ll find a place to stay tonight. All the best!’
I didn’t regret my action. Maybe this would put my sister in her place. Although I doubted it. Perhaps it was too much, but even my husband supported me in this decision.
When my parents found out how I treated my sister, they completely turned their backs on me, because I dared to offend their golden girl. But I no longer cared, I didn’t need their approval. My sister’s actions proved to me that family isn’t necessarily blood relatives. It’s those who love you, support you, and wouldn’t dream of taking advantage of your situation.»
