Does the surgery need to be done?» Konstantin looked at his wife. Ulyana was agitated and unsure of what to do. On one hand, the situation required an immediate decision, but on the other, she was scared to leave her husband and mother-in-law. «Maybe postpone it? For a month or two?»
«You know I’ve been given a quota. All the tests are done. There’s nowhere to postpone it to. If I refuse, I’ll have to pay myself or my leg will completely stop working,» Konstantin replied.
«No… That’s out of the question. If it needs to be done, do it. How long will you be there? A week? Two?»
«I don’t know, Kostya, it will all depend on how the prosthetic takes.»
«I think it will be quick. You’ll be running in a week.»
«May your words reach God’s ears…»
«So, we need to settle things with mother for a week. Who will take care of her,» the husband continued.
«You have vacation time; you take care of her. I’ll explain everything to you…»
«What? I can’t, and besides, you yourself said — it’s my vacation. So don’t count on me,» Konstantin declared.
Ulyana looked at Kostya in surprise. She hadn’t expected him to be so categorical, especially since Tamara Andreevna was his mother. And it was Ulyana who had to take care of his bedridden mother.
«What do you mean, don’t count on you? She can’t manage on her own!»
«Ask your mother. Let her stay with us for a week. She has nothing else to do anyway.»
«She actually works! And she’s not young herself, it’s hard for her to care for your mother.»
«Either way, you need to find a solution to this problem because I’ve already booked my trip.»
«Where?!»
«To a sanatorium. The organization is paying, it would be a sin to refuse,» Konstantin muttered.
«Indeed. I don’t know what to be more surprised by — that your job has finally brought us some benefit, or that you actually decided to abandon your mother and wife for your own leisure!»
«Ulyana, why are you such a nag? You know I need to rest. I’m not made of iron.»
«Of course, you’re the only one who deserves a vacation. I hope the sanatorium is within the Moscow Ring Road, so you can come visit me in the hospital. I’ll need things, crutches… who knows what?»
«No. It’s a bit further… the sanatorium is near the Black Sea. So I won’t be able to come to you. Ask your mother-in-law, she can bring you whatever you need.»
Ulyana shook her head, astonished at her husband’s logic.
«Okay, don’t make me out to be a monster. After all, there’s Lena. Call her, maybe she can spare a minute and take care of our mother.»
Ulyana thought of her sister-in-law. Elena was always busy and rarely visited, mainly on holidays. She didn’t burden herself with caring for their mother and limited her help to rare phone calls.
Nevertheless, Ulyana didn’t hesitate, she called Lena and explained the situation:
«I’ll try my best to come, but I can’t promise. You understand, I’m a busy person. It’s not your job where there’s nothing to do,» Lena said.
Ulyana swallowed her sister-in-law’s words. She worked as an accountant, and some of the work she took home so as not to leave her mother-in-law alone for long. Why Lena thought her daughter-in-law was idle was a mystery to Ulyana, especially since she earned more than Konstantin.
Honestly, Ulyana had hoped until the last moment that her husband would postpone the trip to other dates, but it didn’t happen.
«Such a chance comes once in a lifetime! If I refuse now, it’ll only be for money later,» he paraphrased his wife’s quote. Ulyana had to call her mother—Olga Yurievna never refused her daughter’s help. She agreed this time too.
«I’ll come, how else? Of course, Lena could help… it’s easier together.»
«I’ll call her again later,» Ulyana promised and started getting ready for the hospital.
«Will you drive me to the hospital? I have a lot of things, and it’s inconvenient to go by metro. My leg also hurts…»
«Call a taxi. I can’t.»
«What are you busy with?»
«I have a train in the morning.»
«They offered you a plane on Wednesday, two hours and you’re there!»
«I love the romance of trains, decided to leave earlier. I’ll relax for an extra three days.»
«And mom?»
«What about mom? What difference does it make to her? The main thing is that she’s fed on time.»
Ulyana blushed. She hoped that her mother-in-law hadn’t heard those words.
Tamara Andreevna, although bedridden, was still a perfectly normal woman in her right mind. She could participate in any conversation and loved poetry, reciting Pushkin’s poems by heart and happily watching a culture channel.
Ulyana had a warm relationship with her mother-in-law. The mother-in-law appreciated the care with gratitude, understanding that Kostya had shielded himself from this duty.
She often said:
«If I had another daughter-in-law, I probably would be living in a retirement home by now.»
«What are you saying, Tamara Andreevna… don’t talk like that. Would we ever let that happen?» Ulyana took her hand and comforted her. Konstantin nodded in agreement and went to the bedroom to watch TV, delegating all care for his mother to his wife, and he was very pleased with this arrangement.
Realizing that waiting for help from her husband was pointless, Ulyana arranged with her mother and called a taxi to go to the hospital herself.
The surgery went well, but the woman had to learn to walk again. The rehabilitation took quite a long time, and during this period, her husband was sunbathing on the sunny coast of the Black Sea. He called his wife a few times to make sure she was getting ready to be discharged. But she didn’t have good news for him.
«Mom is tired. Call Lena yourself, ask her to replace her at least for a while. Your sister doesn’t talk to me,» Ulyana requested.
«I promise nothing,» Kostya said. An hour later, Lena called Ulyana.
«Hey, when are you being discharged?» she asked.
«In a week.»
«Got it. Well, I’ll come then.»
«Thank you. We’ll be waiting.»©Stella Kiarri
Lena did not come the next day, nor the day after… Olga Yurievna had to hire a caregiver at her own expense to get some rest and find some part-time work. Besides caring for her mother-in-law, Olga Yurievna had to visit her daughter in the hospital because no one else came to see Ulyana.
Seeing that her mother was very tired, Ulyana asked the doctor to discharge her earlier.
«I’ll manage somehow. I can’t stay in bed for long, my home awaits,» she said while receiving the discharge papers. Life forced her to get back on her feet faster than others.
Of course, she couldn’t perform her usual activities as before. Olga Yurievna couldn’t rest either: now she had to come and initially take care of her daughter and mother-in-law.
«And when is Kostya coming back? It’s been a while,» Tamara Andreevna asked.
«He has a month-long voucher… maybe he extended it to avoid seeing us longer,» Ulyana bitterly smiled. At that moment, her phone rang.
«Oh, Lena ‘woke up’… Hello?»
«Hi, so you’ve been discharged?» her sister-in-law asked.
«Yes.»
«I’m coming over. Set the table.»
«Is that so? Alright… come,» Ulyana responded calmly. She hoped Lena would stay for a few days and help take care of their mother, but that didn’t happen.
She stayed with Tamara Andreevna for exactly one hour. After which, Lena went to the kitchen and waited to be fed and served. The sister-in-law was used to always being warmly welcomed by her daughter-in-law.
«Sorry, Lena, there’s no one to cook,» Ulyana said, looking at her disappointed sister-in-law.
«Why weren’t you prepared? I come so rarely. Fine, I’ll bring a cake from the car. I didn’t buy it for you, but for my son, but since you have nothing, I’ll have to give it to you for tea. If I knew you weren’t expecting me, I wouldn’t have come…» Lena said, offended.
Ulyana found no response to such rudeness, but she had no time to feel offended anyway. She needed to bring her mother-in-law her medicine.
Lena returned with the cake. She poured herself some tea, cut a piece of the dessert, and silently ate it. Neither Ulyana nor Olga Yurievna were offered any.
«Alright, I’m leaving. Oh… by the way, should I leave a piece for mom? Where should I put it?» With a business-like air, Lena cut a small piece of the cake and threw it on a napkin, taking the rest with her as she left.
«Well, well… They say it’s true, people change with age. Lena has become completely shameless,» Olga Yurievna muttered.
«God be their judge,» Ulyana quietly said, clearing the dirty dishes after her sister-in-law’s visit.
Konstantin only came home two weeks after Ulyana’s discharge.
«You took your time.»
«They extended my voucher, so to speak, to get all treated.»
«I see. Unlike me, they discharged me earlier.»
«That’s because you can’t get along with people.»
«That’s because I’m a responsible person, and I needed to come home to take care of your mother!» Ulyana snapped. «While you were relaxing, enjoying yourself… while mom and I were struggling.»
«Oh, come on, don’t exaggerate. Nothing happened. Lena came.
—»For half an hour!»
—»Well, you should have asked her to stay… What complaints do you have about me? Didn’t make it on time, and now I’m to blame!» Konstantin dragged the suitcase into the apartment.
—»You know, Kostya, let’s not unpack your things.»
—»I wasn’t planning to. I know you’ll sort out my stuff. Here, take it. You can sort through the clothes and wash everything.»
—»No, dear. I won’t be doing that. Just take the suitcase as it is and head to your rented apartment. Maybe you’ll find another woman who will wash your socks.»
—»I will! I’ve already found her. I have a new love, by the way, and it’s not some silly holiday fling! It’s serious!»
—»I’m sure it is, Kostya. May the path be covered with a tablecloth!» Ulyana was so angry that she didn’t immediately realize that her husband had just admitted to infidelity…
Kostya looked at his wife, took the suitcase, and without even stopping by his mother’s, he left, and a few days later he called:
—»You’re living in my apartment, and I want to see my mom.»
—»Come over, she’ll be glad. I’m planning to work from Monday, someone needs to take care of your mother while I’m gone.»
Kostya was embarrassed, mumbled something, and hung up. Then he called again:
—»I’ll come on Friday. Do… make my favorite salad and bake the chicken. With a crispy crust.»
Ulyana was surprised. She thought her husband decided to come home. It was easy for her: the chicken was quickly prepared. Salad, cold cuts, cucumbers—she set everything out on the table. But her husband didn’t come alone… He brought a strange woman.
—»Oh, Ulyana… you didn’t leave? I didn’t expect you to be home.»
—»What did you expect? I live here!»
—»Well… okay. Let’s sit together. This is Natasha, my beloved woman. Meet her.» He paused. «And this is Ulyana, so to speak… the old woman,» Kostya laughed at his own joke. The women looked at each other, and silence ensued. «Is mom at home?»
—»Yes, Kostya. She’s bedridden, in case you forgot.»
Ulyana suddenly felt so disgusted that she grabbed her bag, and without saying goodbye, left in her slippers. She felt no guilt towards her mother-in-law, trusting her care to her native son and his «new beloved woman.»
The mother-in-law called a little later.
—»Ulyana, dear, come back home. I kicked that broom out.»
—»Why? Kostya didn’t expect that.»
—»Now Konstantin shouldn’t expect anything. His woman left, slamming the door, and I told her that the apartment was long ago transferred to you. In short, he’s now homeless. But I don’t feel sorry for him.»
—»How come?» Ulyana gasped.
—»I told that Natasha if she wants to marry Konstantin, she will have to take care of me too. She believed me that my son and I had a lifelong contract that whoever looks after me gets the apartment,» the mother-in-law laughed.
—»So, this Natasha is not only unattractive but also foolish?»
—»Apparently… In general, Kostya got mad at me and left. He said a lot… But I don’t care. For a long time, he’s not been my own son but a daughter. A daughter-in-law is closer than a son. That’s how life goes.»
Ulyana wiped away a tear. For her, the mother-in-law had long become a family member, and she cared for her not because of the inheritance, but out of sheer humanity.
Tamara Andreevna gifted the apartment to her daughter-in-law, while Konstantin was left out in the cold. After the mother’s death, reading the will, Lena was very upset—she received a small garden house from Tamara Andreevna, which she then long shared with her brother.
The family fell apart, quarreled over pennies… And only Ulyana lived happily ever after, starting a new life with a clear conscience. She did not take Konstantin back.
