Ira, repeat what you just said? But keep in mind, I hope to hear at the end: ‘It was all a joke!’” Yaroslav struggled to stand up but immediately had to sit back down in the armchair because his legs felt like cotton and refused to hold his heavy body.
“I’m not going to repeat anything. You understood everything correctly. Olenka got married, and I couldn’t leave her without help and support. If you’re against it, that’s your problem — you’ll survive! I’m not going to condemn my child to poverty just because you imagined something.” The woman answered harshly as she left the room, leaving Yaroslav alone with the nightmare he had to comprehend.
A few months ago, he turned sixty. A perfect age to fully enjoy earthly pleasures and comforts. Back in the day, the man had firmly decided not to tie himself down with marriage or fatherhood. He just wanted to live, savor every moment, without worrying if his wife needed a new purse, if the utilities were unpaid, or if the child ran out of diapers.
A high-ranking position and a solid salary allowed him to ensure a level of comfort where many everyday problems simply didn’t exist. Yaroslav had his own apartment and car, regularly indulged himself with trips and expensive purchases. His personal life didn’t distract him, so his career advanced quite rapidly. It’s no surprise that such a desirable bachelor occasionally found himself willingly caught in the nets of some gold-digger.
Yaroslav’s favorite pastime was pretending to be in love, promising the lady the moon, looking at her with puppy eyes. And when she started picking out a wedding dress, he immediately broke up with her, citing some disgusting and unpleasant reason.
“Valenka, honey, what kind of bride are you with those big curves? You can cook borscht, shall you come work as my maid? I’ll marry a beautiful and slim woman!”
“Ritula, my joy, why would a guy like me want you with your caravan of ‘baggage’? From your previous marriages, you have nothing but three kids? No self-respect at all?”
“Lada, baby, didn’t your mother teach you that dating a man twice your age is a bad idea?! Did you think I’d adopt you? No, thanks. And I’m not planning to marry either.”
Each time Yaroslav took special pleasure in such breakups, believing himself absolutely invulnerable and protected from all charms.
It was like that until Ira appeared in his life. Ten years younger than him, an attractive, well-groomed woman with an iron character. She looked much younger than her age and could easily attract any man from thirty to a hundred years old. She headed a company with which Yaroslav was about to sign a partnership agreement. Her beauty and confidence won the man over at first sight. He wanted not just to pretend to be in love like before, but to really be in love.
Yaroslav behaved like an enchanted teenager: sending flowers and gifts to his beloved, showering the entrance hall with bouquets, even calling the radio to ask them to send greetings. Fortunately, Ira turned out to be a mature lady and responded appropriately to his attention. A light flirtation started, which grew into a relationship. Yaroslav was not bothered that Ira had an adult daughter whom the mother fully supported. The man took on providing for all his beloved’s whims, regardless of expenses. He even shared his main dream with her: buying a little house by the sea to spend old age beautifully and comfortably, without needing to work or worry about the pension size.
“Irochka, you can’t imagine how wonderful it will be to sit on the terrace of a cozy house, sip wine from our own winery, and watch the sunset over the sea.” — While telling his beloved about his dream, Yaroslav smiled blissfully, for in his dreams the house and winery were already built.
“It sounds a bit staged, don’t you think? Besides, such dreams require a lot of money.”
“Well, I have it! That’s why I never married—to avoid wasting money. How many gold diggers have I tricked, promising marriage and enjoying life!” he chuckled disgustedly. “Well, now I’m ready for a serious relationship. In a couple of years, the dream will come true. I’ve already started looking at options.”
Ira pondered something but didn’t return to the topic that day.
Soon she asked to borrow some money for car repairs. Since Yaroslav didn’t mind spending money on his beloved, he easily transferred the needed amount. A few days later, Ira came home and asked for some money for a handbag and shoes, which she needed for Yaroslav’s upcoming birthday.
“Darling, can I take your card so I don’t have to bother you every time? You don’t like me buying things myself, right?”
“Of course, I’m a man! Take the card and buy whatever you need. Although there are limits…”
“You know what? Better sign me a power of attorney to manage your account funds. I won’t spend much, only on heels and shoes! You wouldn’t be stingy with me, right?” — Recently, the iron lady Ira had turned into a sweet little kitty, who with just a seductive look could completely shut down Yaroslav’s brain, who had totally lost his head in love.
Over the next six months, Ira periodically informed the man that she had “taken a little money for a gift.” She discreetly omitted what gifts those were, and he didn’t check the amount of transfers. He had several bank accounts and forgot that the woman had access to his money.
Then a real miracle happened. Scrolling through ads, which had become a habit since the sum in his account grew to a decent amount, Yaroslav came across an amazing offer. In a resort town, a house with a vineyard and an old, non-working winery was for sale. Exactly what Yaroslav had dreamed of for many years. The house, vineyard, and winery all required investments, but the man had the money. His dream suddenly had a chance to come true.
“Irochka, darling, I urgently need to withdraw money from the account. You’ve spent a little, right? I found a very good house by the sea; I need the full amount. I’m warning you, don’t buy anything for now. I need all my money. If it’s not enough, no problem, I’ll find someone to lend me the rest. You see, my dream is about to come true.” — Yaroslav fussed like a child in front of an ice cream cart.
“It won’t!” Ira replied in an iron tone, sitting down in the chair. “There’s no money in your account!”
Seeing the confused look on the man’s face, she continued:
“I transferred all the money from your account to myself and my daughter. Not all at once, but in parts, marking these transfers as gifts and debt repayments. Believe me, I know how to make transfers safe and irreversible. I bought an apartment for my daughter with that money. You can try to sue me for the money, but you probably won’t succeed. I have plenty of witnesses who heard me bragging about how you repaired my car, bought me a designer handbag, and constantly gave me gifts. Plus, you yourself signed a power of attorney to manage the funds. You should have read the paper before signing it without looking,” she laughed.
“Irochka, sunshine, repeat what you just said? And clarify that it was a joke!” Yaroslav felt a stabbing pain on the left side of his chest. He couldn’t believe that Irina was capable of this…
“I said I left you without money. It’s a little sweet revenge. Twenty years ago you left me pregnant, calling me an ugly little runt. As you see, I’ve changed. I worked hard for this. Had surgery: changed my nose and enlarged my breasts… Cut my hair and became a sweetie! Now you’re in my place: an old donkey! By the way, your money went to our daughter. It’s fair, you won’t prove anything!”
Ira left, and Yaroslav barely reached for the phone and called an ambulance. Unfortunately, he couldn’t survive such a shock and died of a heart attack before the doctors arrived. Such is karma…
