— Tonya, are you feeling unwell? What’s wrong with you?
Antonina did not respond; she just continued to lie on her side.
— Mom, tomorrow I will come home not alone but with a fiancé, — Larisa surprised Antonina over the phone. — I’m getting married!
Antonina was taken aback:
— Getting married? When did you find a fiancé! Well, come over, we will be waiting. It’s good that you warned me, I will inform your father.
The woman hung up the phone and stepped out of the house onto the porch.
She found her husband in the garden; he was fixing a small fence, replacing the rotted pickets with new ones.
— Roma! — Antonina called out to him. — Drop everything. Tomorrow our daughter is coming, not alone, but with a fiancé! We will meet him!
The evening was busy, Antonina and her husband were grinding meat for mince and making dumplings, the woman was busy at the stove late into the night, preparing pies and baking pancakes, while her husband washed the floors in all the rooms.
The Anokhins tried hard to make a good impression on their daughter’s fiancé.
The next morning, the house was spotlessly clean, and the table in the hall was laden with treats. Roman hurriedly swept the yard, while Antonina made the final touches inside the house, decorating the table with various jars of jam and candies.
Finally, the guests arrived, surprising the hosts with their luxurious and stylish car, which entered the yard with loud music playing.
Larisa was the first to exit with a large bouquet of white roses in her hands. Following her, a slim woman in a strict coat waited until a young man, who had jumped out from behind the wheel, opened the trunk and handed her a box with a cake.
The guest looked around the house, and her eyes settled on the Anokhins.
— Good afternoon, — she smiled. — Larisa, introduce us.
Her daughter was nervous, her hands trembling slightly.
— Mom, dad, this is Valentina Gennadievna, Oleg’s mother. And this is Oleg, I’ve told you about him.
Antonina curiously looked at the guests and gestured for everyone to come inside. A mother’s heart told her that Valentina Gennadievna was not thrilled about her son’s choice, but she maintained her dignity like a true lady.
«But that’s just at the beginning,» — Antonina felt a chill inside.
During the acquaintance, it became clear that her maternal instincts were right.
— I suggest the children do without a wedding, why the unnecessary expenses, — Valentina said at the table. — Let them register and stay at home. I, for one, don’t like noisy parties and guests. Larisa got her diploma, so we’ll find her a job in the city soon. In six months, the young ones could take out a mortgage. And it would be great if we help them a little to get settled. I will give Oleg a small amount, which I saved for him. Of course, it’s not a million, half as much, but better than nothing.
The future mother-in-law looked hopefully at Larisa’s parents.
— Since that’s the case, we will also not stand aside, — Mr. Anokhin said. — We also have some savings, and when the young ones decide to get their own place, we’ll give it to our daughter.
After Larisa married the city boy, the Anokhins happily began helping the young family. They had chickens, a few sheep, and a cow with a calf on their farm.
With the onset of winter, they slaughtered the calf for meat. Mr. Anokhin took part of the beef to the city, sharing it between his daughter’s family and the mother-in-law. He stayed as a guest for several days.
Antonina called her husband every hour, but Roma initially said he was visiting Larisa, then turned off his phone.
Antonina was not bored, as her household work kept her busy. She made cottage cheese, turned it into cheese, collected cream, and churned butter. All this she set aside to give to the mother-in-law, really wanting to earn her favor.
But soon trouble came to Antonina’s house. Her husband, Roman, returned home only to pack his things and leave. He bluntly explained to his wife that he had been waiting for their daughter to settle her personal life to separate. And he admitted that he no longer had any feelings for her.
— I no longer want to live with you. I leave you the house and the farm and ask you to understand. I’ve wanted to leave you for a long time, but our daughter held me back. Now she’s settled, and I have no reason to pretend any longer. Let me go!
Antonina burst into tears, clutched desperately at her husband’s jacket, and begged him to stay. But Anokhin pried her fingers loose and left.
People who can stoically endure any trials of fate are truly strong. However, Antonina did not possess such a gift.
She lay on the bed, dressed in a thermal shirt, her legs in boots. A neighbor who entered her house in the morning came across the lying hostess and got worried:
— Tonya, are you feeling unwell? What’s wrong with you? Let me call our paramedic.
Antonina did not answer her, only continued to lie on her side.
Within an hour, almost the whole village gathered at the Anokhin house, people gossiping among themselves:
— They say, Tonya’s husband left her.
— How did he leave, where to? — the women were worried.
Ravil, Roma’s close friend, came out of the crowd:
— Roma went to another woman, she lives in the city. I don’t know the other details.
— What an Asmodeus! And what about Tonya?
— Well, it’s unclear what. She’s lying down. Doesn’t get up. Doesn’t answer questions. The paramedic examined her, says it looks like a stroke. Well, he called the doctors, now they’ll come, let’s see what they say.
The news that the mother had taken ill quickly reached Larisa. She rushed from the city, dropping all her business, and began fussing around her mother.
Illness confined Antonina Anokhina to bed; she spent two weeks in intensive care.
Initially, she couldn’t speak, and her eyes were constantly wet with tears.
Roman Anokhin categorically refused to see his wife. He dryly informed his daughter that he had filed for divorce and had no intention of returning home.
He told his daughter:
— I don’t believe in her illness. I think she’s pretending and manipulating me to get me to return.
Larisa was shocked by her father’s words.
Anokhin lived with his new woman and was afraid that the situation would force him to return to his wife.
He even bitterly told his son-in-law that it would be better if Antonina «suffered through» and freed their daughter from the burden.
Larisa could not understand how her father could say such a thing about a person with whom he had lived for many years. She was horrified and furious at his words.
The girl took leave from work, moved her mother to her rented apartment, and voluntarily cared for her.
In the village, neighbors and friends of the Anokhins also did not sit idly by; in the absence of the owners, they cared for the livestock.
Oleg was angry at his young wife because of the mounting problems.
— This is not life. How long will your mother lie like this? A year, two, or maybe all her life? How long will we have to spend on medicine and her care? Sorry, but when I married you, I didn’t plan on having to fuss over a mother-in-law.
That same day, the mother-in-law came to visit, and Valentina shook her head:
— Larisa, forgive me if my words seem harsh to you, but we all, including your father, lean towards the idea that Antonina should be placed in some kind of nursing home. Or send her back to the village and hire a caregiver for her. Because you have a family, work, you can’t drop everything for a sick person.
Larisa, holding her mother’s hand all this time, looked indifferently at her mother-in-law:
— Valentina Gennadievna, my mother is part of my family. And why did you interfere in her life, after all, it was to you that dad went? Why did you allow him to live with you? How could this have happened at all?!
The guest did not want to answer the question and immediately turned her back.
Oleg realized that Larisa would not yield to his demands, and the mother-in-law would stay with them.
He asked for a divorce, explaining that family life turned out not as he had imagined.
Larisa agreed to the divorce, not hiding her tears. She thought about how lucky she was that she hadn’t gotten pregnant and hadn’t bought joint property with Oleg. They had nothing to argue about.
The money that was in Larisa’s bank account, intended for the initial mortgage payment, came in very handy. On it, Antonina and Larisa lived: they rented an apartment near the hospital, bought food, medicine, and paid for massages and rehabilitation procedures.
During one such procedure, Antonina met the smiling Raisa. This fifty-two-year-old woman was recovering from a road accident. Although Raisa was confined to a wheelchair, she remained cheerful and active.
Chatting, the women exchanged phone numbers, and their friendship began.
— I would give anything to regain the ability to walk, — Raisa shared with Antonina, her words full of pain. — Before the illness, I was a regular person, but I lived like an amoeba. Always sitting in a chair, too lazy to go for a walk. I was depressed, although I had everything: my own expensive car, a good job, and an apartment. But most importantly, I have the best son in the world. However, I didn’t appreciate this before and lived in depression. Every evening I made up problems for myself.
Now, having lost the ability to walk, I realized how much I have. I want to get back on my feet and return to my usual life. As soon as we recover, let’s go to a restaurant.
Antonina modestly smiled:
— I’ve never been to such places.
Raisa was surprised:
— Are you serious? Then all the more let’s go. I want to find myself in a decent place again, among well-dressed, laughing people.
First, Tonya sat up in bed by herself, then learned to slowly lower her legs to the floor from the bed. And finally, she got out of bed and learned to walk again.
All this time, her beloved daughter was by her side, who believed in her, patiently cared for her, and massaged Tonya’s legs.
Antonina assured Larisa that she would make it to the restaurant without any adventures.
The daughter still followed her when they arrived at the appointed place, and they were met by Raisa.
She was sitting in a wheelchair, which a young man was pushing.
— Hello, Tonya, — smiled the friend. — Meet my son Andrei.
— And this is my daughter Larisa.
Larisa blushed, Andrei also felt awkward:
— When mom was going to the restaurant, I didn’t let her go alone. I thought, what kind of restaurant could it be, she was just discharged.
Larisa stifled a laugh, covering her mouth with her hand:
— I was also surprised, but decided to escort my mom. I’m still worried about her health.
The restaurant had a cozy atmosphere, classical music played softly, and the women chose a table and sat down.
Larisa was about to leave but froze.
In the corner, at a table, sat her father; he was not alone, with Larisa’s former mother-in-law Valentina.
Anokhin did not take his eyes off his daughter.
— Larisa, — a pathetic smile flickered on his face, he waved to her.
Antonina also saw the couple of betrayers, she stopped moving.
— May I leave?
Antonina could see how her husband continued to sit at the table as if nothing had happened. She got angry and opened the menu folder.
— Did we come here for nothing? Larisa, dear, sit at the table, and you, Andrei, please sit down.
Antonina enjoyed the company and the food, and thought that she would also rejoice in life.
The world did not revolve around her ex-husband. She would no longer be upset: he left, and that’s where he belongs.
Anokhin looked at the table where Antonina and Larisa were sitting all evening. He really wanted to come over and find out what they were doing here. After all, the restaurant was an expensive establishment that a sick village woman couldn’t afford.
After a brief relationship, Andrei married Larisa. She did not invite her father to her wedding.
Larisa was lucky with her husband and mother-in-law—they turned out to be wonderful people.
Raisa began to walk with crutches, but at the celebration, she sat in a wheelchair, and Antonina was constantly by her side.
After her daughter’s wedding, Antonina returned to her native home. Ravil, Roman’s former friend, who lived alone and came to look after the livestock during the owner’s absence, continued to come.
He helped the woman in every way he could. Perhaps Antonina would notice him, and two solitudes would come together.
