Alenushka, please… listen to me!» the mother-in-law sobbed.
«No, Vera Vasilyevna. There’s nothing to talk about,» Alena cut her off. She looked at four-year-old Valyusha, who was a spitting image of his father. But now, that no longer mattered.
Not long ago, Alena would have given anything to hear these words. Back when she was sitting at a bus stop praying for someone to help her. She couldn’t call for an ambulance—she had neither a phone nor money with her: her mother-in-law had seen to that.
Vera Vasilyevna had long awaited this moment, having disliked her daughter-in-law from day one.
She had arrived at her son’s home with a single small bag. She had no dowry, only a few personal items that fit in the bag. Later, the mother-in-law constantly reminded her that the daughter-in-law had nothing to her name.
«She didn’t even have money for a purse, she came with a bag!» she often discussed Alena with a friend, the women liked to sit in the living room and speak loudly. So that Alena heard every word intended for her. And what didn’t concern her, Vera Vasilyevna said quietly, so even her friend sitting next to her had to ask again.
Alena often remembered the last days with her mother-in-law…
«Alena! The kettle will fly into space! Turn it off!» the mother-in-law yelled, unwilling to do anything around the house. She was used to Alena coming at the first call to pour tea, bring sugar, run to the store for cookies…
«Right away, Vera Vasilyevna. I can’t move that quickly…» holding her stomach, Alena walked to the kitchen to turn off the boiling kettle and pour the tea into cups.
«I won’t drink from a dirty cup,» the mother-in-law grimaced, as if searching for tea stains on the service. «Too lazy to wipe the dishes? You’ve punished yourself. Go and pour me fresh tea! And don’t forget the milk. I like it warmed. And bring cream for my friend.»
«Your son drank the cream this morning.»
«And what?»
«There’s no cream left.»
«Well, what are you standing there for?! Go to the store!»
«Vera Vasilyevna, it’s hard for me… The elevator is under repair, and we live on the seventh floor…»
«Pregnant women need to walk, go on!» Vera Vasilyevna made her favorite regal gesture, pointing at the door with a long fingernail.
«She behaves like a queen! And I’m like a servant…» thought Alena. She couldn’t say a word against her, she was afraid.
Alena was taught in childhood to respect elders. Her grandfather, a retired colonel, raised and educated her, and he did not allow her what other children were allowed. Instead of cute secrets and bows, Alena had history books and a strict, almost military daily regime filled with duties. By the age of 8, she fully managed the household: cooked, cleaned not only after herself but also for her grandfather, and knew how to iron his uniform shirts, which he preferred to wear even at home.
Perhaps that’s why, when Alena got married in another city, far from her home, she couldn’t imagine that her future mother-in-law would turn out to be even stricter and more heartless than her grandfather. At first glance, Vera Vasilyevna was a real angel incarnate. She and her grandfather, a two-meter-tall bearded colonel, were so different that Alena «escaped» into her husband’s family with joy and some relief.
However, she was right: the mother-in-law and grandfather were indeed different, but the main difference was that her grandfather loved his granddaughter. Despite his methods of upbringing, he was her kin and the only close person. Vera Vasilyevna, on the other hand, couldn’t stand her daughter-in-law and did everything to make Alena leave their family as quickly as she appeared.
Alena’s husband, Ivan, initially tried to protect his wife, but Vera Vasilyevna was too cunning. She played a double game, treating her daughter-in-law neutrally in front of her son, but as soon as he left the threshold, she turned into a real devil.
«Ivan, maybe we should move? Let’s not crowd your mother?» hinted Alena, not used to complaining or whining. But Ivan seemed not to understand what she was talking about.
«Why? Everything’s wonderful! We have family idyll, a large cozy apartment, soon a child will appear, mom will help,» Ivan hugged his wife, instilling hope for a bright future. But it never happened. It turned out that Alena got sick. She was diagnosed with an endocrine disease that could affect her reproductive function.
«You won’t be able to conceive a child right now. It’s even good, otherwise the child might be born with disabilities. You need to get treated and then think about planning a pregnancy,» the doctor said.
Alena was very upset, but tried not to despair. But Vera Vasilyevna, learning that her daughter-in-law had also failed in this respect, stopped hiding her attitude and even began to humiliate Alena in front of her son, calling her deficient.
«And why do you need such a woman? The main function of a woman is to bear healthy offspring, and this one, she can’t even get pregnant! Spit on her!»
«Mom, the doctor said it’s treatable.»
«Doctors say a lot of things! They said about your father that he would recover. But no, he passed away, God rest his soul…» Vera Vasilyevna raised her eyes to heaven.
The unhealthy atmosphere did not contribute to the young woman’s recovery. Instead of getting better, Alena only felt worse. Her hormones jumped like horses in a circus, from the morning she felt fatigue, was constantly drowsy, everything slipped from her hands, and her unstable emotional state was exacerbated by new claims from her mother-in-law.
Vera Vasilyevna did not work and directed all her energy to manage her daughter-in-law. Alena, coming home from school, like Cinderella, was engaged in performing various errands.
This sweet life reflected on Alena’s appearance. From a rosy, healthy young woman, she turned into a dry, nervous aunt, whose hands trembled, and gray hair appeared prematurely.
Moreover, the disease affected the family life of the spouses. Alena completely lost interest in intimacy, and no matter how hard she tried, she could not make herself enjoy it. Ivan, a man in his prime, seeing what was happening with his wife, didn’t even try to solve the problem. It was much easier to find a new passion. Moreover, Vera Vasilyevna herself pushed her son towards this step, introducing him to a young girl.
«Ivan, I can’t do this anymore,» eventually, Alena realized that her husband was fascinated by another woman.
«Can’t? Then leave. You’re no longer needed.»
«But what about our family?»
«There is no family. And there won’t be! You won’t bear me a child, my mother hates you, and you don’t care for her either, only this damned ring connects us,» he tore it off his finger and threw it on the floor, at Alena’s feet.
«But you said… You said you loved me!» Alena tried to grab her husband’s hand, but he pushed her away.
«I said that drunk! Who knows what I could do in that state…» Ivan grimaced. A couple of weeks ago, he came home tipsy. His wife was already asleep, but Ivan suddenly decided to remember that they were a married couple, and woke her up, blabbered something and got his way. And five minutes later, after getting all he wanted and calling her by the name «Ksenia,» he fell on the pillow and started snoring.
Alena couldn’t sleep that night. She cried, feeling sorry for herself and their marriage.
Then Alena realized that her husband had another woman. And some time later Ivan himself confessed to his infidelity.
«I think it’s time to end this show called marriage. Pack your things, Alenka. Return to where you came from.»
Alena silently dressed, there was nothing to take: with what she came, with that she left… she thought, pulling on her jacket. But fate decided to torment this unfortunate woman a little more. At the last moment, when she was about to leave, she was suddenly pierced by a sharp pain.
Ivan, although not the most decent person, called an ambulance, and the woman was taken away. An hour later, Ivan was informed that his wife’s and future child’s health was not threatened.
«What child?!» Ivan gasped. Vera Vasilyevna was next to him and dropped a cup from her hands, so that it shattered.
«Yours. It’s difficult to determine the gender yet, but we’ll find out soon,» the doctor informed.
«Let her have an abortion!» said Vera Vasilyevna, realizing what was being discussed. But this time Ivan somehow showed firmness.
«No, mom. I wanted a child, let her give birth.»
«But you won’t live with her. You don’t love her!»
«But the child will be born into a complete family. Alena will endure, she won’t blame me for being unfaithful. So let her stay my official wife. Other women won’t go anywhere,» Ivan said.
Vera Vasilyevna was surprised. She did not expect this from her son. Nonetheless, she had to accept it.
The first three months were relatively good. Ivan was not too kind, but he was involved in setting up the nursery, buying things for the child, paying for his wife’s doctors and tests. The pregnancy went according to plan. Even Vera Vasilyevna quieted down, or maybe Alena had no time to pay attention: she was working on her thesis.
After graduating from university, Alena experienced all the delights of morning sickness and other pleasantries.
She couldn’t get out of bed, she was terribly nauseous, and she needed care and attention.
Then Vera Vasilyevna showed herself: she pressed even harder than before.
«Alena! The kettle will fly into space now! Turn it off! I won’t drink from a dirty cup,» the mother-in-law grimaced, as if searching for leaks on the service. «Too lazy to wipe the dishes? You’ve punished yourself. Go and pour me fresh tea! And don’t forget the milk. I like it warmed. And bring cream for Lenochka. No cream? Well, what are you standing there for?! Go to the store!»
Due to stress, Alena’s body activated hidden reserves. She got better, and Ivan noticed it.
«See, how good! You were lying flat, and now you’re running around.»
«She’s just a lazybones, that’s all,» the mother-in-law answered for Alena.
Perhaps Alena would have lived like this until childbirth if not for a chance discovery. Vera Vasilyevna found test results where certain indicators were exceeded.
«You’ll give birth to a disabled child! I don’t need such a grandson!» the mother-in-law yelled, waving the papers in front of her daughter-in-law’s nose.
«Vera Vasilyevna, everything will be fine. What makes you think there’s a risk?» Alena asked, barely holding back.
«Because you’re sick! And the child will be the same! I’ve already found out everything from a familiar doctor.»
«Really? And who is this doctor? Isn’t it Ksenia? Isn’t she my husband’s mistress?»
Vera Vasilyevna pursed her lips and left. But this was just the beginning.
She set about working on her son, convincing him that the child would be born sick. By that time, Ivan had convinced himself that Alena was just an incubator for the birth of a baby and was making plans on how to deprive her of parental rights. But the news that the child would be «defective» ruined his plans.
«If so, then I don’t need this burden,» he eventually gave up. Vera Vasilyevna and Ksenia very skillfully described to him the hardships of life with a disabled person. Ivan thought, watched his wife, and… told her that she could be free.
«If you need to—give birth. I’ve decided to renounce my rights to the child,» he said one evening. «It’s too late for an abortion, you can give him up as appropriate, your choice. Here, a small sum so you have enough for the start. Consider it my gift for our anniversary,» he laughed. But Alena was not amused.
Ivan threw the money on the table and left. Vera Vasilyevna did not drag it out.
«Get out of my house, you parasite! I’ve tolerated you for so long!» she said, scooping up things in a bag. Where the mother-in-law got the same bag with which Alena had come to her home several years ago—Alena did not know.
Tears choked her, but she did not say anything. Silently, she took the bag and, forgetting about the money, left. She had nowhere to go, so she hoped to spend the night at an acquaintance’s. And in the morning go home, to her grandfather.
At the bus stop, she felt ill. For some reason, none of the passing cars stopped, apparently, people were in a hurry about their business and simply did not notice the pregnant woman who needed urgent help.
If not for a schoolgirl passing by, Alena might have died at that bus stop. But fortunately, the girl managed to call an ambulance, and the doctors did not lose their cool and provided the necessary assistance.
Alena spent the rest of her pregnancy on bed rest. Neither her husband nor her mother-in-law came to visit her once. However, Alena did not wait for them. She prayed only that the baby would be born on time, healthy, and strong.
The child was born prematurely, but without deviations.
She had to stay in the maternity hospital longer than usual, but the young mother was happy. Ivan did not file for divorce: he understood that they would not divorce with a newborn child. But Alena did not return to her mother-in-law’s house. She was afraid that Ivan might change his mind and take her child away.
With the help of acquaintances, Alena managed to contact her grandfather, who remained in her hometown, and was able to buy a ticket with the money sent to her. The grandfather, although angry with his granddaughter, accepted her along with her great-grandson.
The first time was very difficult. Alena had to take care of both her grandfather and her newborn son. The pension was not enough, and she applied for alimony.
Ivan did not want to pay, but he was obliged to do so. The transferred money helped Alena survive.
A year later, she managed to get a part-time job. Grandfather stayed with the great-grandson for a few hours, and Alena worked at a beauty salon near home: they took her as an administrator. Later, she learned to do pedicures and began to earn more.
From the age of two, Valyusha went to kindergarten, and the grandfather could finally breathe easily. Everyone was busy.
Alena didn’t think about her husband, it was unpleasant to remember the years she spent with Vera Vasilyevna’s family.
Nevertheless, her husband’s social media page was filled with photos with Ksenia. They no longer hid their relationship, and Ivan increasingly demanded a divorce.
Alena agreed. But they did not manage to get divorced. Ivan got into an accident and broke his spine. Alena learned about this from her mother-in-law. Why Vera Vasilyevna called her, Alena could not understand.
«He’s lying… Paralyzed…» Vera Vasilyevna sobbed on the phone. «I don’t know what to do…»
«Call Ksenia. Let her advise, she’s a doctor,» Alena could not hold back. She did not pity either her husband or his mother.
«You’ve always been nasty, and you stayed that way!» Vera Vasilyevna squealed and hung up. Later, she called several more times, but Alena did not answer her.
After six months «between life and death,» Ivan passed away. Ksenia dissolved into the fog, forgetting that she loved this man. And Vera Vasilyevna suddenly remembered that she had a biological grandson.
Somehow, she saw his photo on social media and realized that he was a copy of Ivan. Maternal feelings stirred in her, and she bought a train ticket to personally appear at her daughter-in-law’s door and demand the opportunity to see the boy.
But Alena did not open the door for her.
«Leave, Vera Vasilyevna. I won’t let you see your grandson. He’s not yours and never was.»
«How can you talk like that?!»
«You yourself directed me to have an abortion. You yourself kicked me out with a big belly! You can die at the door, but I won’t let you in. Not into my home, not into our lives. Leave.»
Vera Vasilyevna stomped around, cried, and left. She still tried to call, wrote messages, and even appealed to television. But everywhere she was denied.
The woman met her old age alone. And even a spacious apartment did not brighten her existence, and friends, who once came to her home with pleasure, dissolved—each to their own..
