— No way, Vitalya! Neither you nor your relatives will ever show up in my apartment again, especially after what you did there! — Mom, you’ll help me clean up, right? Otherwise, Katya will come and tear my head off! — Vitalya asked his mother, after a bunch of his relatives, both distant and close, came over to his wife’s apartment, some of whom Vitalya had never even met before. — What do you mean, she’ll tear your head off?! — Marina Viktorovna exclaimed. — I’ll tear off everything I consider unnecessary!
— It’s just that I didn’t tell her you were planning to celebrate your birthday here! She doesn’t know about it! And now there’s been so much commotion… What if Vadim’s kids or the others break something… — So what? — Marina Viktorovna didn’t understand her son’s worries. — These are your nephews! Let them do whatever they want! And when your wife comes back from her business trip, just shut her up immediately! She’s been getting way too big for her boots lately! She’s gotten completely brazen!
— What does “getting too big for her boots” have to do with anything? It’s her apartment, and we’re here… — Her apartment?! So what? You’re her husband, so you have the right to do anything! Anything you want here, and don’t ask permission from any woman!
— But, mom…
— Don’t “but mom” me, Vitalya! — she snapped at him, cutting him off, so loudly that everyone in the living room turned around to look at them, including Marina Viktorovna and Vitalya. — You secretly threw me a birthday party here! Can you imagine that? Is this even normal?
— But you don’t get along with Katya, so I had to do it this way! Plus, it worked out so conveniently that they sent her on a business trip! I knew you didn’t want to celebrate at home because not everyone would have come, but here…
— I don’t care what your Katya thinks of me! If I need her to do something, she has to do it! And on my birthday, at my celebration, she should be slithering around like a waiter among my guests, asking if anyone wants anything else! Just like in the movies!
— She would never do that, mom!
— If you had built your relationship with her like I told you, she would have done it! Everything! And you…
— Enough, mom! — he interrupted her in a half-whisper, but demanding, not wanting the guests to start looking at them again.
— You see, Vitalya, since your wife has such a big apartment, she can’t not share it with the family! You need to keep the connections alive somehow! Like, for example, what you did! You threw me a birthday party here! And your wife, she… I can’t even find a proper word for her! A greedy snake! It’s all just for herself, for herself! She considers only you as family! But when it comes to her parents, I don’t have any objections! They’re just like her! They only think about themselves! No family bonds!
— But that’s their right, mom!
— Right?! — Marina Viktorovna exclaimed loudly again. — The right is mine, not theirs! The mother on the father’s side is always more important than anyone else, and they should all…
But she didn’t finish, as the seventy-five-inch television fell off the wall, and immediately, Vitalya’s nephews started running out of the room like cockroaches when the light comes on. Vitalya had just told his mother to keep an eye on them. But who would do that? Their parents were relaxing and drinking at the party, while the kids were left to their own devices. Only Vitalya, as the temporary head of the household, tried to scold them when they misbehaved, but he still didn’t manage to prevent this.
— WHAT HAVE YOU DONE?!! — Vitalya shouted when it happened, and managed to grab hold of his ten-year-old nephew Maxim, the oldest of the bunch, who was trying to escape.
The boy kept pulling away, fearfully looking at his uncle and trying to find his parents to protect him, as Vitalya was ready to spank the disobedient boy right then and there.
— Let him go! NOW!!! — his mother yelled at Vitalya.
— What do you mean?! Look at what he did!!! Vadim!!! — he called his older brother, who was outside on the balcony with his wife, smoking. — VADIM!!!
— What? What’s going on? Why are you yelling? — Vadim came into the living room, cigarette in hand.
— Look at what your kid… I don’t even have words for him!
— Dad! Dad, it hurts! He’s going to break my arm! — Maxim cried, his eyes filling with tears, as he turned to his father.
— Let go of my son! — Vadim said calmly, but very firmly to his younger brother.
Vitalya let go of his nephew and rushed to the TV. He couldn’t even understand how it fell off the wall. It wasn’t even on a stand, it was hanging on a bracket.
— How did you do that?! Why?! — Vitalya yelled, panic and anger in his voice as he confronted the boy.
— Don’t you dare yell at my son! Alright, Maxim, go to your mom, we’re leaving! — Vadim told his son.
Maxim immediately ran to the balcony, where his mother was still standing with a cigarette in hand, watching everything through the glass, and remaining very calm.
— You’re not going anywhere until we sort this out! — Vitalya told his brother.
— Yeah! We’ll be asking you! — Vadim smirked.
Vitalya wanted to say something else, but his mother interrupted the conversation again.
— Let them go home!
All the other guests and relatives looked on in mild panic, but mostly with curiosity, wondering how this whole situation would end.
Since two other children were involved in the incident, Vitalya went searching for them in the apartment.
He found one of them in the bathroom, hiding behind the washing machine, and the other in the kitchen with his mother, Vitalya’s cousin.
The boy he found in the bathroom, Vitalya grabbed by the hand and dragged him into the kitchen, where the second boy was, but his father was there too, a new boyfriend of Vitalya’s sister.
— Why are you dragging my son like that? — the man, whose name Vitalya didn’t even know, asked with a slightly drunken voice.
— Come see what your son has done! — Vitalya answered, letting go of the boy. — And you too, Tanya!
Everyone gathered in the living room to see what criminal things their kids had done. Vadim was just leading his wife and Maxim out of the room.
— Where are you going? We’re not going anywhere until we sort this all out… — he pointed to the broken TV. — No one is going anywhere until we figure this out!
But then Marina Viktorovna spoke up again:
«Enough!» she shouted. «The party is over! Thank you all for coming! Now, go home!»
«You’re staying!!!» Vitaly refused to let the culprits of the incident and their parents leave.
«No! You go home too!»
«But, mom!»
«Listen, little brother! Calm down! It’s just a TV! And not even a good one! So just say thanks that Max and the kids saved you from this zombie box! You can buy one later if you save up enough money!» Vadim smirked and pushed his wife and son to the door while Marina Viktorovna distracted Vitaly.
«Let them go home, and we’ll deal with everything now!» she said to her younger son. «Stop throwing a tantrum and behaving like your dim-witted wife, dear!»
«Mom, don’t you understand anything?! What am I supposed to tell Katya now? How did this happen? She doesn’t even let you in here, and now THIS!!!» Vitaly shouted.
While Marina Viktorovna distracted her son, everyone quickly made their exit, some even not bothering to put on their clothes, simply slipping their feet into their shoes, grabbing their outerwear, and disappearing.
When Vitaly tried to talk to his brother, his sister’s husband, and his cousin, he found the hallway empty. Only he and his mother remained in the apartment…
«So, what am I supposed to do now, mom?! What should I tell my wife?! Why are you covering for them?!» he lashed out at her. «Katya will be here tomorrow night! And not only is the place a mess, but these little monsters broke the TV!»
«These are children, Vitaly! You can’t shout at them, hit them, or grab them like you did! You need to talk to them carefully! So that…»
«Children?! These are little brats!!! And you didn’t follow that rule when I was little! Even when I wasn’t guilty of anything, you took out all your anger on me! But now, look, children! You should have…»
«SHUT UP!!!» Marina Viktorovna snapped at her son. «Enough! Don’t get carried away! Now, I’m going to smack you across your face! It’s my birthday!!!»
«I don’t care about your birthday, mom! What am I supposed to do with all of this?» He gestured around the apartment.
But Marina Viktorovna no longer wanted to engage in this discussion. The way her son spoke about her celebration deeply offended her. She turned with an annoyed expression and started to gather her gifts and put on her shoes and clothes.
Vitaly tried to say something else, not wanting to let her leave, but he couldn’t physically stop his mother, so she left anyway, leaving him alone in the chaos.
Vitaly then began calling the parents of the children who broke his TV. But no one answered. His brother eventually blocked him to stop him from pestering him…
When he realized he couldn’t get through to anyone that day, Vitaly started cleaning up the apartment. But by two o’clock in the morning, he was exhausted and decided to finish it tomorrow. After all, his wife wouldn’t be home until the evening, so he still had time to figure out what to do about the TV.
But, of course, Katya arrived not in the evening, but by noon. Her angry voice woke Vitaly up when she entered the apartment. This was something she definitely hadn’t expected. The kitchen and the entire apartment were covered in piles of dirty dishes, confetti scattered across the floor, and streamers. There was a lot of dirt and dirty shoe prints in the hallway. And when she entered the living room and saw the TV lying on the floor, screen down, and noticed the screen detached from the body, she screamed so loudly that the neighbors probably heard her.
Vitaly jumped out of bed and rushed to his wife in an attempt to calm her down, but only made her angrier.
In the end, Katya kicked Vitaly out of the house. It wasn’t just because the house was a disaster and the TV was broken, or because of the two vases in the hallway and kitchen. It was because he had violated her trust by letting his hated mother-in-law into her apartment, hosting a party in Katya’s place without her permission. And then he even defended his family: his mother, nephews, and their parents from his wife’s anger. Katya simply couldn’t stand it and kicked Vitaly out. Let him go live with those he’s defending.
Almost six months had passed since Katya kicked her husband out, but she still hadn’t filed for divorce. Vitaly had been expecting that; he understood that Katya would never want to see or hear from him again after everything that had happened. But he didn’t understand why she hadn’t filed for divorce yet, and that gave him a glimmer of hope that not everything was lost.
Finally, he mustered up the courage to call his wife. She picked up the phone on the third ring.
«What?» he heard her familiar voice on the other end.
«Hi! Are you busy?» he asked, nervously.
«I’m having lunch! What did you want?»
«I thought… Maybe we could meet? Talk… Discuss everything?»
«What do you want to discuss? I already know everything without this!»
«Katya… Please…» he begged.
«I’ll send you the address of the café where I am, come over, and tell me what you wanted!»
«But I can’t right now… I’m at work! Let’s do it another time, when we’re both free?»
«I won’t be able to do it another time! If you want to talk, this is your chance!»
After these words, Katya hung up. Less than a minute later, Vitaly received a message with the address of where she was. It was very close, just three buildings away from his work. Vitaly immediately ran to his boss to ask for a couple of hours off to meet with his wife. His boss let him leave for the rest of the day because he could tell something was wrong with Vitaly but didn’t ask for details, understanding it was personal.
When he arrived at the café, Vitaly immediately found his wife, who was typing something on her phone, not paying attention to anything around her.
«Hi…» he greeted uncertainly, pulling her attention away from her phone.
«Hi! What did you want?»
«Katya, I wanted… I wanted to make up… Come back home… You see…»
Katya laughed sincerely at what she heard.
«What’s so funny?» Vitaly didn’t understand. «Don’t you miss me? Don’t you want me to come back home?»
«No way, Vitaly! Neither you nor your family will set foot in my apartment again, especially after what you all did there!»
«I’m telling you, it will never happen again! I don’t even talk to any of them anymore! I’ve cut all communication with them! I understand I was wrong! Katya!»
«Good that you understand, but it still doesn’t change anything!»
«How? Why? I… I… But then why haven’t you filed for divorce yet if you don’t want me back?» he latched onto that point.
«Want a divorce? You file for it! I’m in no rush!» Katya answered vaguely.
«But…»
«Listen! If you keep whining about wanting to come back, that you miss me, that you can’t live without me and broke all your connections for me, then you can go back to where you came from! But if you’re ready to pay for all the damage you caused, then…»
— I don’t have that kind of money right now! I remember how much you paid for that TV…
— And on top of the TV, you also took my rare vases, the cleaning service, and…
— I don’t have that kind of money right now, and Vadim isn’t going to give me anything, just like everyone else!
— Well then, go your own way! I’ll never be able to trust you again! So don’t keep calling and sending me all those sappy messages! Got it?
She got up after that, walked over to the counter, paid for her lunch, and left the café, leaving Vitaly alone with his emotional turmoil.
Katya only filed for divorce a year after this meeting. It turned out she didn’t want part of the property, the appliances, and other things she bought, to go to her husband in the divorce. And also her savings. She consulted with lawyers to figure out how to do everything so that Vitaly would only get what he came with and what he had bought himself. As soon as everything was sorted, she immediately filed for divorce.
It was finalized quickly. Although Vitaly started demanding half of everything, not counting the apartment and his wife’s car, everything was so well-done legally that there was no way to challenge it. So, Vitaly was left with nothing.
But this would be a lesson for him—that if you tie your life to someone, you should not betray their trust, otherwise, you’ll end up with nothing. But he still didn’t understand anything…
— You can’t take real estate with you when you die—why do you need so many apartments? — the relatives fought over someone else’s property.
— Damn you to hell! — screamed Zinaida Petrovna hysterically, tilting her head back and ignoring the outraged comments of Natalia’s neighbors.
The elderly woman stood in the middle of the yard, continuing to curse at the tightly closed window.
— Will you shut up already? — a young woman with a stroller said as she passed by. — You’ve disturbed the whole yard!
— Go your own way and mind your business! — Zinaida Petrovna snapped back and grabbed her phone.
— Kolya, you need to come right away, — the pensioner spoke hysterically. — This scoundrel threw me out, can you believe it? She shoved me out the door!
After hearing the reply, Zinaida Petrovna snorted with satisfaction.
— I’ll wait for you here, — she said triumphantly, looking at the young mother. — My son will be here soon. Let’s see how you’ll talk to him.
The woman wanted to argue, but the baby in the stroller started crying, and the young mother preferred to walk away. Zinaida Petrovna sat down on a bench.
She had to wait for about 15 minutes. A police car drove into the yard, driven by a man about 40 years old. After parking carelessly, the driver left the car and walked toward Zinaida Petrovna, who cheerfully got up to meet him.
— Finally…
— What happened, Mom?
— Natasha has completely lost it, — she complained. — She didn’t even want to listen to me. Just kicked me out!
Nikolai listened to his mother with a grim expression. From time to time, he glanced at Natalia’s apartment window.
— Looks like she didn’t understand you well, — Zinaida Petrovna lamented. — Explain to her again what awaits her if she keeps resisting.
Nikolai walked to the entrance and rang the intercom. He had to repeat the call several times before Natalia’s voice was heard.
— Zinaida Petrovna, did I explain it badly to you?
— This is Nikolai, — said the son of the offended pensioner. — Open up, or things will get worse.
There was a pause. Then the connection ended. Nikolai was about to call again. Neither he nor his mother noticed how a car drove into the yard and stopped right near the entrance. And then what happened next was something neither the mother nor the son had expected.
— Oh, Natasha, you poor thing, — Zinaida Petrovna lamented, offering tea to her niece. — I don’t know why life is so hard for you? You’re not ugly, but you don’t have a kid, or even a kitten… How old are you now?
— 38, — Natalia replied gloomily, sipping her tea.
— Your job is bad, — Zinaida Petrovna observed. — You live in an old one-room apartment, and your salary is small. And men nowadays like women who are well-off…
— Aunt Zina, why did you call me here? — the niece asked.
Zinaida Petrovna paused for a moment.
— I’ve found you a groom, — she said mysteriously.
At these words, Natalia choked on her tea and coughed.
— What groom?
Zinaida Petrovna lowered her voice, although they were alone in the apartment.
— Recently, a new neighbor moved in,» the woman reported. «A widower, his children are all grown. He’s 63 years old.»
Natalia couldn’t help but smirk.
«Looks like he doesn’t need a wife anymore, but a nurse,» she remarked sarcastically. «I get plenty of that at work.»
Natalia ran her hand across her neck, and Zinaida Petrovna frowned.
«Even if that’s the case! You’re a medic, after all,» grumbled the relative. «And he’s got a two-room apartment.»
«Well, yeah, and he’s got a whole battalion of heirs in the form of children.»
Natasha finished her tea and placed the cup in the sink, signaling that she was done.
«Thank you, Aunt Zina. It’s time for me to go.»
«Wait,» the hostess flurried. «Measure my blood pressure. It’s been fluctuating again these last few days.»
Natalia took the tonometer, assessed the relative’s condition, and even wrote out some medication for her.
«You need more rest, Aunt Zina,» she said in conclusion. «The weather’s unstable right now. And you keep running around, going to the market, visiting people.»
«Well, that’s just me,» the woman shrugged, and along with Natalia, went to the hallway to see her off.
However, Natasha didn’t have time to leave the elderly relative’s apartment. At the exit, she ran into Nikolai, Aunt Zina’s son, who was just coming home.
«Oh, Natasha, perfect timing. We need to talk,» Nikolai closed the door tightly behind him, signaling to his cousin that he intended to keep her there.
«Koly, let’s talk later,» Natalia asked. «I need to get to work.»
«You’ll have time,» Nikolai stared at her intently. «Explain something to me…»
It was from this conversation that Natalia’s nightmare began.
Natalia had grown up with just her mother, having no idea who her father was.
Maria had terrible luck in her personal life, so after turning 30, she decided to at least have a child for herself. In those years, the status of a single mother was heavily frowned upon, and the shadow of the mother’s ruined reputation often fell on the child.
Both Maria and Natalia were nearly outcasts among their own family. Because of the constant shortage of money, Natalia was dressed by relatives, receiving clothes that their own children had outgrown, and which had long lost their original appearance.
For many years, Maria, her daughter, and her mother lived in an old one-room apartment, which was often referred to as the «women’s pit»: «Three generations of women under one roof.» Having overheard the gossip of neighbors and relatives, Natalia accepted that she would never marry—»that’s apparently written in her fate.»
Her grandmother had been seriously ill for several years, and Maria and Natalia cared for her. In fact, this situation pushed Natalia to choose her future profession. She entered medical school.
Her mother and grandmother passed away one after the other, and Natalia was left alone.
At 32, she had parted ways with her beloved, though she still felt the weight of that relationship. She believed that the age for dating and finding a husband had passed. Besides, Natalia’s job didn’t offer interesting or promising opportunities for meeting new people—she worked as a district nurse. She cared for several lonely elderly people.
Many were surprised by this choice, but Natalia had her own reasons. She seemed to blame herself for not being able to properly extend her mother and grandmother’s lives—she lacked the knowledge and qualifications. Now, she seemed to be trying to make up for that guilt by taking care of other elderly people.
Natalia threw herself into her work, and the elderly people returned her care with genuine affection.
For over five years, her relatives hardly showed interest in Natalia’s life. Sometimes she would appear at family events, mostly just to fulfill her obligation. Zinaida Petrovna, her mother’s sister, tried to pretend to care about her niece, and Natalia pretended to believe her.
At least, there had been no reason to doubt her aunt’s feelings, until today.
Nikolai, Zinaida Petrovna’s son, drilled Natalia with his gaze.
«I hope you’re renting out your apartment legally?» he asked curtly.
«Yes, everything is official,» Natalia tensed up just slightly.
«Renting?» Zinaida Petrovna was surprised.
«Yes, that’s right,» Nikolai explained. «I was passing by and had to use the restroom. I thought I’d stop by my relative’s place. And there were tenants.»
«Well, well,» Zinaida Petrovna continued to be surprised. «Where do you live now?»
«In another place,» Natalia answered evasively. «If there are no more questions, I’ll be on my way.»
«Make sure everything is by the book,» Nikolai advised his cousin.
Natalia said nothing. However, Nikolai wasn’t satisfied with the conversation. He lived with his wife and two children in a rented apartment. His work had promised him a company apartment for several years, but it hadn’t happened yet.
«I’ll be retired before my turn comes,» he complained, a police major.
This restless lawman decided to dig into Natalia. The information he got left him stunned.
«She’s a witch,» he muttered and hurried to report to his mother.
After hearing her son’s report, Zinaida Petrovna became furious.
«That pest!» the old woman fumed. «And she kept quiet. She knows our situation.»
She grabbed the phone.
«Natasha, will you be home today?» Zinaida Petrovna asked, adding as much sweetness to her voice as possible. «Nikolai and I are coming over. We need to talk.»
Natalia didn’t understand why she hadn’t figured out what her relatives would bring up. She angrily scolded herself for foolishly giving them her new address. Zinaida Petrovna had been lecturing her for almost half an hour under Nikolai’s watchful eye, who was periodically evaluating the spacious, well-renovated two-bedroom apartment.
«You can’t be this greedy,» the relative scolded her. «You should share with family.»
«One more question: how did you get this property?» Nikolai added his two cents.
«I earned it,» Natalia answered.
«You can’t take real estate with you when you go,» Zinaida Petrovna insisted. «Kolka’s struggling with rent, and Ninka (Zinaida’s daughter) is too, but you… You could have at least offered.»
«I need to think about my future,» Natalia remarked.
«What future? Don’t make me laugh,» Nikolai sneered. «You’re already old. Anyway, here’s the deal. I’m going to organize an investigation into you and your charges. Too many of your elderly patients passed away, and their apartments were transferred to you.»
«My youngest charge was 83 years old,» Natalia said.
«That’s irrelevant! Natasha, you know as well as I do that you can find dirt on anyone if you try,» he said, bidding her farewell. «As long as there’s a person, there’s a story to be found.»
Mother and son left, telling Natalia to provide an answer in a day.
But neither the next day, nor three days later, nor a week later did Natalia call. Furious at her niece’s silence, Zinaida Petrovna went to see her, but Natalia simply showed the persistent aunt the door.
And so, Nikolai, determined to deal with his cheeky relative, was about to ring the doorbell again when a painfully familiar voice called out his surname and rank. The man involuntarily stood at attention.
«Yes, Colonel…»
Standing before him was his department chief, who had come to Natalia and reported the misconduct of the subordinate. «Abuse of authority, blackmail,» the phrase the chief uttered stuck in Nikolai’s mind.
«Come see me tomorrow morning with an explanation,» the Colonel ordered.
«Yes, sir,» Nikolai replied and hastily left the scene of the failed confrontation.
Five minutes later, Evgeny Viktorovich, as the chief was named, was drinking tea in Natalia’s cozy kitchen, and they were chatting away. Evgeny Viktorovich was about 50 years old and was a widower. From the mutual glances exchanged between them, their shared future was not in doubt.
