— Lena can’t go without a car anymore. She needs to get to training, then to her internship. And you’re just sitting at home now, the car is going unused.
Arina at first didn’t believe it and, frowning, asked again:
— Why should I give my car to Lena?
— Arina, you’re a mother now. It’s more important for you to be home with your son and not worry about silly things. Lena is a young and promising woman. What do you need the car for? It will just sit and gather dust. Besides, we’re family. Are you really that stingy?
Arina had married Igor out of great and bright love. They met by chance when a car splashed water on Arina from a puddle at the bus stop. She was standing there tired after work, and the people around began to glance sideways at her and whisper.
Igor was passing by and saw the small, fragile girl drenched in water. He pulled over to the curb and gallantly offered help, giving her his jacket so she wouldn’t freeze. After all, it was early autumn. That’s how they met and exchanged numbers. When he found out they worked nearby, Igor offered to give Arina a ride every morning. Then they started dating.
Igor turned out to be attentive, kind, and calm. He was easy to be with. Arina gradually got used to his measured speech, to how he listened carefully, remembered details, never rushed but was never late. After a year they got married.
Arina kept working, saving money, and finally bought herself a used but reliable car—a small, neat, perfectly fitting red Toyota iQ. She was proud of herself, having earned and saved the entire amount. Igor teased her a little, saying she was now a “motorist lady,” not just his wife.
He worried a lot when his wife decided to get behind the wheel, but Arina soon got the hang of it and started driving well.
— Do you think I’m not scared myself? — she told her husband. — That’s why I chose a small car, to get used to it faster.
Arina loved to go out after work with a friend to a café or, if it was summer, somewhere in nature—to admire the view, breathe fresh air, and enjoy freedom. The car became something more than just transportation for her.
It was her personal corner, her cozy space. Sometimes she would turn on her favorite music, roll down the windows, and just drive around the city aimlessly. She became so comfortable behind the wheel that she couldn’t imagine life without her beloved red car.
Time passed. Life went on steadily without any sharp turns. Arina and Igor increasingly talked about children. It was a mutual, balanced, mature decision. The pregnancy happened at the right time—long-awaited and planned, as if fate itself had blessed it.
Arina was radiant. Morning walks, balanced diet, prenatal yoga—she read, prepared, and enjoyed every stage. She had no father, but her mother Svetlana Olegovna was deeply devoted to caring for her daughter. She called every day to check on her well-being, sent recipes and articles, and shared her own experience of carrying Arina.
— Mom, I’m really fine, everything’s good—Arina laughed. — I’m just waiting for the baby to decide to appear. For now, I’m getting used to the new role.
On weekends, Arina would visit her mother, and they would go shopping together for clothes for the future son and grandson. Arina already knew it would be a boy—he proudly showed who he was on the ultrasound.
Svetlana Olegovna tenderly held tiny bodysuits and little socks, which took her back to moments of her youth. They liked just driving around the city, visiting children’s stores, discussing which rompers were more comfortable, and laughing at strange children’s costumes shaped like pumpkins, ladybugs, and sharks.
— Just don’t buy a hedgehog costume, Mom. I want my son to look like a person, not a cartoon character, — joked Arina.
— We’ll see, we’ll see, — her mother smiled slyly, hiding a plush giraffe the size of a pillow in the bag.
Everything was calm. Even too calm. And Arina felt that inside was growing not just a new person but a new version of herself—one ready to protect herself, her boundaries, her decisions. She thought only good things lay ahead. That everyone around would be as kind and caring as her mother.
But she didn’t yet know that the first real storm would hit right after childbirth. And it wouldn’t start with sleepless nights or colic… but with an unexpected request from her mother-in-law, which wasn’t even a request—more like a demand.
When the daughter-in-law became pregnant, Alexandra Petrovna was initially restrained but brightened up upon learning they were expecting a boy:
— Oh! Good for you! I was afraid it would be a girl, — she said, hugging her son and briefly smiling at the daughter-in-law.
The birth was difficult. Arina recovered slowly, barely slept, breastfeeding, colic, endless fatigue. Igor tried to help but was often away on business trips, and the mother-in-law kept appearing at their home to “help,” but more often criticized than assisted.
One day, when the baby was just over a month old, the mother-in-law showed up unexpectedly. Arina was rocking her son, tired, in a robe, with swollen, sleep-deprived eyes. The mother-in-law looked her up and down, sat in a chair, and said:
— Arina, we have a request.
— What request? — Arina asked cautiously, holding her son close.
— Lena, — Alexandra Petrovna began, meaning her daughter — can’t do without a car anymore. She needs to go to training, then internship. And you’re sitting at home, the car is unused. It’s only temporary.
Arina didn’t believe it at first and, frowning, asked again:
— Are you serious? Why should I give my car to Lena?
— Arina, you’re a mother now. It’s more important for you to be at home with your son and not worry about nonsense. Lena is a young and promising woman. What do you need that car for? It’ll just sit and gather dust. Besides, we’re family. Are you really that stingy?
Arina felt everything inside her start boiling with injustice. Sleep deprivation, fatigue, hormones—all piled on top of each other. She looked at the woman who, without a shadow of doubt, demanded to give away something that had been part of her life. And spoke as if she was an empty space without a voice.
— The car is mine, — Arina said calmly, feeling a tremor all over her body. — I won’t give it to anyone. Neither temporarily nor forever. And if Lena needs a car that badly, let her earn and buy one, like I did.
The mother-in-law flushed and abruptly stood up:
— So that’s how you are… I thought you were decent. Lena, by the way, is almost the best hairdresser in town, and who are you… that’s the question!
— Great! Congratulations to her, — Arina interrupted quietly but firmly.
Alexandra Petrovna left, not getting the result she wanted.
The door slammed, and silence hung in the air like after a heavy rain. Only the baby at the breast peacefully snored, unaware of the storm that had just passed through this small apartment. Arina stood in the middle of the room, holding her son tighter than usual.
She felt both exhausted and strong at the same time. For the first time, she had to speak so harshly with her mother-in-law. She had never raised her voice or spoken against Alexandra Petrovna before. But now everything inside had changed.
The mother-in-law rarely interfered in their affairs with Igor, but her indifference was always felt. Arina never understood how someone could be so indifferent and cold toward their own son. Without warmth, without interest, as if he were just another item on a list of duties.
With Arina and her mother, everything was different. Svetlana Olegovna, with her loud voice, endless conversations, and constant readiness to help, was a reliable support in life. Even when sometimes intrusive, Arina still felt it was real motherly love.
Over time, Arina began to understand the situation. In Igor’s family, everything revolved around Lena—his younger sister. She lived as if she were at the center of a small universe built by her mother.
Alexandra Petrovna fulfilled any wish of her daughter, justified any of her choices. Study abroad, job changes, another “life crisis” requiring urgent financial help. And Igor? In this balanced scheme, he was like a silent background. He was simply unnoticed.
Even now—no consultation, no asking. Alexandra Petrovna just decided that since Arina didn’t need the car, it could be taken. As if it were something ordinary.
That’s why everything inside was boiling with indignation. Not because of the request itself. But because of the invisible wall that Alexandra Petrovna never tried to break down. And which Arina was not going to break—but also not going to let be stepped on.
The son stirred and squeaked. Arina pressed him tighter, inhaled the smell of his head—that special baby scent that makes the heart ache. The world shrank to that moment—between mother and child.
The phone vibrated. A message from Igor:
“Mom called me. She says you refused to give Lena the car. Is everything okay?”
Arina looked at the screen for a long time, then slowly typed:
“Yes, everything is fine. I said I won’t give the car.”
She locked the phone and put it on the windowsill, then went to put the son to bed. Her heart no longer pounded with anxiety. It beat evenly, confidently.
The next day, while Arina was feeding the baby, there was a knock at the door. She wasn’t expecting guests, but looking through the peephole, she saw Lena. She stood with a dissatisfied expression, black curls, and red lipstick. Arina sighed and opened the door.
— Hi, — Lena said dryly. — Is Igor home?
Arina nodded, not even surprised by her tone:
— Yes, he’s in the living room.
Lena walked inside, briefly glancing at the baby peacefully sleeping in Arina’s arms.
— Igor and I need to talk alone, — she declared, heading toward the kitchen.
Arina frowned but didn’t object. She knew Igor would handle the situation himself.
In the kitchen, Lena immediately got to the point:
— I urgently need a car. I signed up for courses, then there will be an internship—no way without transport.
Igor, sitting at the table, slowly put down his phone:
— And what do you propose?
— Arina isn’t going anywhere now anyway, — Lena continued, as if it were obvious. — Her car is just sitting. And I already have a driver’s license. Besides, why does she need a two-seater car when there are now three of you?
Igor frowned:
— Are you serious?
— What’s wrong with that? — Lena shrugged. — It’s only temporary.
— The car belongs to Arina, — Igor said firmly. — She bought it herself, and only she decides what to do with it.
Lena rolled her eyes:
— Oh, we know that “herself.” When you live with a man, everything is “herself” bought. Yeah, right!
— Arina really bought the car herself. I don’t see anything wrong with that. She had the opportunity and she bought it. You also had plenty of opportunities but didn’t use them.
— Of course, you’re always on her side. Mom is right—you’ve completely forgotten about your family.
— My family is Arina and my son, — Igor answered calmly. — And if you need a car, find a way to buy one yourself. My wife needs to get to the clinic with the baby. I’m not going to send her by public transport just because you suddenly need a car. Take a loan and buy one. Or maybe your mother will find money for you again. She found 300 thousand for your courses, didn’t she?
Lena abruptly stood up, her face flushed with anger:
— I thought you’d at least help somehow! But I see you’re already completely under her thumb.
She left the kitchen with a heavy sigh. Her eyes were narrowed with anger. In the hallway, she threw Arina a hateful glance, but Arina didn’t even flinch, continuing to rock the baby.
When the door closed behind Lena, Igor came out into the living room.
— Is everything okay? — Arina asked, though she already understood from his face.
— Yes, — he came up to her, hugged her shoulders, and kissed her cheek. — She won’t come again.
Arina nodded but doubted in her heart. She knew Alexandra Petrovna would not give up so easily.
A few days later, Arina sat behind the wheel for the first time after childbirth. She carefully drove out onto the street, turned on her favorite music, and smiled. The car was her little freedom, and she wasn’t going to give it up.
Somewhere far away, in Alexandra Petrovna’s apartment, Lena complained to her mother about the unfairness of life, but it no longer mattered. Arina had chosen her path—and it was leading her only forward.
