Vera, I have a big request: when I’m late at work, don’t call me every ten minutes! Okay?! – Vitia asked his wife. – You don’t let me work at all! — Okay! – Vera replied with a slightly displeased voice. – Just, Vitia, let me know when you’re going to be late at work again! Your delays have become more frequent lately, and the salary hasn’t increased at all!
At that moment, Vitia was sitting in the kitchen having breakfast, while Vera was running around her husband, taking care of him. Victor, naturally, liked it. A couple of minutes later, their fifteen-year-old daughter Liza, as usual disheveled in the morning, came into the kitchen yawning and sat down at the table next to her father.
— Hi, family! – said the girl and reached for her father’s coffee mug. — Hands! – the father said and grabbed the mug first. – There, – he pointed at the coffee maker, – pour yourself some!
— You are such a miser, dad! – the daughter wrinkled her nose. – And by the way, why the parade? Isn’t today a day off?! Are you going to work or what?
— That’s what I’m saying too! – the mother intervened. – I tell him the same thing!
— It’s a day off for you, but for me, as a department head, a day off is just a name! So, you relax, and I’ll go to work…
— Ha, tell me you’re sweating it out! – Liza laughed.
— Who knows?! – Vitia shrugged, finished the remains of his coffee, and got up from the table.
— You’re going to be late again today? – Vera asked as her husband was already leaving the kitchen.
— I don’t know, and I won’t promise anything! I’ll come when I come! And Vera, remember, please don’t call me too often! It really distracts me from work!
Liza barely refrained from snapping something sharp back at her father. She just smirked.
Vitia got ready and left for work, as he told his wife and daughter, but in reality, he actually had a well-deserved day off today. And this, far from the first such day off, Vitia decided to spend not with his wife and daughter but with a young colleague who had joined their company a couple of months ago and with whom they immediately hit it off.
As soon as Vitia left the apartment, Liza immediately asked her mom:
— Do you really think he went to work? Mom, are you either that naive or stupid, honestly! Or you just don’t want to see the obvious! It’s clear even to a fool that our dear daddy (she twice bent her index and middle fingers on her right hand) found himself a woman! And now he stays out late in the evenings and spends all weekends with her!
— Liza, honey, that’s none of your business! And don’t you dare meddle in adult matters! Do you understand me?! – the mother looked sternly at the girl.
— Are you serious? – Liza was surprised. — Do you really think this is none of my business? Are you normal at all, mom? – the daughter asked right away. – It’s not me who cries into the pillow at night and pretends everything is fine and nothing is happening in the morning! You’re the one who does that!
— Liza, I’m telling you again, stop interfering in matters that don’t concern you! Your father and I will figure it all out ourselves! You’re just still little, stupid, and naive, and you understand little in this life! When you grow up, you’ll understand how things are arranged in this life!
— Where do I even compare to you, the super-smart! – the girl mimicked her mom. – I understand quite well that dad is blatantly cheating on you! Betraying you as he can, and he doesn’t even worry about it! And you’re just a sufferer who knows she’s not valued at all but just used for convenience! And you know this, endure it, and still run around him like a servant! Aren’t you disgusted with yourself?
— Go to your room now! Or I’ll show you what a sufferer looks like! – the mother shouted at Liza. – Get up from the table, I’m telling you, and get out of my sight! You rude and ill-mannered brat!
— Exactly, you should talk to dad like that, so he pays you some attention! Otherwise, he’ll soon be wiping his feet on you! Although… He’s been doing that for a long time already!
Vera couldn’t stand it and slapped her daughter sharply. The sound of the slap echoed through the kitchen. Liza immediately covered her face and threw an angry look at her mother. Then silently got up and went to her room. But, not reaching it, she decided to turn around and express the unsaid to her mother.
— You know, mom, if you continue to turn a blind eye to his affairs! Sooner or later he will simply kick you out of his life, out of this apartment, and strip you of everything! And if I didn’t care, I would just keep quiet and not say a word to you!
— And you think if I tell him that I know, he won’t do that? – suddenly Vera replied tearfully to her daughter’s question. – Do you think I don’t know anything?! I know everything perfectly well, I understand everything perfectly! After all, this is far from the first time your father has cheated on me! You were still little when his affairs began… — Vera spoke out and burst into tears.
Liza looked at her mom and in her heart understood that she should feel very sorry for her. But at that moment, she felt no pity. Instead of pity, the girl felt some feelings she didn’t quite understand, a mix of disgust and offense. And she couldn’t comprehend how one could live for so many years with a person who could so easily betray you at every opportunity.
The girl took a step toward her mother, trying to calm her down, but then as if she remembered, turned around and went to her room, saying the following:
— I’m telling you, you’re a sufferer! – Liza spat out angrily.
The mother did not respond to her, she just went back into the kitchen to clear the table left by her husband.
Vera had been staying at home and not working for about ten years. Victor insisted on this back when he was promoted in the same company he still works for now. It was convenient for him to have his wife stay at home with the child. Cook, clean, and wait for him from work every day.
Vera, naturally, resisted at first. After all, she understood that if she left her job and became a housewife, sooner or later her husband would stop seeing her as an equal. And that sooner or later, big problems would start in their family. But her weak character didn’t allow her to insist on her position, and she eventually gave in to her husband’s persuasion and settled at home.
Over time, she stopped communicating almost with all her friends and acquaintances. And all because Victor did not like many of them. And what Vera thought about it, he hardly cared at all.
Liza, after going to her room and locking herself in so her mom couldn’t come in, took her laptop and went on her father’s company website. She quickly found that very new colleague whom she had seen with her father in the city before. However, she hadn’t told anyone about it.
Figuring out this woman’s address with the help of the internet was not difficult for the girl. And she thought of showing up at this lady’s, who was ruining her family, and telling her face to face what she thought about her. But then, after a bit of thought, she gave up on this idea. She just realized that in fact, nothing would change anymore. And her father would continue to cheat on her mother, if not with this person, then with another.
Late in the evening, around eleven o’clock, dad came home. His wife immediately came out to meet him. The wife helped her husband undress. He naturally refused dinner and immediately grabbed his phone, pretending to be working with someone, and spent about an hour texting in the living room.
The next day it all repeated. Vitia planned to spend his second day off supposedly «at work» again. But his daughter ruined all his plans.
— Oh, you’re going to work again? – she asked her father as he was getting ready at the hallway door. – Is your work, by chance, called Lena, dad?
Vitia gave a puzzled look at the girl.
— What are you talking about? What are you even talking about?
— Oh, don’t pretend to be dumb! I’m not mom, you know that very well! I know you have a mistress, and you spent the whole day with her yesterday! Or do you want me to show you her photos on social media, how you sit in a cafe hugging her? Show you?!
Vitia immediately blushed. It was unclear whether from anger or shame before his daughter.
— Just shut your mouth! – he hissed at Liza. – Go to your room, quickly! – he ordered almost in a whisper.
— Why are you whispering? – Liza spoke even louder. – Do you think mom doesn’t know anything? She knows everything perfectly well! And while you’re not home, when you’re supposedly at work, she here cries into her pillow all day long but is afraid to tell you this to your face!
— Liza! – Vitia barked at his daughter and stomped his foot.
— What, Liza? – the girl was surprised. – Do you really think that just because I’m only fifteen, I don’t understand anything in this life? I’m happy to inform you, daddy, I understand a lot, and in many things more than you! I understand that lying is very bad, and betraying your relatives and loved ones, messing around with some floozies from work, is the ultimate low!
— What do you want from me, tell me? Do you want money so you’ll leave me alone? – Vitia asked his daughter.
Vera at this time stood behind the corner of the living room and, as usual, quietly sobbed, making sure no one heard her.
— What, you decided to buy me off with money? Seriously?
— Then what do you want from me? What do you want me to do right now? – Vitia asked with an impatient and angry voice.
— That you stay home and stop cheating on mom! – the daughter persisted.
— I’m not…
— Save it for mom, she’s used to your endless lies! But I saw you with your floozy several times! And again, if you want, I can show you yesterday’s photos of your Lena and before that, which she posted with you on her profile! What are you looking at me like that for? Do you think I’m joking?
The father didn’t know how to counter such arguments from his, as he thought until then, little and naive daughter.
— Liza, let’s talk this evening, or better yet, tomorrow! I’m in a hurry, I have business…
— Yeah, I know your business, dad, I know! I’ve been trying to explain this to you for several minutes now! And you’re just as stubborn as mom, pretending like nothing is happening! But it is happening, dad!
— How much to give you to leave me alone? – the father asked again and reached into his pocket for his wallet.
Liza realized that her father was not going to give up just like that. And decided to go all in.
— Basically, do this! Either you two make up now, and you stop messing around with women! Or I’ll start drinking, smoking, hanging out with anyone, and even take drugs! You’ll then choke on it, dear parents! And yeah, I’ll skip school, but that’s just a bonus! – the daughter threatened her father in a menacing tone. – How do you like that scenario?
— What are you talking about? – the mother popped out from behind the corner of the living room, wiping her robe sleeve across her tears. – Don’t even think about doing such things! I won’t allow you to engage in such things!
— Yeah, as if I’m going to ask you! – Liza smirked.
Vitia, scratching the back of his head, sat down on the pouf by the door. All his «work» mood quickly evaporated. He did not expect to hear such a statement from his excellent student daughter. From anyone, but not from her.
— And tell your floozy from work to delete the photos with you from her profile! – the girl added.
The parents had absolutely no arguments to counter the ones provided by their daughter. Victor stayed home that day. He did not respond to calls or messages from Lena.
Liza warned him again that she would keep her promise if he continued doing the same thing. And said that if he lied, she would know. She also promised to just keep an eye on him in her free time. Then Vitia promised her that he would fulfill her request. Which Liza didn’t quite believe.
But the father indeed stopped staying late at work. On weekends, he was either at home or they all went somewhere to have fun as a family.
It was unusual for the man at first, but then he got into it.
Vera, naturally, as expected, forgave all her husband’s affairs. She continued to sit at home and keep an eye on the home atmosphere.
Liza so scared her parents with her statement that they indeed believed that she could pull off something like that. But she was still sensible, and she wasn’t an enemy to herself, of course. And she was proud that at least her blackmail had worked.
