Alla was strolling with her dog along the deserted street near her house. Her mood was so downcast that even her neighbor Natalia, glancing briefly out of the window, noticed it.
«Alla, hello! What are you doing out here alone at this hour?»
«Hello, Natasha. I didn’t have time during the day. We had a guest. A very important person,» Alla replied sarcastically.
«Who’s this guest?»
«I’ll tell you later.»
«Wait, I’ll come down,» Natasha commanded, throwing on a warm sweater before running outside. They continued their walk together.
«Well, tell me, who came and why are you so upset?» Natasha asked. «Lyosha brought his girlfriend over. We spent the whole day preparing. Shashlik, sushi, various appetizers. Igor even skipped going to the office for such an occasion. We didn’t know anything about her, barely convinced him to bring her over. And it turned out… she’s just an ordinary girl from the countryside. Lives with her grandmother, parents are working abroad. This Masha hasn’t really studied anywhere and works as a cleaner in rich houses. What a surprise our son gave us!» Alla was shaking with outrage.
«My God, why are you so upset?» Natasha smirked. «How old is Lyosha?»
«Twenty-five.»
«He’ll have a dozen more girls like that. He’ll fool around and then dump her.»
«Come on! These girls know what they’re doing. They try to get pregnant as quickly as possible by a wealthy guy to tie him down forever.»
«Is she pregnant already?»
«God forbid, I hope not.»
«Lyosha looks at her like he’s bewitched, and she plays the innocent fool. A real ‘daisy girl.’ You know, Natasha, I’m even ashamed that my son is dating a cleaner. His father and I have been in business for twenty years, and now some calculating peasant girl is going to get our son.»
«Did she admit to being a cleaner?»
«No, I quickly checked. The world is small, so we need to get rid of her quickly before people find out that Lyosha couldn’t find a decent bride.»
«Well, yeah,» Natasha sighed.
«I decided to give her an ultimatum. This romance is over. She clearly has high hopes, but she’s not a match for my Lyosha, so she shouldn’t even hope. Maybe they’ll break up soon? How long have they been together?»
«Four months, but I didn’t expect this from Alexei. Honestly, I’m not waiting around. I’m telling you, her only goal is to marry for money.»
The truth is, Masha’s background didn’t matter to Lyosha. He had fallen in love for the first time in three years. Of course, he understood that his parents wouldn’t like his choice, but Masha seemed to magnetically attract him. With her, he felt at ease, comfortable, and interested. Lyosha was a handsome, educated young man who drove an expensive car and had previously dated spoiled rich girls, for whom money was everything. But his parents’ success had never been his achievement. He didn’t have the business acumen, he wasn’t good at gaining people’s trust, and despite his upbringing, he was modest and shy. That’s why Masha became a beacon of light for him amidst the gray circle of well-off acquaintances. They hadn’t been dating long, but Lyosha was already planning to marry her and leave the city.
Alla wouldn’t allow that. She had always been a woman with an iron will. It is said that when matriarchy rules the home, sons often struggle with relationships with the opposite sex. Perhaps it would have been better for Lyosha if his mother hadn’t interfered in his life. But no. After that meeting, Alla didn’t speak to her son for a week. He quickly understood why. One evening, he sent her a message.
«I know why you’re ignoring me. You and dad didn’t like Masha. You want a rich daughter-in-law from a powerful family to get new connections. But I don’t need that. I need a wife who will support me, who doesn’t care about expensive gifts but cares about me. Someone who won’t be afraid to have children and will just wait for me to come home from work, not like you and dad—only business, meetings, money, and calculations.»
Alla replied:
«Who said that Masha doesn’t want your money? You’re naive if you don’t understand that only you can give her a good life. Otherwise, she’ll have to settle for some alcoholic. That’s why she’s clinging to you.»
Lyosha deleted the conversation and didn’t plan on continuing it. He was seething with anger at his mother, but he understood that it was impossible to convince her. In a surge of protest, he suddenly felt like suggesting to Masha that she move in with him. For now, he was living in his late grandmother’s apartment. The next day, he set up a romantic date for his girlfriend at a cozy café, and then they went to pick up her things.
Masha felt both joy and embarrassment. The whole way, she felt lost and occasionally shyly glanced at Lyosha with her big gray eyes, while he admired her sweet face.
Meanwhile, Alla was making plans in her head to separate her son from this simple girl Masha. «What has he found in her?» she kept repeating to her husband.
«Calm down, it’s temporary. Let him have some fun with this Cinderella, boost his self-esteem,» Igor replied calmly.
«Fun, huh? Do you remember how, at his age, you chose the most beautiful girl in your class? I’ve spent my whole life trying to be perfect for you in everything. We’ve always been a team. And now what? She’ll sit on his neck, have children, and he’ll work for her. That’s the whole story,» Alla continued.
When it became clear that Lyosha had let Masha move in with him, Alla threw a real tantrum at her husband: «This is a nightmare! Now she’s definitely going to get pregnant! She’s achieved her goal!»
«You don’t even really know her,» Igor tried to calm his wife. «If he likes her, let them live together. For the first time, he’s acting against you.»
«He’s still just a boy to make such decisions! He’s great at accepting gifts from us, but now that he’s involved with this girl, suddenly we’re not needed. Looks like he knows better than us who he should be with.» And with that, the conversation ended.
The next day, Alla showed up unannounced at her son’s apartment. Lyosha wasn’t home, but Masha was there.
The poor girl didn’t know that her potential mother-in-law had come with bad intentions. «Come in, Alla Nikolaevna, Lyosha’s at the store.» Masha tried to smile at her guest and appear confident.
Alla looked around the apartment with disdain, walked into the living room, and disdainfully sat down on the couch. «Tea?» Masha timidly offered, beginning to understand that things were not going well.
«No, thank you. Let’s get straight to the point. Sit down. Tell me, isn’t it a little early for you to move in here?» Masha lowered her gaze in silence.
«You hardly know each other. Looks like you’re ready to live with anyone,» Alla remarked sarcastically.
«We love each other. We decided to try living together,» Masha quietly said.
«So, love, huh? And don’t you happen to like money? Who would turn down a comfortable life with a wealthy guy, right? But what do you even have to offer?»
Masha silently looked at Alla, like a guilty student.
«You’re not a match for my son, girl. He’s still looking for his one and only. He’s definitely not planning to build a future with a cleaner. My advice to you is: don’t take advantage of Lyosha’s kindness and don’t ruin his life. Better stick to cleaning, and forget about my son. Pack your things and leave. Give me the keys.»
Masha handed over the keys. Her eyes filled with tears. Without realizing what she was doing, she absentmindedly left the room, then slammed the door behind her as she left the apartment.
Alla triumphantly went to the kitchen and poured herself some tea.
Half an hour later, Lyosha returned and was surprised to see his mother.
«Where’s Masha?»
«I don’t know, maybe she went home. She has somewhere to live.»
«You kicked her out? Mom, have you lost your mind?»
He started calling his girlfriend, but she didn’t answer.
Alla went home with a satisfied look on her face.
Lyosha tried calling his mother, but she deliberately ignored his calls. Her mission was accomplished.
Masha was riding the subway home, crying. She should have stood up for herself, responded to Alla’s nastiness with some attitude, but she didn’t do that. She remembered that the first meeting with her parents had also been chilly. Maybe she and Lyosha had rushed things, and she wasn’t the right one for him.
Lyosha called her for the fifth time. She picked up the phone and answered in a barely audible voice:
«Lyosh, don’t say anything. Don’t call me here again.»
But the next day, he came to get her.
«Mash, I love you. No one will separate us.»
«I’m just a cleaner, and you need a girl from high society.»
«Enough. You won’t do this anymore. We’ll find you another job, everything will work out, trust me. Mom won’t be able to do anything.»
«Lyosh, I don’t want to.»
«Please, come back.»
The girl refused. She knew her mother-in-law wouldn’t leave her alone.
Better not to provoke her. Someday, she would meet someone worthy.
The young couple didn’t communicate for several days. Alla couldn’t reach her son, but she was satisfied that she had so easily ruined his relationship with Masha.
Lyosha was truly suffering.
Then, a week later, something unexpected happened in Masha’s life. Returning from work, she saw her grandmother crying.
«Grandma, what happened?»
«A lawyer called. He said the old house of relatives outside the city is now ours.»
«How wonderful! After so many years, we can sell it and buy you a nice apartment in the city. And there will still be money left!»
Grandmother cried, and Masha hugged her.
«I think we’ll sell the house quickly if we lower the price a little. There’s beautiful nature, the forest. Maybe we’ll keep it until your wedding? Lyosha…»
«Grandma, don’t talk about him. We’re different, it’s obvious. He needs a rich bride with connections. And who am I?»
The elderly woman wiped away her tears. Hurt for her granddaughter tore at her heart.
«Now we’ll have money. You’ll buy nice things and go to school. Maybe you’ll stop working as a cleaner?»
«Grandma, you yourself said there’s no shame in this work. Besides, it pays better than the minimum wage. What’s the difference—being a shop assistant or a cleaner?»
«Don’t worry, Grandma, we’ll manage.»
Lyosha finally got through to his beloved. In the evening, they met and walked through the park. Masha told him about the country house.
The guy didn’t react to the news about the inheritance. He wasn’t interested in money. He dreamed of a peaceful life with his beloved.
He hadn’t made up with his parents yet, but Alla was already making plans for the new daughter-in-law.
«Mash, what do you say about moving in together?»
«No, Lyosh. I’m not ready yet. Let’s buy me an apartment with Grandma, I’ll go to school, become more confident. Maybe you’ll move in with me if you want. Then your mom won’t say I’m after wealth. And I don’t want to live in your house on your money.»
Lyosha hugged her and kissed her on the forehead.
That evening, he stopped by his parents’ place and told his mother about Masha’s inheritance. Now she had become a desirable bride.
Alla was very surprised.
«So, you’re still together?»
«Yes, I love her. We’ll be together, no matter what they say.»
Alla smirked and made it clear that she didn’t want to continue the conversation.
If Masha really got an inheritance, that changes things. Maybe she made up this story after my accusations of greed? Then she’s just a liar. But if the inheritance is real, then let them be together, if that’s true love. It was stupid to kick her out back then. Well, you can’t fool fate.
Masha and her grandmother finalized the paperwork and put the house up for sale. The girl decided to study psychology—it seemed like an interesting profession to her.
She no longer worked as a cleaner and temporarily got a job at a parcel pick-up point. Her relationship with Lyosha became colder. The resentment toward his mother started showing.
Maria realized: Alla was a domineering woman, and her son was a mama’s boy.
One day, the girl returned home and said to her grandmother:
«Let’s sell the house and move.»
«Where to?»
«I don’t know, somewhere far away.»
«And Lyosha?»
«Lyosha—he’s not my destiny.»
«Destiny.»
