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<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
Why did you get so angry?\u201d Lev finally said. \u201cLet\u2019s discuss everything calmly. You\u2019re right: we owe my mom a lot. So why not thank her in just that way?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIn what way, exactly? By giving her what belongs to me and our daughter? Instead of providing for Nina\u2019s future? Are you kidding me?\u201d<\/p>\n
Irina looked at her husband, not believing her ears. Her mother had died only nine days ago, and he was already talking about handling the inheritance. She had always believed Lev was genuinely attached to her mother. But now it seemed that was just a fa\u00e7ade.<\/p>\n
A heavy silence hung between them. Irina stared him down, and Lev seemed to be searching for an excuse.<\/p>\n
\u201cI just wanted to distract you, to suggest something nice\u2026\u201d he began. \u201cImagine: a little house by the sea that we rent out and get passive income.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSeriously?\u201d she asked, sounding bewildered. \u201cDo you really think this is an appropriate moment for such talk?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m sorry, dear,\u201d Lev said contritely, hugging her. \u201cI\u2019m not myself after everything that happened. I\u2019m saying foolish things.\u201d<\/p>\n
It was easier for Irina to believe that explanation than to think her husband was indifferent. Gradually she calmed down, and with time she even forgot about that conversation. Whenever the memories resurfaced, she pushed them away: \u201cI must have imagined it.\u201d<\/p>\n
Time passed, and her grief slowly receded. She accepted the reality that she could no longer call her mother and ask for advice. Life went on.<\/p>\n
Six months later, when the paperwork for the apartment and the dacha was completed, Lev brought up the subject again.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo how are we going to use this new property?\u201d he asked cautiously.<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t know, darling,\u201d Irina replied, feeling at a loss. She still hadn\u2019t thought much about the inheritance or how to use it. They had no housing problems: the spacious apartment where they lived with their daughter met all their needs.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe can rent out the apartment,\u201d Irina shrugged. \u201cAnd when Nina grows up, we\u2019ll give it to her. As for the dacha\u2026 it would be easier to sell. The condition it\u2019s in leaves much to be desired, and it\u2019s far from the city.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou don\u2019t get much income from renting out an apartment,\u201d Lev objected, \u201cand it\u2019s a lot of hassle. I was thinking: we could sell both the apartment and the dacha, add a bit more money, and buy a little house by the sea. Renting that out would be more profitable, and we could vacation there ourselves.\u201d<\/p>\n
The idea sounded tempting to Irina.<\/p>\n
\u201cSure,\u201d she drawled. \u201cWe could spend time there as well?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cOf course, my love,\u201d Lev grinned broadly.<\/p>\n
They agreed to start with renovating the dacha. The house was shabby but could still be restored. The garden was overgrown because Irina\u2019s mother hadn\u2019t visited for the last few years. She had once suggested that the young couple take care of the property, but they had refused because it was too far from the city. Now, it was time to sort things out.<\/p>\n
At first, they worked during the day and returned to the city to sleep because it was cold in the house. But after two weeks, Lev repaired the stove and cleared the chimney, and workers installed new plastic windows instead of the old wooden ones. Now they could stay overnight at the dacha.<\/p>\n
Lev invited his mother and sister to help. On weekends, the whole family gathered there to speed up the process. Irina was grateful for their help: without them, the work would have taken a lot longer.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s not bad here at all, Irochka,\u201d said her mother-in-law, Taisiya Matveyevna. \u201cWe\u2019ll manage together; it\u2019ll be just as good as our own renovation.\u201d<\/p>\n
Taisiya Matveyevna lived in a one-room apartment with her younger daughter, Ksenia. Lev had also lived there before he moved into a rented apartment, prior to meeting Irina.<\/p>\n
Once the house was warm, they decided to spend more time at the dacha. Their first weekend staying overnight happened to be a mild one. Lev was grilling meat on the barbecue, and in the evening everyone gathered on the veranda for a festive dinner, discussing their plans.<\/p>\n
Irina soon grew tired and began nodding off. Lev gently lifted her up from her seat.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy little sleepyhead,\u201d he whispered. \u201cTime for bed.\u201d<\/p>\n
\nHe laid her down on the large double bed and took the spot on the edge. A sofa and a fold-out chair had been set up for his mother and sister.<\/p>\n
Several hours later, Irina suddenly woke up, needing to step outside. She carefully slipped out from under the blanket, pulled on warm socks, and headed to the veranda for her jacket.<\/p>\n
Her groggy mind didn\u2019t immediately grasp that voices were coming from the veranda.<\/p>\n
\u201cI can\u2019t wait till we move to the sea!\u201d said Taisiya Matveyevna dreamily. \u201cAs soon as we sell this junk, we\u2019ll buy a wonderful little house. Lev\u2019s already found some options\u2014he showed me photos. We\u2019ll live in warmth all year round!\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat if Irka doesn\u2019t agree?\u201d Ksenia asked cautiously. \u201cIt\u2019s her inheritance.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cOh, she\u2019ll have no choice,\u201d her mother scoffed. \u201cI didn\u2019t spend all this effort renovating her dacha for nothing.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cShe wanted to rent out the dacha,\u201d Ksenia said uncertainly.<\/p>\n
Irina couldn\u2019t take it anymore.<\/p>\n
\u201cExcuse me? You want to take away my future home?\u201d her voice cut through the stillness of the night.<\/p>\n
She had caught them off guard. They were already divvying up her inheritance, planning to live in the house by the sea that hadn\u2019t even been bought yet. Meanwhile, Lev hadn\u2019t bothered to show her a single option.<\/p>\n
\u201cIrochka!\u201d exclaimed her mother-in-law, visibly nervous. \u201cYou\u2019re twisting everything. You yourselves can\u2019t live in two places at once!\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s exactly why we planned to rent it out for the entire season,\u201d Ksenia chimed in.<\/p>\n
\u201cJust give you the keys to my apartment, and you rent it out yourselves?\u201d Taisiya Matveyevna suggested as though it were the perfect solution.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut the income would be completely different,\u201d Irina countered, feeling her anger boil over. \u201cMom\u2019s two-room apartment will bring in far more money than your one-room. And you know that perfectly well.\u201d<\/p>\n
Taisiya Matveyevna fell silent, apparently realizing her arguments were weak.<\/p>\n
A sleepy Lev appeared in the doorway, and Irina immediately turned to him:<\/p>\n
\u201cLev, can you imagine? Your mother wants to settle in our future house by herself!\u201d<\/p>\n
Lev tensed, but his confusion only made Irina more suspicious.<\/p>\n
\u201cI never could have imagined she\u2019d do that!\u201d he exclaimed, though his voice clearly lacked conviction.<\/p>\n
\u201cRight, sure,\u201d Irina drawled, watching her husband closely. \u201cSo this was your plan together?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy say \u2018plan\u2019?\u201d Taisiya Matveyevna attempted to intervene. \u201cIt\u2019s just helping your elders. What\u2019s wrong with that?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat\u2019s wrong is that this help comes at my expense,\u201d Irina retorted, raising her voice. \u201cAnd even more interesting\u2014how exactly were you going to make me agree?\u201d<\/p>\n
Her thoughts were racing.<\/p>\n
\u201cLet me guess: first, you\u2019d let your family \u2018take a vacation,\u2019 then claim the season ended, and they\u2019d stay to look after the house for the winter\u2026 Then what? You\u2019d come up with something else?\u201d<\/p>\n
She turned her gaze to her husband.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd you know what? You\u2019re deceiving not just me but your own daughter. We were saving for Nina\u2014for her studies, for housing. And now you suggest settling for the income from a one-room?\u201d<\/p>\n
Lev stayed silent, eyes downcast.<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t recognize you. What happened to you? Or were you always like this, and I just never noticed?\u201d<\/p>\n
She paused, trying to make sense of it all.<\/p>\n
\u201cFine. Everyone go to bed now. In the morning, we\u2019ll head back to the city. After that, I\u2019ll take Nina and move into my own apartment. And then we\u2019re getting a divorce.\u201d<\/p>\n
The divorce was long and painful. They argued about everything: where their daughter would live, division of property, the reasons for the split. The court took Nina\u2019s opinion into account\u2014she chose to stay with her mother. Irina had her own apartment and a stable job, so custody was decided quickly. But the other issues took time.<\/p>\n
When it was all over, Irina had money in her account, half of their jointly owned apartment\u2014which Lev was obligated to buy out\u2014and a lingering dream of a house by the sea. The idea of buying it now seemed absurd: that money was her only housing budget for herself and her daughter. So she finished renovating the dacha using part of the divorce settlement and rented it out for the summer. She carefully saved the income, waiting for Lev to buy her share of their former apartment.<\/p>\n
Two years later, Lev finally fulfilled his obligations. He moved Taisiya Matveyevna and Ksenia into a three-room apartment, and transferred the one-room apartment to Irina\u2019s name. His remark that the one-room place would someday belong to Nina gave Irina a small measure of peace. Now she could move on.<\/p>\n
Mother and daughter moved into that one-room apartment, and they sold the inheritance from Irina\u2019s mother\u2014the dacha and the two-room apartment. With the proceeds, they bought a spacious plot with a cozy house by the sea. There was enough money left over to build a few small guest houses for rent.<\/p>\n
Before the next season began, Irina took a leap of faith: she posted listings on several sites and quit her job, deciding to devote herself entirely to the new business. To her surprise, the first clients appeared within a week.<\/p>\n
This new life wasn\u2019t easy. At first, it was a constant learning process, requiring her to adapt and find solutions to all sorts of challenges. But little by little, things fell into place.<\/p>\n
In mid-summer, Andrey and his daughter Alla rented one of the guest houses. The girls quickly became friends and spent entire days running around the area. Irina noticed Andrey taking a special interest in her.<\/p>\n
\u201cHas anyone ever told you how incredibly beautiful you are?\u201d he asked her one day.<\/p>\n
\u201cPlease don\u2019t,\u201d she waved him off. \u201cOne vacation romance was enough for me, for a lifetime.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat if I don\u2019t leave?\u201d he smiled.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat do you mean?\u201d She raised her eyebrows in surprise.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ll buy a house nearby and work on winning your attention.\u201d<\/p>\n
Irina laughed, thinking it was a joke. But Andrey really did extend his stay and soon announced he\u2019d found a house nearby and taken out a mortgage.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy not celebrate?\u201d he suggested, raising a glass.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat do I have to lose?\u201d she thought. That moment became the turning point in her life.<\/p>\n
Andrey turned out to be a reliable person. He worked remotely, so the move wasn\u2019t a problem. A year later, they got married, and Alla and Nina became best friends. Irina realized that sometimes fate hands us gifts in the most unexpected ways.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Why did you get so angry?\u201d Lev finally said. \u201cLet\u2019s discuss everything calmly. You\u2019re right: we owe my mom a lot. So why not thank her in… <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":22997,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-22996","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"yoast_head":"\n