Do you really want to take out a mortgage?” Natalia Grigoryevna, Arthur’s mother, exclaimed in an indignant tone.
“Yes, what’s wrong with that?” her son asked.
For a moment, the woman fell silent in thought. She understood that the only option for the newlyweds was to rent an apartment for now. She remembered how she had done it in her youth. It was hard, very hard—almost her entire salary went to rent. Only later, after five years, the factory allotted her a one-room apartment. That was a celebration—a grand celebration! But she didn’t like to spend money just like that. Natalia Grigoryevna patted her son on the shoulder, then approached her daughter-in-law and embraced her like her own daughter.
“What if…” she said, looking at her husband, Gennady Pavlovich. “I propose the following: you move into this apartment.”
At these words, Arthur’s eyebrows shot up.
“But what about my father and me…” She moved toward her husband. “We will take on the mortgage.” She stressed that word. “You have a little sister. Who knows, maybe she will come with her husband to live with us, so we might need a much larger apartment.”
Vera glanced at her husband. She just couldn’t figure out what her mother-in-law was proposing.
“We have the money,” she said, patting her father-in-law on his receding hairline. “We’ll make the down payment on our mortgage.” She said it as if everyone had already agreed. “And you,” the mother looked first at her son, then at her daughter-in-law, “you will pay the interest and the remaining amount. I think that’s fair.”
“Curious,” her father-in-law remarked, nodding and looking at his wife with satisfaction.
“You’ll already have an apartment! This one!” Natalia Grigoryevna spread her arms wide. “Live here, do the renovations, it will be yours, and you’ll, so to speak, gradually buy it out by paying off our mortgage.” After a brief pause, she looked at her daughter-in-law. “I can handle my son, but with Vera, my daughter-in-law, it’s a different story.”
Meanwhile, the sister-in-law had been sitting aside, smiling contentedly at their mother’s proposal.
“That’s a good idea,” Arthur said.
“Let’s think it over,” Vera replied, not sharing her mother-in-law’s enthusiasm. She knew how money was earned and what it might cost.
“Of course, think it over,” Natalia Grigoryevna said, not insisting further.
That evening, while Vera pondered the future, Arthur fluttered about like a butterfly, delighted with his mother’s proposal. But drawing on her own experience, Vera decided to safeguard herself and proposed an alternative:
“I’m satisfied with the proposal, but we need to add a clause in the mortgage contract.”
“What clause?” Arthur didn’t even want to consider it, and upon hearing that the apartment would be his, he paced around like a drunken man.
“Exactly! There should be a clause in the mortgage contract that provides for a proportional contribution. Your mother suggested the following: I’ll explain it to you. She makes the initial payment.”
“Well…” Arthur hesitated.
“Then we pay it fifty-fifty, right?”
“Well…” he repeated.
“That’s why,” Vera continued, “it is only fair to specify that the share in the mortgage should be proportional to the contribution.”
“No—” Arthur objected. “Mother won’t agree to that.”
“She will,” Vera said, not entirely convinced. “After all, her apartment isn’t going anywhere. I mean, the one we’re going to live in. So she’s not risking anything. But we…” she emphasized “we.”
Arthur paused and realized that his wife was right: his mother’s old apartment wasn’t going anywhere, and they would still have to pay off the second apartment. So the next day he went to his mother and explained his wife’s proposal in detail.
Of course, Natalia Grigoryevna did not like this proposal. She had expected the newlyweds to swallow her “treat” like starving fish, but her daughter-in-law had held her ground. However, visions of a future apartment were already forming in her mind. In her spare time, she researched developers and even chose an apartment that was almost twice as big as the current one. It was very hard to give up on a dream. Therefore, two days later, Natalia Grigoryevna gave her consent. And a couple of days later, Vera, Arthur, the mother-in-law, and the father-in-law went to the bank to formalize the mortgage contract with Natalia Grigoryevna’s name on it, reflecting the proportional share of each party according to their contributions.
Vera was happy. Now they really had a three-room, move-in-ready apartment where everything was available, and no renovations were even necessary. Arthur and Vera decided to wait on having children, so all the household efforts were devoted to her career. Now she was pushing herself to the limit, eager to pay off the mortgage on her mother-in-law’s apartment as quickly as possible.
Three grueling years passed at this exhausting pace. Vera grew tired. She no longer resembled the cheerful girl who had once married; she was completely worn out. She left early in the morning and returned close to nine in the evening.
“I’m exhausted,” Vera said one evening as she sat on the sofa, her hands dropping heavily.
“You’ll have a day off soon; you’ll get some rest,” Arthur said, trying to support his wife, but she wasn’t interested.
“No,” she replied. “I quit.”
“You quit? How did you quit?” Arthur startled, as if he had been kicked.
“I quit,” Vera repeated. “On Friday, I’m going to a rest house with my sister Galina and your sister-in-law.”
“Well, okay,” he said, somewhat uncertainly.
He really couldn’t remember the last time his wife had rested, so he didn’t dare argue.
“What about the mortgage?” he asked.
“Not a chance,” Vera answered.
“What do you mean ‘not a chance’? In five days, on the sixteenth, we need to pay the interest and the principal!”
Vera leaned back on the sofa and managed a slight smile.
“Darling,” she addressed Arthur, “for the past two years I’ve been paying off both my share of the mortgage and yours,” and after a brief pause, she added, “for two whole years I haven’t paid a single penny according to our agreement! And frankly, I’m just tired!”
Natalia Grigoryevna’s outcry followed immediately.
Her mother-in-law was indignant. She wasn’t concerned about who exactly was paying—the daughter-in-law or her son. She knew one thing for sure: if a payment was skipped, trouble with the bank would follow immediately. For another five minutes, she shouted, demanding that Vera sort things out with Arthur so that the mortgage payments were made. Vera explained that she wouldn’t do it, but her mother-in-law stood firm. Eventually, exasperated with her daughter-in-law, Natalia Grigoryevna hung up the phone.
The entire conversation was overheard by her sister-in-law Nadya.
“Well, I can imagine what Arthur is about to get from his mother,” Nadya remarked with a laugh.
“Ugh…” Vera dismissed it. She didn’t even want to think about it. After all, she had indeed met her obligations.
“And I want to get married,” Nadya casually added.
“Great!” Vera encouraged her.
“His name is Nikolai,” Nadya added.
“So, do you already have someone in mind?” Vera asked.
“Yes,” Nadya replied, “but I’m not sure whether we should rent an apartment or what.”
“Why?” asked Vera. “After all, your mother specifically took out a mortgage expecting you to live with her.”
“I’m not even sure,” Nadya answered thoughtfully.
“Your mother will love her son-in-law,” Vera said thoughtfully and, rising from the sofa, headed toward the pool.
Three weeks passed. Vera finally got a good night’s sleep and swam, but she felt that she hadn’t fully rested yet, so she sadly returned to the city. Entering the apartment, she was surprised by the mess Arthur had made. With her husband at work, Vera immediately began to clean. Later in the evening, Arthur finally arrived, and the first thing he asked her was:
“When are you going to pay me back?”
Since the apartment was in perfect order, the lady of the house sat on the sofa reading a book.
“What debt are you talking about?” Vera asked, momentarily wondering if she had missed something, but she couldn’t recall anything and simply shrugged.
“I borrowed money to pay off the mortgage. You owe me.”
“You idiot!” Vera, perhaps for the first time during their marriage, called him that.
“I borrowed money, and I need to pay it back!”
“Do you have a short memory?” The romantic mood that had gripped Vera instantly vanished. She sat up and glared at her husband in anger. “Let me remind you of our agreement with your mother: we split the mortgage payments—the interest and the principal—equally. I’ve been doing it for two years. Two years! I’m exhausted, and now I’m not going to pay!”
“What?” Arthur shrieked.
“I’m not paying—for two years! So you better figure out how you’re going to cover the mortgage on your own.”
“I have a loan,” Arthur protested.
“That’s your problem. You didn’t ask me when you took out that car loan; sell the car and pay off your mother’s mortgage!”
Arthur started pacing the room. He knew his wife was right, and that made him feel uneasy.
But then he remembered the mortgage payment deadline—the sixteenth.
“Now you’ll have to pay the mortgage for both of us for two years,” Vera declared, and her words struck Arthur hard.
At these words, his face went pale. Her words were fair, but he had no idea where he would find the money.
A few days later, while Vera was at the rest house enjoying some peace, Natalia Grigoryevna called her phone and immediately began berating her daughter-in-law.
“What do you mean you’re not going to pay the mortgage?”
“Dear Natalia Grigoryevna,” Vera tried to maintain her composure, “I have been fulfilling my obligations. But my husband, your son, why has he decided not to do so? For two years I’ve been paying the interest and the principal for both of us, so I have every right now to not pay a single penny for two years as per our agreement! Yes! For two whole years, I can stop paying! And besides, I’m just exhausted!”
Natalia Grigoryevna’s roar filled the phone line.
The mother-in-law was outraged. She wasn’t interested in who was paying—daughter-in-law or her son. She only knew one thing: miss a payment and the bank would come knocking immediately. For another five minutes, she shouted, demanding that Vera sort things out with Arthur so that the mortgage payments were made. Vera insisted she wouldn’t do that, but the mother-in-law remained adamant. In the end, exasperated with her daughter-in-law, Natalia Grigoryevna hung up the phone.
All the while, Nadya, the sister-in-law, had been listening.
“Well, I can imagine what Arthur is about to get from his mother,” Nadya commented with a laugh.
“Ah…” Vera dismissed it. She didn’t even want to think about it. After all, she had fulfilled her end of the bargain.
“And I want to get married,” Nadya casually added.
“Great!” Vera supported her.
“His name is Nikolai,” Nadya said.
“So, you already have someone in mind?” Vera asked.
“Yes,” Nadya replied, “but I’m not sure whether we should rent an apartment or something.”
“Why?” Vera asked. “After all, your mother took out a mortgage specifically expecting you to live with her.”
“I’m not even sure,” Nadya answered thoughtfully.
“Your mother will adore her son-in-law,” Vera mused and then, rising from the sofa, headed toward the pool.
Three weeks later, Vera got some proper rest and swam, yet she felt she hadn’t fully recovered and sadly returned to the city. On entering the apartment, she was shocked by the mess Arthur had made. With her husband at work, Vera immediately set about cleaning. Later that evening, Arthur finally came home, and the first thing he asked her was:
“When are you going to pay me back?”
The apartment was already immaculate, so the mistress of the house sat on the sofa reading a book.
“What debt are you talking about?” she asked, suddenly wondering if she had forgotten something, but she couldn’t recall anything and just shrugged.
“I borrowed money to pay off the mortgage. You owe me.”
“You idiot!” Vera, perhaps for the first time during their marriage, called him that.
“I took a loan, and I need to repay it!”
“Do you have a short memory?” The warm, romantic mood that had enveloped Vera evaporated instantly. She sat up and glared at her husband. “Let me remind you of our agreement with your mother: we split the mortgage payments equally—the interest and the principal. I did it for two years. Two years! I’m exhausted, and now I’m not going to pay!”
“What?” Arthur shouted.
“I’m not paying—for two years! So, figure out on your own how you’ll repay the mortgage.”
“I have a loan,” Arthur retorted.
“That’s your problem. You didn’t consult me when you took out that car loan; sell the car and pay off your mother’s mortgage!”
Arthur began pacing the room. His wife was right, and that made him feel awkward.
But then he recalled the mortgage payment date—the sixteenth.
“Now you’ll have to pay the mortgage for both of us for two years,” Vera declared, her words striking Arthur hard.
At these words, his face went pale. Though her words were fair, he had no idea where the money would come from.
A few days later, while Vera was at the rest house enjoying some tranquility, her phone rang. It was Natalia Grigoryevna, who immediately launched into a tirade at her daughter-in-law.
“What do you mean? Are you not going to pay the mortgage?”
“Dear Natalia Grigoryevna,” Vera tried to remain composed, “I’ve been fulfilling my obligations. But what about my husband, your son—why has he decided not to do his part? For two years I’ve been paying the interest and principal for both of us, so I have every right to not pay a single penny for two years! Yes! For two years I can stop paying altogether! And besides, I’m simply exhausted!”
Natalia Grigoryevna roared in response.
The mother-in-law was indignant. She wasn’t concerned with who exactly was paying—the daughter-in-law or her son. She only knew this: if a payment was missed, the bank would immediately start causing problems. For another five minutes, she shouted, demanding that Vera settle things with Arthur so that the mortgage was paid. Vera explained that she wouldn’t do it, but the mother-in-law stood her ground. In the end, exasperated with her daughter-in-law, Natalia Grigoryevna disconnected the call.
Arthur sat silently nearby, and Vera refused to engage further with her mother-in-law. She handed the phone to him and stepped aside. Even in the kitchen, she could hear Natalia Grigoryevna shouting at her son, while he squirmed on the sofa as if suffering from a toothache.
The next day, Vera did not ask her husband what he had decided, but she called her father to check on his and her mother’s health.
“Wait, wait, Dad,” Vera said, looking at Arthur who was sitting next to her. She put the call on speakerphone. “Repeat what you said.”
“I said that I want to buy a plot. Didn’t I tell you about it? I went today—it’s a magnificent, elevated spot; it won’t flood.”
“What plot? You promised Arthur money!”
“Well, he doesn’t really need it. He hasn’t called me, so… no, I’m going to invest the money in a plot of land, and I’ll still have enough left to build a small house. You know how long your mother has dreamed of having a country house.”
“Daddy,” Vera said, her voice trembling with worry as she looked at Arthur, whose eyes widened in horror, “please, don’t do anything until Monday, okay?”
There was a pause on the line, as if her father was thinking, then he said, “Okay, I’ll wait only until Monday. The plot is good, it will be taken.”
“Thank you, Daddy,” Vera replied, and then she hung up.
“Do you understand?” Vera asked Arthur. “If anything, your father might spend the money.”
All Friday, Saturday, and part of Sunday, Arthur was deep in thought, and at the end of the day he told his wife that he agreed to his father-in-law’s conditions. Immediately, Vera called her father to say that her husband had agreed to the deal.
On Monday, Oleg Pavlovich left for the notary office with his son-in-law. Vera stayed outside, waiting. After nearly two hours, a satisfied Arthur finally emerged.
He ran up to his wife, kissed her cheek, and then immediately dashed off.
Oleg Pavlovich approached his daughter, looked at his departing son-in-law, and then asked, “Will you pay me back?”
“No,” Vera replied immediately, without considering the consequences.
Her father snorted and shrugged, but did not reproach his daughter.
“Be gentle with him,” was all he said before heading home.
Two weeks passed as if in paradise. It seemed as though Vera was about to get married again. She was happy once more, kissing and embracing Arthur. But by the end of the second week, she noticed that her husband had a new, more expensive car.
“Where did that come from?” she asked, confused.
“I paid off the old loan and sold the car,” Arthur explained, patting the hood of his new car. “And I got a new one.”
“Oh, my God!” Vera exclaimed in disbelief.
“Mother is inviting us over,” Arthur said in a cheerful tone.
At that moment, she decided not to press him for an explanation. Instead, she got into the car. Half an hour later, she arrived at her mother-in-law’s apartment.
Crossing the threshold and entering the hall, Vera was surprised. There was new furniture, but more importantly, Natalia Grigoryevna had not once bothered her about the mortgage that evening.
A whole month passed, and Vera did not bring up the subject of her husband’s new auto loan. After all, an adult man should be responsible for his own loans. Meanwhile, having settled into her new job, she had already taken tests and earned a promotion, with her salary increasing by thirty percent. But that was just a small step in the career she was determined to build.
One evening, unexpectedly, Arthur asked his wife, “When are you going to pay me back?”
Vera didn’t immediately understand what he meant.
“What debt?” she asked, arching an eyebrow.
“Of course!” Arthur exclaimed. “I borrowed money from your father, and now you owe me.”
“Are you insane?”
“How else would you explain it?” Arthur asked naively.
“You’re an adult man!” Vera exclaimed. “You took money from my father. It doesn’t matter who you took it from, but you borrowed money for one specific purpose—to pay off your mother’s mortgage. I’ve told you a hundred times that I’ve fulfilled my obligations, and now it’s your turn.”
Arthur’s face flushed—not so much from anger as from the sting of being rebuffed again.
The next day, as Vera expected, her mother-in-law came over. After the greetings, she immediately accused the lady of the house of not having worked for two months.
“What business is it of yours?” Vera snapped, her irritation evident.
“You’re shifting your financial problems onto your husband,” Natalia Grigoryevna insisted.
“Well, isn’t that so?” Vera retorted coolly. “Why didn’t Arthur mention this during all those years when I came home at nine in the evening paying for both him and myself?”
“You’re family…”
“I’m not to blame that my husband took out a new car loan, even though he knew perfectly well he needed to repay the money I lent him!” Vera exploded, her anger rising as she felt a rush of fury toward her obstinate husband.
Vera’s tale of the mortgage began to wear on her. She was angry not only because of her husband’s foolishness but also due to Natalia Grigoryevna’s blind faith.
“While I was resting for these two months, I paid for the apartment and bought groceries,” she reminded, trying to make her point clear to her mother-in-law.
But Natalia Grigoryevna let it all slide by.
“You need to support your husband,” the mother-in-law chided.
“It won’t work,” replied the daughter-in-law. “I’m not working twelve hours a day anymore—I work seven. I want to live normally like everyone else, so I’m stretched financially.”
For a while, Natalia Grigoryevna continued to talk about family and mutual support, oddly interweaving words about love, trust, and a bunch of nonsense that had nothing to do with her problem with the mortgage.
Two months later, Arthur stopped asking Vera for money, and the mother-in-law quieted down, though she was now troubled by the approaching end of the loan term.
“Arthur,” she said to her husband, “the term of the loan is about to end.”
“Talk to my father,” her husband replied.
“No,” Vera responded, “you took the loan as an adult. If it’s not working out, call your father—we’ll meet and talk. He’ll understand.”
Arthur merely smiled and nodded.
A week later, Vera called her father and asked, “Did you speak with Arthur?”
“No,” he replied.
Vera didn’t press him about what he would do if Arthur didn’t repay the money. She worried about her husband but hoped he wouldn’t just sit idly by and would take some action.
Another week later, her sister-in-law Nadya visited Vera. As usual, after glancing around to confirm that her brother was not present, she declared:
“Mother is cursing you.”
“Of course she is!” the lady of the house replied. “I’m to blame because I paid the mortgage for both me and my husband for two years, covered the utilities and groceries, and even helped Arthur with his loan. And now I’m being blamed for taking two months off!”
Nadya sighed heavily and, after a moment’s pause, began to explain:
“When Arthur brought the money, mother bought new furniture.”
“Oh my God!” Vera groaned.
Now she understood everything: the money Arthur received from his father-in-law as a loan was split in half. He used it to pay off his auto loan, and in a burst of joy, he sold his car and took out a new, more expensive auto loan. Thinking that his financial issues were resolved, the mother-in-law decided to splurge and instead of investing in the mortgage, she bought furniture.
“We’re in trouble,” Vera said quietly, pausing for a moment before adding, “big trouble.”
A month passed. Vera continued to work, and she was offered a transfer to another department, so in a couple of weeks she would be taking additional courses. The mortgage problems with her mother-in-law had receded into the background: neither Natalia Grigoryevna nor Arthur brought it up. Vera, as usual, paid the utilities, bought groceries, and cooked dinner—everything as before.
One evening, Arthur unexpectedly asked his wife, “Did you speak with my father?”
“No,” Vera replied.
“You’re acting like a child,” Vera couldn’t understand her husband’s behavior. Taking her phone, she decided to call her father.
“Dad,” her voice trembled with anxiety, “what’s going on with Arthur?”
“Don’t worry,” Oleg Pavlovich replied.
Vera talked with him for a minute, then hung up and turned to her husband.
“You have an agreement, you need to pay off the loan!”
“I’m not going to pay,” Arthur stated harshly.
“What?!” Vera exclaimed in disbelief.
“Because you haven’t repaid my debt,” he explained.
“What do you mean ‘what debt’?” Vera asked, bewildered.
“You’re an adult man! You took money from my father. It doesn’t matter from whom you took it, but you took it for one specific purpose—to pay off your mother’s mortgage. I’ve told you a hundred times that I’ve fulfilled my obligations, and now you do your part.”
Arthur’s face flushed—not so much from anger as from frustration that his wife had once again denied him.
The next day, as expected, the mother-in-law visited. After greeting everyone, she immediately accused the lady of the house of not having worked for two months.
“What business is it of yours?” Vera snapped, her irritation clear.
“You’re shifting your financial problems onto your husband,” Natalia Grigoryevna insisted.
“Well, isn’t that so?” Vera retorted. “Why didn’t Arthur mention this all these years when I came home at nine every night, paying for both him and myself?”
“You’re family…”
“I’m not to blame for my husband taking out a new car loan, even though he knew full well he had to repay the money I lent him!” Vera exploded, feeling her anger boil over as she looked at her stubborn husband.
After that, the conversation faded. Vera retreated into the bedroom, afraid that she might lose control and say something even harsher. Soon, the doorbell rang, and Arthur came over. Seeing his beloved mother-in-law standing at the threshold—he always called her Tatiana Ivanovna—Arthur went to the door.
“Is Vera home?” Tatiana Ivanovna asked.
“Yeah,” Arthur replied, then, approaching the bedroom, knocked on the door. “Your mother is here.”
By this time, Vera had calmed down a bit, and she came out into the hall and embraced her mother.
“I’m going out for a walk,” Arthur said, addressing both his mother-in-law and his wife. He got dressed and left the apartment.
“What happened?” Tatiana Ivanovna asked. She knew her daughter well and could see that she was upset.
Vera needed someone to talk to, so she recounted the entire mortgage story with her mother-in-law. Her mother listened attentively, shook her head, and then said:
“Don’t get worked up! Arthur is a good man.”
Vera nodded in agreement.
“Don’t be rash.”
“I’m exhausted, Mom,” Vera repeated, not for the first time. “I’m going to take a break for a couple of weeks, and then…” She sighed deeply and added, “then I’ll go back to work.”
A few days later, her father-in-law Gennady Pavlovich stopped by. He was such a kind soul—always on the side of his daughter-in-law, much to the chagrin of his wife Natalia Grigoryevna.
“How was your rest, Vera? Where did you swim?” he asked curiously. “And what did my daughter Nadya say about her fiancé Nikolai? When do you plan to return to work?”
Vera sensed what he was implying but was grateful that he didn’t directly ask about the mortgage. “I’ll rest for another two weeks, and then I’ll go back to work,” she replied.
Meanwhile, Arthur had returned from work. Lately he hadn’t been very talkative, still seething about his wife’s refusal to pay the mortgage. Vera got dressed and decided to go to the store to buy some tea-time snacks. Once the door closed behind her, Gennady Pavlovich turned to his son:
“Don’t overdo it; you have a wonderful wife. Listen,” he tapped a finger on the table, “if you push too hard, you’ll lose her.”
Arthur clearly understood this. He loved his wife and couldn’t imagine life without her, so he didn’t protest.
A week later, Vera was still on her break when Nadya, her sister-in-law, dashed in. After casting a quick glance around to ensure her brother wasn’t present, Nadya said conspiratorially:
“What’s going on?” and clutched her head. “Mother is tearing everything apart—there’s almost nothing left of Arthur.”
“What happened?” Vera asked.
“He’s missed the mortgage payment again.”
“Oh,” Vera sighed heavily. She already anticipated that her husband would soon come in, and a storm would break out.
Nadya sat for a few more minutes, then, not wanting to meet her brother, ran off.
Barely after entering the house, Arthur immediately demanded:
“When are you going to give me the money?”
Vera, sitting in the now perfectly tidy living room, asked, “What money?” as if she didn’t understand what he meant.
“You owe me!” he bellowed.
“Do I?!” Vera asked, clearly puzzled.
“Yes!” he shouted.
“Don’t shout—I can hear you perfectly!” she replied, trying to remain calm, “but I don’t have a stash of cash to give you.”
“They’re mine—I need them!”
“I understand,” Vera answered calmly, “but I have no money. And I won’t be returning to work until next week. I should get an advance in two or three weeks, but I’m not even thinking about my salary right now. Tomorrow Nadya and I are going to the pool, and the day after tomorrow I’m going to the fitness center with my sister.”
“That’s worth money!”
“Yes!” Vera cried, “It costs money!”
She tried to hold back her emotions but eventually lost her temper:
“I supported our family for two years, paying not only your mother’s mortgage but also the utilities and buying groceries! And then, when you stop whining…”
Her last words were an insult to Arthur: his face reddened, his fists clenched.
“Your car loan—that’s your problem, and just as much as your mother’s mortgage is your problem. Solve it yourself!”
Arthur scolded as he paced around the kitchen, while Vera, seething with anger, retreated into the bedroom and closed the door firmly.
Weeks passed. Vera finally received her first salary advance and bought groceries. Seeing this, Arthur, as if waiting for a signal, asked, “When will you give me the money?”
“For you?” Vera looked at him in bewilderment. “Never!”
“MORTGAGE…”
“Don’t start! There’s no money—I’m sorry, you’ll have to manage on your own!”
“For the first time in a long while, Arthur admitted, “I won’t have enough.”
“I can’t help you,” Vera replied coldly. Yes, she could have lent him money for the mortgage, but she didn’t want to. And that was that. For one simple reason: while Arthur was out enjoying life with his feet up, she was stuck running the household.
Taking a seat in the living room in an armchair to try to relax a bit, Arthur remained in the kitchen, calculating his numbers again and again, yet he never had enough money to cover both his car loan and his mother’s mortgage.
A few more days passed, and suddenly Arthur’s attitude changed dramatically. He became affectionate, gentle, even insistently caring.
“What should I do?” he asked her.
“Get another job,” was all Vera could offer him.
“That’s a long story, and I need the money now!”
“I told you a week ago—and I’ll repeat: I’m not giving you money for the mortgage. And you know why?” Arthur looked at his wife in surprise.
“Why?”
“Because your mother promised that this apartment would be ours!” she tapped her finger on the table. “But she only put the deed in your name. I’m nothing in this apartment. So even if I pay off your mother’s mortgage, I gain no rights to it. Do you get what I’m saying?”
Arthur understood, of course. And the most interesting part was that this very clause—intended to keep Vera from receiving a share—had been insisted on by his mother at the time.
“That’s why I’m not giving you the money!”
Arthur did not want to shout—he knew his wife’s temperament. He had tried repeatedly to get her to resume the mortgage payments, but nothing worked.
“You know what?” Vera said mysteriously, looking into her husband’s eyes. “I’ll talk to my father. He said he sold my grandfather’s house—maybe he hasn’t spent all that money yet.”
At these words, a glimmer of hope appeared in Arthur’s eyes.
“Yes, talk to him!” he said breathlessly.
The very next day, Vera announced that her father was ready to lend money to her son-in-law.
“When?” Arthur asked immediately, unable to hide his excitement.
“Don’t rush,” Vera replied. “It isn’t my money—it’s my father’s. He needs guarantees.”
“I’m willing to write a promissory note!” her husband agreed.
“No, that won’t be enough,” Vera shook her head. “We need something more substantial.”
“What else?” Arthur asked, clearly at a loss for options, his face showing confusion.
“I’ll talk to my father this evening,” Vera said. “I’ll let you know later.”
“All right,” Arthur managed to say, pleased that the ice was finally breaking. He took his wife’s hand and began kissing her, radiating joy and hope.
That same evening, Arthur’s father-in-law, Oleg Pavlovich, arrived as a guest. Arthur welcomed him warmly, invited him to the kitchen, and, feeling like the master of the house, began setting the table.
“My daughter told me about your desire to borrow money,” Oleg Pavlovich began, looking intently at his son-in-law.
Arthur sat down, eager not to miss a single word.
“I did indeed sell the country house out in the village, far away,” Oleg Pavlovich continued, “although your mother-in-law wants to buy some land for a summer house.”
A chill ran down Arthur’s spine; he feared his father-in-law would refuse to lend him the money.
“Vera convinced me. I can lend you money on the guarantee that you’ll repay it,” Oleg Pavlovich said.
“I promise!” Arthur declared, not even bothering to ask what kind of guarantees were required.
“Don’t be hasty,” Oleg Pavlovich said calmly. “A simple promissory note won’t suffice—it won’t do for me. I can offer you this: you transfer the ownership of your apartment to me as a gift.”
“No!” Arthur blurted out, shocked.
“I’m telling you, don’t be hasty,” his father-in-law insisted. “Listen to me. There is such a thing as a deed with a deferred effect. This means that the deed becomes effective after a certain period—for example, we agree that it takes effect in three months. During that time, the apartment remains yours. You can do whatever you want with it, even sell it.”
Hearing this, a smile appeared on Arthur’s face.
“But,” Oleg Pavlovich continued, “we’ll also sign a loan agreement with all its implications. Approximately the same three months: if you repay the loan by then, the deed becomes null and void. That’s my proposal.”
Arthur was disappointed. He had expected his father-in-law to simply give him money, but now he heard something entirely different. He was deeply upset, though he tried not to show his discontent.
Some time later, Oleg Pavlovich left. Arthur only understood one thing: he needed the money because in a week the mortgage payment was due, and he had none. All evening he paced around, while Vera no longer asked him questions—she was no longer interested.
However, the mortgage matter worried the mother-in-law, so she called her daughter-in-law and inquired about the payments.
“No,” Vera said firmly. “There will be no new payments from my side.”
“Sort it out with Arthur,” the mother-in-law insisted. “I’ve explained to you more than once: I’m not made of rubber. I’ve paid my obligations two years in advance; now let your husband do his part.”
Arthur sat silently by her side, and Vera didn’t wish to talk further with her mother-in-law. She handed him the phone and stepped aside. Even in the kitchen, she could hear Natalia Grigoryevna shouting at her son while he writhed on the sofa, as if suffering from a toothache.
The next day came, and Vera didn’t ask her husband what he had decided. Instead, she called her father to ask about his and her mother’s health.
“Wait, Dad,” Vera said, looking at Arthur who sat next to her. She switched her phone to speaker mode. “Repeat what you said.”
“I said I want to buy a plot. Didn’t I tell you? I went today—it’s a magnificent, high spot; it won’t flood.”
“What plot? You promised Arthur money!”
“Well, he doesn’t really need it. He hasn’t called me, so… no, I’m going to invest the money in a plot of land, and I’ll still have enough to build a small house. You know how long your mother has dreamed of having a summer house.”
“Daddy,” Vera said, her voice trembling with concern as she looked at Arthur, whose eyes widened in terror, “please, don’t do anything until Monday, okay?”
After a pause, as if her father was considering something, he said, “Alright, I’ll wait until Monday. The plot is good—it will be taken.”
“Thank you, Daddy,” Vera replied, then hung up.
“Do you understand?” Vera asked Arthur. “If anything, your father might spend the money.”
“All right,” Arthur muttered, clearly relieved yet still worried about the looming deadline.
The whole of Friday, Saturday, and part of Sunday passed, with Arthur deep in thought. At the end of the day, he told his wife that he agreed to his father-in-law’s conditions. Vera immediately phoned her father and said that her husband had accepted the deal.
On Monday, Oleg Pavlovich left for the notary office with his son-in-law. Vera stayed outside, waiting. Nearly two hours passed until a satisfied Arthur finally emerged.
He ran up to his wife, kissed her on the cheek, and then immediately dashed off.
Oleg Pavlovich approached his daughter, looked at the departing son-in-law, and then asked, “Will you repay me?”
“No,” Vera replied immediately, without weighing the consequences.
Her father snorted and shrugged, but he didn’t blame her.
“Be gentle with him,” he said simply before going home.
Two weeks passed as if in paradise. It seemed as though Vera was about to remarry. She was happy once more, kissing and embracing Arthur. But by the end of the second week, she noticed that her husband had a new, more expensive car.
“Where did that come from?” she asked, puzzled.
“I paid off the old loan and sold the car,” Arthur explained, patting the hood of his new car. “And I got a new one.”
“Oh, my God!” Vera exclaimed in disbelief.
“Mother is inviting us over,” Arthur said cheerfully.
Not wanting to pry further about his actions, Vera got into the car. Half an hour later, she arrived at her mother-in-law’s apartment.
Crossing the threshold and entering the hall, Vera was surprised. There was new furniture, but most importantly: that evening, Natalia Grigoryevna had not once pestered her about the mortgage.
A whole month passed without Vera bringing up her husband’s new auto loan. After all, an adult man should be responsible for his own loans. Meanwhile, having settled into her new job, she had already passed exams and received a promotion, boosting her salary by thirty percent. But that was just a small step in the career she was determined to build.
One evening, unexpectedly, Arthur asked his wife, “When are you going to pay me back?”
Vera didn’t immediately understand what he meant.
“What debt?” she asked, raising an eyebrow.
“Of course!” Arthur declared. “I borrowed money from your father; now you owe me.”
“Are you crazy?”
“How else?” Arthur asked naively.
“You’re a grown man!” Vera exclaimed. “You borrowed money from my father. It doesn’t matter from whom you borrowed, but you did so for one specific purpose—to pay off your mother’s mortgage. I’ve told you a hundred times that I’ve done my part, and now it’s you who must.”
Arthur’s face reddened—not so much from anger as from frustration that his wife had once again refused him.
The next day, as Vera had expected, her mother-in-law came over. After greeting everyone, she immediately accused Vera of not having worked for two months.
“And what’s it to you?” Vera snapped, her irritation evident.
“You’re putting your financial problems on your husband,” Natalia Grigoryevna insisted.
“Really?” Vera retorted coolly. “Why didn’t Arthur mention any of this when I came home at nine every night paying for both of us?”
“You’re family…”
“I’m not to blame for my husband taking out a new car loan, even though he knew perfectly well he had to repay the money I lent him!” Vera exploded, her anger surging as she glared at her stubborn husband.
After that, the conversation ended. Vera withdrew to the bedroom, afraid she might lose control and say something even harsher. Soon the doorbell rang, and Arthur came over. At the door, he saw his beloved mother-in-law—he always called her Tatiana Ivanovna. The woman immediately noticed the reddened face of her son-in-law.
“Is Vera home?” she asked.
“Yeah,” Arthur replied, then, approaching the bedroom, knocked on the door. “Your mother is here.”
By that time, Vera had calmed down somewhat. She came out into the hall and embraced her mother.
“I’m going for a walk,” Arthur said, addressing both his mother-in-law and his wife. He got dressed and left the apartment.
“What happened?” Tatiana Ivanovna asked. She knew her daughter well and could tell she was upset.
Vera needed someone to talk to, so she recounted the entire mortgage story with her mother-in-law. Her mother listened attentively, shook her head, and then said, “Don’t get hotheaded! Arthur is a good man.”
Vera nodded, agreeing.
“Don’t be rash.”
“I’m exhausted, Mom,” Vera repeated, not for the first time. “I’m going to rest for a couple of weeks, and then…” She sighed deeply and added, “then I’ll return to work.”
A few days later, her father-in-law, Gennady Pavlovich, stopped by. He was such a kind soul—always on the side of his daughter-in-law, much to the chagrin of his wife, Natalia Grigoryevna.
“How was your rest, Vera? Where did you swim?” he asked, curious. “And what did my daughter Nadya say about her fiancé Nikolai? When do you plan to return to work?”
Vera sensed what he was implying but was grateful that he didn’t directly ask about the mortgage. “I’ll rest for another two weeks, and then I’ll go back to work,” she replied.
Meanwhile, Arthur returned from work. Recently, he hadn’t been very talkative, still fuming about his wife’s refusal to pay the mortgage. Vera got dressed and decided to go to the store for some tea-time snacks. Once the door closed, Gennady Pavlovich turned to his son:
“Don’t push it too far; you have a wonderful wife. Look,” he tapped his finger on the table, “push too hard, and you’ll lose her.”
Arthur clearly understood. He loved his wife and couldn’t imagine life without her, so he didn’t protest.
A week later, while Vera was still on break, her sister-in-law Nadya dashed in. After glancing around to be sure her brother wasn’t there, Nadya whispered conspiratorially:
“What’s going on?” she asked, clutching her head. “Mother is tearing everything apart—there’s almost nothing left of Arthur.”
“What happened?” Vera asked.
“He’s missed the mortgage payment again.”
“Oh,” Vera sighed heavily, already anticipating that her husband would soon arrive, and a storm was brewing.
Nadya sat for a few more minutes, then, not wanting to face her brother, ran off.
Barely after entering the house, Arthur immediately demanded, “When are you going to give me the money?”
Vera, sitting in the now perfectly tidy living room, asked, “What money?” as if she didn’t understand what he meant.
“You owe me!” he shouted.
“Do I owe you?” Vera asked, clearly puzzled.
“Yes!” he roared.
“Don’t shout—I can hear you perfectly!” she replied, trying to remain calm, “but I don’t have any money. I’m not going back to work until next week. I should get an advance in two or three weeks, but I’m not even dreaming about my salary right now. Tomorrow Nadya and I are going to the pool, and the day after tomorrow I’m going to fitness with my sister.”
“That costs money!”
“Yes!” she screamed, “it costs money!”
Unable to hold back any longer, she finally exploded, “I supported our family for two years—I paid for your mother’s mortgage, the utilities, bought groceries, and even helped Arthur with his loan! And now you’re complaining about taking a break…”
Her final words cut deep. Arthur’s face flushed, his fists clenched in anger.
“Your car loan is your problem, and just as your mother’s mortgage is your problem. Solve it yourself!”
Arthur ranted as he paced the room, while Vera, seething with fury, stormed off to the bedroom and shut the door firmly.
Weeks passed. Vera eventually received her first salary advance and bought groceries. Seeing this, Arthur, as if waiting for a cue, asked, “When will you give me the money?”
“For you?” Vera looked at him in disbelief. “Never!”
“Mortgage…”
“Don’t start! There’s no money—I’m sorry, you’ll have to manage on your own!”
For the first time in a long while, Arthur admitted, “I won’t have enough.”
“I can’t help you,” Vera replied coldly. Yes, she could have given him money for the mortgage, but she didn’t want to. And that was that. Simply for one reason: while Arthur was out enjoying life with his feet up, she was stuck running the household.
Later, after settling in the living room in an armchair to try to relax, Arthur stayed in the kitchen, tallying his figures repeatedly, yet he never had enough to cover both his car loan and his mother’s mortgage.
A few more days passed, and suddenly Arthur’s demeanor shifted dramatically. He became affectionate, gentle, even insistently caring.
“What should I do?” he asked.
“Get another job,” Vera replied—that was all she could offer.
“That’s a long story, and I need money now!”
“I told you a week ago—and I’ll repeat: I’m not giving you money for the mortgage. And you know why?” Arthur looked at his wife in surprise.
“Why?”
“Because your mother promised that this apartment would be ours!” she tapped her finger on the table. “But she put the deed only in your name. I’m nothing in this apartment. So even if I pay off your mother’s mortgage, I gain no rights. Do you understand?”
Arthur understood, of course. And interestingly, that was exactly the clause his mother had insisted on at the time, to prevent giving his wife any share.
“That’s why I’m not giving you the money!”
Arthur didn’t want to shout—he knew his wife’s temper. He had tried repeatedly to get her to resume the mortgage payments, but nothing worked.
“You know what?” Vera said mysteriously, locking eyes with him. “I’ll talk to my father. He mentioned he sold our grandfather’s house—maybe he hasn’t spent all that money yet.”
At these words, hope flickered in Arthur’s eyes.
“Yes, do talk to him!” he said, almost breathless.
The very next day, Vera announced that her father was willing to lend money to her son-in-law.
“When?” Arthur asked immediately, his excitement evident.
“Don’t rush,” Vera replied. “It isn’t my money—it’s my father’s. He needs guarantees.”
“I’m willing to write a promissory note!” her husband agreed.
“No, that won’t be enough,” Vera replied, shaking her head. “We need something more substantial.”
“What else?” Arthur asked, clearly at a loss, his face reflecting confusion.
“I’ll talk to my father this evening,” Vera said. “I’ll let you know later.”
“All right,” Arthur managed, pleased that the ice was finally breaking. He took his wife’s hand and began kissing her, exuding joy and hope.
That evening, Arthur’s father-in-law, Oleg Pavlovich, came as a guest. Arthur warmly welcomed him, invited him to the kitchen, and, feeling like the master of the house, began setting the table.
“My daughter told me about your wish to borrow money,” Oleg Pavlovich began, looking intently at his son-in-law.
Arthur sat down, eager not to miss a word.
“I did sell the country house in the village, far away,” Oleg Pavlovich continued, “although your mother-in-law wants to buy land for a summer house.”
A chill ran through Arthur; he feared that his father-in-law might refuse him the money.
“Vera convinced me; I can lend you money on the condition that you repay it,” Oleg Pavlovich said.
“I promise!” Arthur declared, not even waiting to hear about the guarantees.
“Don’t be hasty,” Oleg Pavlovich said calmly. “A simple promissory note won’t do for me. I can offer you this: you transfer the ownership of your apartment to me as a gift.”
“No!” Arthur blurted out, shocked.
“I’m telling you, don’t rush,” his father-in-law insisted. “Listen. There is such a thing as a deed with a deferred effect. This means the deed becomes effective after a set time—for example, we agree it takes effect in three months. During that time, the apartment remains yours. You can do whatever you want with it, even sell it.”
A smile appeared on Arthur’s face.
“But,” Oleg Pavlovich continued, “we’ll also sign a loan agreement with all its implications. Approximately the same three months: if you repay the loan within that period, the deed loses its effect. That’s my proposal.”
Arthur was disappointed. He had expected his father-in-law to simply give him money, but now he heard something entirely different. He was deeply upset, though he tried not to show his discontent.
Some time later, Oleg Pavlovich left. Arthur only understood one thing: he needed the money because, in a week, the mortgage payment was due, and he had none. All evening he paced around, while Vera no longer questioned him—she simply wasn’t interested.
However, the mortgage issue continued to trouble the mother-in-law, so she called her daughter-in-law and asked about the payments.
“No,” Vera said firmly, “there will be no new payments from my side.”
“Handle it with Arthur,” the mother-in-law insisted. “I’ve explained to you repeatedly: I’m not made of rubber. I’ve paid my obligations two years ahead; now let your husband work his part.”
Arthur sat silently nearby, and Vera did not want to talk further with her mother-in-law. She handed him the phone and stepped aside. Even in the kitchen, she could hear Natalia Grigoryevna shouting at her son while he writhed on the sofa, as if he had a terrible toothache.
Finally, after two months, Arthur stopped asking Vera for money, and the mother-in-law quieted down—though she was now troubled by the approaching end of the loan term.
“Arthur,” she said to her husband, “the term of the loan is about to expire.”
“Talk to my father,” her husband replied.
“No,” Vera said, “you took the loan as a grown man. If it’s not working out, call your father—we’ll meet and talk. He’ll understand.”
Arthur just smiled and nodded.
A week later, Vera called her father and asked, “Did you speak with Arthur?”
“No,” he replied.
Vera didn’t press him about what he would do if Arthur didn’t repay the money. She worried about her husband but hoped he wouldn’t just sit idly by and that he’d eventually take some action.
Another week later, her sister-in-law Nadya visited Vera. As usual, after looking around to confirm that her brother was not present, she said:
“Mother is cursing you.”
“Well, of course!” the lady of the house replied. “I’m to blame because I paid the mortgage for both me and my husband for two years, paid the utilities, bought groceries, and even helped Arthur with his loan. And now I’m blamed for having taken two months off!”
Nadya sighed heavily, and after sitting for a moment, she began to explain:
“When Arthur got the money, mother bought new furniture.”
“Oh my God!” Vera groaned.
Now she understood everything: the money Arthur received as a loan from his father-in-law was split in half. He used it to pay off his car loan, and in his exuberance, he sold his car and took out a new, more expensive auto loan. Thinking that his financial problems were solved, the mother-in-law decided to splurge and, instead of investing in the mortgage, bought new furniture.
“We’re in trouble,” Vera said quietly, pausing before adding, “big trouble.”
A month later, things continued. Vera kept working, and she was offered a transfer to another department; in a couple of weeks, she would be taking further professional courses. The mortgage issues with her mother-in-law receded into the background—neither Natalia Grigoryevna nor Arthur brought it up. Vera, as usual, paid the utilities, bought groceries, and cooked dinner—everything just as before.
One evening, unexpectedly, Arthur asked, “Did you talk to my father?”
“No,” Vera replied.
“You’re acting like a child,” she couldn’t understand her husband’s behavior. Taking her phone, she called her father.
“Dad,” her voice trembled with worry, “what’s going on with Arthur?”
“Don’t worry,” Oleg Pavlovich replied.
Vera talked with him for a minute, then hung up and turned to her husband.
“You have an agreement—you need to pay off the loan!”
“I’m not going to pay,” Arthur stated sharply.
“What?!” Vera exclaimed in disbelief.
“Because you haven’t repaid my debt,” he explained.
“What debt?” Vera asked, confused.
“You’re a grown man! You took money from my father. It doesn’t matter from whom you took it, but you borrowed money for a specific purpose—to pay off your mother’s mortgage. I’ve told you a hundred times that I’ve done my part, and now you must do yours.”
Arthur’s face turned red—not solely from anger but from the sting of his wife’s repeated refusal.
The next day, as expected, the mother-in-law came over. After the greetings, she immediately accused Vera of not having worked for two months.
“And what business is that of yours?” Vera snapped, irritation clear in her tone.
“You’re shifting your financial burdens onto your husband,” Natalia Grigoryevna insisted.
“Really?” Vera retorted coolly. “Why didn’t Arthur mention any of this during all those years when I came home at nine every night paying for both of us?”
“You’re family…”
“I’m not to blame for my husband taking out a new car loan, even though he knew very well he needed to repay the money I lent him!” Vera exploded, her anger mounting as she glared at her obstinate husband.
After that, the conversation ended. Vera retreated into the bedroom, afraid she might lose control and say something even harsher. Soon, the doorbell rang, and Arthur came over. At the door, he saw his beloved mother-in-law—whom he always called Tatiana Ivanovna. The woman immediately noticed the reddened face of her son-in-law.
“Is Vera home?” she asked.
“Yeah,” Arthur replied, then, approaching the bedroom, knocked on the door. “Your mother is here.”
By then, Vera had calmed down somewhat. She came out into the hall and embraced her mother.
“I’m going for a walk,” Arthur said, addressing both his mother-in-law and his wife. He got dressed and left the apartment.
“What happened?” Tatiana Ivanovna asked, well aware of her daughter’s state.
Vera needed someone to talk to, so she recounted the entire story of the mortgage with her mother-in-law. Her mother listened intently, shook her head, and then said, “Don’t get hotheaded! Arthur is a good man.”
Vera nodded in agreement.
“Don’t be rash.”
“I’m exhausted, Mom,” Vera repeated, not for the first time. “I’m going to rest for a couple of weeks, and then…” She sighed deeply and added, “then I’ll go back to work.”
