Nina, I’m home!» Nikolai shouted, barely crossing the threshold of his apartment. There was no response, which surprised him greatly. He took off his shoes and walked through the rooms, but his wife was nowhere to be found.
«I don’t understand…» It was Saturday morning, so Nina couldn’t have gone to work. She had no friends, and her parents lived in another city. She wouldn’t have gone for a walk without her husband, and she always notified him before going to the store. Moreover, Nikolai had been on a run for no more than an hour.
Entering the kitchen, he saw a freshly prepared breakfast on the plate, thoughtfully covered with another. Nikolai chuckled contentedly and headed to the bedroom to get clean clothes from the wardrobe, which he would wear after showering. To his surprise, he found that his wife’s shelf was half empty. Nikolai picked up his phone and texted his wife: «Where are you?»
The reply came in a second: «I’ve left.»
«Another business trip,» Nikolai thought. «This time it was too unexpected.»
The man was not surprised. Nina’s job involved frequent travel. He wasn’t even upset. He took a shower, changed, and enjoyed his breakfast, pondering what to do with his day.
His musings were interrupted by a phone call from his sister Olga.
«How much longer do I have to wait for your Nina?» she asked displeased. «Nina is on a business trip.»
«Damn it… What am I supposed to do? A friend finally invited me over to chat, and I have nowhere to leave the kids. Maybe you can stay with them?»
«No, no, no… I and kids don’t mix, even if they are my nieces and nephews,» Nikolai replied mockingly.
«Come on, Kolya…» Olga tried to understand.
«No, I said!» Nikolai changed his tone. «Try to arrange something with mom.»
And he hung up the phone.
For the entire week in his wife’s absence, Nikolai indulged in pleasures.
Nina had left money for her husband, so Nikolai gladly dived into a whirlpool of debauchery and gluttony. Beer, which his wife categorically disapproved of, was now in the house every day. Nikolai also remembered an old girlfriend, with whom he had to pause the relationship, and she was terribly offended by him.
«Yulka, come on,» he persuaded the woman on the phone. «I was really busy. But now I’m all yours.»
Nina warned her husband about her return, and Nikolai hurried to eliminate all traces of his week-long misconduct. Of course, he was a bit upset by the thought that his period of carnal pleasures had ended. But it wasn’t his wife’s last business trip, as he reassured himself. Yes, now he would have to behave for a while.
Nina arrived… She came to radically change the life of her family.
«Ninka, I can’t take it anymore, I’m burned out,» Nikolai complained to his wife six months ago.
He really looked exhausted and nervous.
«I’ve told you a hundred times that you’ve taken on too much,» his wife replied.
«Like I have a choice,» Nikolai snapped back. «Who else will take care of mom and sister?»
«Olga could get a job herself,» Nina noted.
«Where? Who would hire her with kids? You know our system!»
«Svetlana Pavlovna could sit with the kids,» Nina persisted. «People are reluctant to hire those with children because lazy women often use them as an excuse. Those who work without dumping their problems on others are left alone.»
«Maybe you could hire her?» Nikolai asked hopefully.
«No, don’t even ask!» Nina waved her hands. «I’ve learned enough about your sister. Hiring relatives is the last thing to do. But this can’t continue.»
Nikolai was silent. Nina was quite soft and compliant at home, a caring and gentle wife. However, in business matters, she always demonstrated toughness and excellent stubbornness.
«Kolya, you’re quitting,» Nina declared. «What?» Nikolai couldn’t believe his ears.
«You need a break!» added his wife. «I recently got a raise, so we can live on my salary for a month or two. You take a break, pull yourself together, and then look for a new job.»
«What about mom and Olga?»
«Your mom gets a pension, and it’s high time Olga learned to take care of herself. Millions of women raise children without a husband, and they manage just fine.»
Nikolai wanted to object, but realized it was futile. Since Nina had decided…
The new reality for Nikolai’s relatives was announced during a family dinner to celebrate the birthday of his mother-in-law Svetlana Pavlovna, which happened quite aptly.
«How am I supposed to work?» Olga was stunned. «And the kids?»
«Grandma can help with the kids,» Nina noted. «You can also count on our support with Nikolai. But only non-financially. That’s it!»
Both women were silent in shock, and Nina finished them off with a decisive argument.
«Do you really want to kill him?» she glared at her mother-in-law and sister-in-law. «No shame, no conscience!»
Nikolai was really tired.
He was 35 years old, and his sister Olga was 27. When their father died, Svetlana Pavlovna had a hard time. She toiled at two jobs to feed the children. Right after school, Nikolai went to work to help his mother.
Olga married at 18, relieving her mother and brother of her extra mouth. She had no intention of working, now relying on her husband’s wallet. Right after the wedding, Olga got pregnant.
Nikolai’s life really became easier. He finally managed to enroll in a university, though part-time, as he continued to work.
In her marriage, Olga gave birth to two children, after which her husband left her, and she returned to her mother. With great difficulty, Olga managed to extract meager alimony from her former «love of her life.» Suddenly, three dependents, two of whom were also incredibly restless and noisy, soon became too much for Svetlana Pavlovna, who decided to take her elderly mother in, and sent Olga with her children to live in her apartment.
And the question of their financial support once again fell on Nikolai’s shoulders, who by that time was already married to Nina and lived in her apartment. A business-like and hardworking woman, Nikolai won over with his reliability, willingness to take responsibility, and work ethic.
Initially, Nina even respected Nikolai’s care for his mother, sister, and nephews. However, over time, the situation began to strain her.
She held a good position in a large company. To financially match his wife, contributing to the family budget, and still help his mother and sister, Nikolai literally overworked himself at his main job, taking on additional jobs as well.
The first week of unusual rest was truly heavenly for the man. For the first time in his life, he slept well.
Despite her busyness at work, Nina surrounded her husband with care. She had always tried to be gentle with him and not argue unnecessarily, so Nikolai wouldn’t feel complexes because he lived on his wife’s territory. And during this week of unexpected leave, she provided her husband with five-star service.
Meanwhile, Olga finally got a job. The nearly 30-year-old woman, without education or experience, was only taken as a janitor in a hospital. And just a week later, she began whining and complaining to her mother and brother about constant back pain, and two months later, she quit and sat on her mother’s neck again. Svetlana Pavlovna, in turn, began to press her son again.
However, Nikolai liked his carefree and jobless life more and more. And if at first, he tried to be grateful to his wife for her care, took on household duties, and met his beloved Nina with dinner in the evenings, over time his efforts gradually faded. And he began to take the situation for granted.
As mentioned earlier, Nina’s job involved frequent business trips, during which Nikolai, as they say, went wild. He even got himself a mistress.
When Svetlana Pavlovna seriously annoyed her son about supporting Olga and her children, a completely «brilliant» thought came to his mind.
«Supporting my sister and her children is now your responsibility,» he told Nina. «Why all of a sudden?» she was surprised. «You convinced me to quit,» Nikolai shrugged. «And I can’t find anything else suitable yet.» Noticing that Nina frowned, the husband realized he had blundered and hurried to smooth the situation.
«Ninka, just help out for the time being,» Nikolai persuaded his wife. «I’ll talk to her again about work. And I’ll figure something out for myself.»
And Nina agreed.
As they say, nothing is more permanent than the temporary. So it happened with Nikolai and Olga. Both soon took financial aid from Nina for granted. Besides, Olga increasingly asked Nina to sit with her children on weekends so she could escape somewhere. And childless Nina again accommodated her sister-in-law.
And Nina returned from another business trip, as Nikolai thought. However, she was strangely tanned and refreshed.
«Missed me?» Nina playfully asked and, without waiting for an answer, pulled out a fridge magnet with the name of a famous seaside resort and stuck it on the fridge.
«I don’t understand…» Nikolai was shocked as he looked at his wife. «Where have you been?»
«I went on vacation,» Nina replied. «The sea is wonderful. I had a great rest.»
«On vacation?!»
The man was dumbfounded, and Nina smirked.
«Well, each of us had a great week,» she laughed. «I hope your girlfriend was also satisfied?» Caught off guard, Nikolai found nothing to say.
«And I wasn’t alone,» Nina carelessly informed, picked up the phone, and dialed a number.
«You can come up,» she said.
And a few minutes later, a pleasant young man of southern appearance stood in the hallway, carrying a suitcase with clothes.
«Meet, dear, this is Alik,» Nina introduced her companion. «Now I will live with him. And I ask you to clear my apartment of your presence.»
«Nina, but how…»
«I’ve said everything,» Nina firmly interrupted her husband.
«I can help,» Alik supported her.
Nina let her feelings run free when Nikolai left. Alik looked at her sympathetically, allowing her to cry thoroughly. Finally, she calmed down.
«Alik, thank you for playing along,» Nina said. «And for listening.»
«We taxi drivers often have to listen to confessions. Don’t worry so much, You are an interesting woman, and you will definitely be happy.» Nina just nodded, and Alik left. She watched from the window as he got into his car and drove away. She really wanted to believe in the best.
