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<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
You\u2019ll be living in Ilya and Lariska\u2019s room. I won\u2019t be a nuisance to you; we\u2019ll get along just fine,\u201d the pleased mother-in-law advised, biting into a generous slice of roulade and washing it down with tea.<\/p>\n
\u201cMom, it isn\u2019t really my apartment\u2014it\u2019s Sonya\u2019s,\u201d Dima said tensely as he looked at his mother.<\/p>\n
\u201cWell, so what! She won\u2019t refuse to help your brother!\u201d Olga Vladimirovna beamed broadly as she stared at Sonya.<\/p>\n
\u201cExactly\u2014my brother. To my wife he is, essentially, a stranger. And besides, on what grounds should we move out of the apartment?\u201d Dima tensed, his dark eyes growing even darker.<\/p>\n
\u201cOh, but it\u2019s only temporary! Once Ilyusha gets on his feet, buys his own apartment, you\u2019ll come back,\u201d the woman smiled, clearly proud of her plan.<\/p>\n
\u201cExcuse me, Olga Vladimirovna, but this state of affairs doesn\u2019t sit well with me. This is my parents\u2019 apartment and we spent three years renovating it\u2014not for strangers!\u201d Sonya finally regained her composure.<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t know how your parents raised you, but that\u2019s not the way it\u2019s done in our family!\u201d the mother-in-law admonished, pursing her lips and fixing her daughter-in-law with a disapproving look.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe all help each other, that\u2019s what family is for,\u201d the woman declared proudly. \u201cAnd besides, no one is taking your apartment away; it\u2019s just a temporary measure.\u201d<\/p>\n
Igor\u2019s relationship with his brother was far from ideal. Even in childhood, despite a two-year age difference, they hardly communicated. The younger one spent more time with their father\u2014going fishing with him, joining him on hikes.
\nIlyusha, almost like a shadow, followed his mother everywhere; together they watched talk shows on TV and Turkish soap operas. And if they ever left the house, it was only to go to the dacha, to lounge on deck chairs under the summer sun.<\/p>\n
After their father\u2019s death, Igor didn\u2019t stay at home for long. In the later years of university, when internships began, he got a job and rented an apartment. The older brother continued to live under their mother\u2019s wing\u2014and she even brought his wife there.<\/p>\n
Sonya rarely saw her mother-in-law. She didn\u2019t dote on her younger son and daughter-in-law with attention, never interfering in their relationship or offering lectures and moralizing.
\nOver the years, the older brother and his family hadn\u2019t once dropped in for a visit. Ilya\u2019s girlfriend had seen him maybe three or four times at most. Igor didn\u2019t like visiting his mother and brother. The mother didn\u2019t know why her husband was unwilling to see his relatives, but her situation suited her perfectly.<\/p>\n
Igor and Sonya were surprised when, the day before, their mother expressed a desire to drop by for a visit. The young man immediately tensed up, and Sonya was at a loss trying to guess the subject of conversation. But reality exceeded all her expectations.
\nOlga Vladimirovna circled around the subject for a long time.<\/p>\n
\u201cDon\u2019t you want to delight me with grandchildren?\u201d she suddenly inquired, then fell silent in anticipation.<\/p>\n
\u201cMom, what grandchildren? Sonya is still in her third year. She needs to get her qualification first, then find a job,\u201d Dima stammered, confused as to where his mother was leading him.<\/p>\n
\u201cWell, indeed\u2014still young. How old are you, Sonya? Twenty-one? There\u2019s plenty of time,\u201d she smiled contentedly and finally declared, \u201cyou should hand over your two-room apartment to your brother; he\u2019s cramped with the kids in one room. Besides, they\u2019re expecting another child soon,\u201d the pleased mother-in-law chirped.<\/p>\n
\u201cDon\u2019t worry so much,\u201d the woman hurriedly added upon seeing the look on her son\u2019s face, \u201cfor now, you\u2019ll live with me. I won\u2019t hurt you. Before you move out, the kids will have the room renovated and new wallpaper put up. You\u2019ll live like a king and queen!\u201d<\/p>\n
\n\u201cWonderful, but on what grounds should I move out? Ilya is already twenty-seven and isn\u2019t even trying to do anything for his family. So why should I have to strain myself?\u201d Dima fumed.<\/p>\n
\u201cYour brother is trying, but you understand how hard it is to get ahead in life when you have two kids and a wife clinging to you,\u201d the mother-in-law chided, as if her son, too, had two children and no apartment.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo perhaps, before criticizing the kids, one should think about getting a good job and a home? Instead of leeching off your mother and younger brother?\u201d the young man couldn\u2019t hold back any longer.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy are you getting so worked up\u2014as if you earned that apartment yourself? You just got a bit luckier than Ilyusha\u2014you snagged a wife with a place, and now you\u2019re trying to lecture your older brother,\u201d the mother-in-law fumed indignantly, shaking her ample frame.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m not lecturing anyone, and I\u2019m not moving out either,\u201d Dima declared firmly.<\/p>\n
Sonya watched the unfolding drama with wide eyes.<\/p>\n
The young couple had been married for three years. Half a year before their wedding, the girl\u2019s grandmother had died. She had bequeathed her one-room apartment in an old three-story building to her granddaughter.<\/p>\n
The bride\u2019s parents had discussed and decided to move into the grandmother\u2019s property, presenting the young couple with their two-room apartment. It was both closer to the center and larger in area.<\/p>\n
After the wedding, the young couple began renovating the apartment as much as they could afford. They didn\u2019t want to go into debt, so this \u201cpleasure\u201d dragged on for three years.<\/p>\n
Just as Sonya and Dima exhaled in relief, ready to enjoy the fruits of three years of hard work, Olga Vladimirovna appeared at the doorstep with her \u201csuper brilliant\u201d idea of moving.<\/p>\n
\u201cWell, I\u2019m very accommodating. You can ask Lariska (Ilya\u2019s wife),\u201d the mother-in-law advised while stroking Sonya\u2019s hand. \u201cI don\u2019t meddle in their affairs or interfere with their household chores. I help where needed.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cOlga Vladimirovna, I have no doubt about your kindness, but I\u2019m not moving out. According to the documents, this is my parents\u2019 apartment; I\u2019m not even the owner here,\u201d Sonya protested, at a loss for more arguments to temper her mother-in-law\u2019s enthusiasm.<\/p>\n
\u201cOh, are we not going to come to an agreement with the matchmakers or what?\u201d the woman burst into hearty laughter and took another piece of roulade.<\/p>\n
\u201cMom, we have our own plans. We\u2019re saving up for a car,\u201d Dima interjected.<\/p>\n
\u201cYes, save away\u2014who\u2019s stopping you? With me paying the utilities, you\u2019ll save even faster!\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThen why doesn\u2019t Ilya save for an apartment, living with you?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cOnce he lives separately from me, he\u2019ll understand how good it is, and then he\u2019ll want to save, you\u2019ll see,\u201d she explained her plan to instill determination in her older son.<\/p>\n
Sonya did not share her mother-in-law\u2019s optimism. In truth, she didn\u2019t have much sympathy for her husband\u2019s brother. He struck her as a slob who lived by the principle: the day is over\u2014and thank God.<\/p>\n
Ilya had neither ambition nor desire to achieve anything. Right after finishing school, he landed a job at the local housing office as a locksmith, as he claimed\u2014temporarily. Yet this \u201ctemporary\u201d has stretched on for nearly ten years.<\/p>\n
In fact, Lariska, his wife, wasn\u2019t exactly ambitious either, though she was notably prolific. In three years of marriage, she had given birth to two children, and judging by the mother-in-law\u2019s words, a third was imminent.<\/p>\n
Before her first childbirth, she had worked a bit as a nanny at a kindergarten, but then she went on an extended maternity leave.<\/p>\n
\u201cIgor, you\u2019re brothers after all\u2014how can you refuse?\u201d
\n\u201cWell, fine, Sonya, but you!\u201d the woman flung her arms and glared at her son in reproach.<\/p>\n
\u201cOlga Vladimirovna, this is our apartment, our renovation\u2014and I\u2019m not going to exchange all that for one room in your apartment for the sake of someone else\u2019s convenience and children I barely know!\u201d Sonya remained silent for a long time before finally voicing her opinion.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou can\u2019t view the world so selfishly! Now it\u2019s clear where my son got such mercenary views!\u201d<\/p>\n
Sonya felt as though she and Dima were schoolchildren sitting on a carpet before a strict headmaster.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s selfish to have children if you can\u2019t even feed them. Every month you complain about having no money. I give you thirty thousand every month, no questions asked!\u201d Dima could no longer sit still. He sprang up and began pacing the kitchen.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd now, apparently, I\u2019m supposed to give him an apartment too?\u201d Dima shouted, his voice so loud that the chandelier trembled.<\/p>\n
Sonya\u2019s eyes widened; she knew nothing about her husband\u2019s monthly charity to his older brother.<\/p>\n
\u201cSon, he\u2019s still your brother\u2014that\u2019s normal, helping one another!\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes, but Ilya doesn\u2019t even say thank you; he takes it for granted. In all these years, he hasn\u2019t even phoned me on my birthday!\u201d Dima blushed furiously.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou\u2019re nitpicking over trivialities. So what if he didn\u2019t call!\u201d his mother interjected, springing up, \u201cit\u2019s your sacred duty to help your family in hard times\u2014your mother, your brother, and your nephews!\u201d she declared theatrically, raising her chin and putting on a solemn face.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m willing to help in tough times, but this moment just never seems to end!\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cA debt repaid is a debt honored. If your\u2014\u201d the mother waved her hand toward Sonya, \u201cyou\u2019ll be turned away. Where will you run? Right\u2014to your mother!\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cEven if I end up on the street, I won\u2019t step foot with you!\u201d Igor bellowed. \u201cI\u2019m not meddling with you, and you shouldn\u2019t meddle with me! How much is enough?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIf you refuse to help your brother, then I\u2019ll sell the apartment. We\u2019ll buy two smaller ones instead. Keep in mind, you won\u2019t get a single ruble from the sale!\u201d the mother pursed her lips, grabbed a bag from the bedside table, and stormed toward the front door.<\/p>\n
\u201cHahaha! As many as you want! Just don\u2019t forget that I own one-third of the apartment!\u201d Dima shouted after his mother.<\/p>\n
\u201cOh, so that\u2019s how it is?\u201d the woman, flushed crimson with anger, reappeared in the kitchen doorway, \u201cdecided to scheme against us?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIf you hadn\u2019t threatened just now and had asked politely, I would have relinquished my share in favor of my brother or you, but now\u2014on principle\u2014I won\u2019t do it!\u201d Dima no longer shouted, yet his voice remained firm and resolute.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou\u2019re not acting like a family member\u2014spurning family values and your own brother and mother. And you know, dear, I no longer have a younger son!\u201d<\/p>\n
With those final words, the woman slammed the front door so hard that the crystal in the cupboard tinkled, and a neighbor from the opposite apartment peered out in alarm.<\/p>\n
Now Sonya understood why her husband disliked visiting his mother and brother.<\/p>\n
\u201cIgor, didn\u2019t you get an extra share of the apartment?\u201d Sonya cautiously asked her husband a minute later.<\/p>\n
\u201cNo, that\u2019s enough,\u201d the man stated firmly. \u201cThey\u2019ve been leeching off me with their family sentiments and milking money from me for so many years that I can\u2019t tolerate it anymore.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMaybe we should\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n
Sonya stopped mid-sentence. Igor glared at her with a lethal look.<\/p>\n
\u201cLet\u2019s not talk about this. Forget it,\u201d he demanded, and left the kitchen.<\/p>\n
Despite her threats, the mother called Igor several more times. Sonya didn\u2019t heed the calls, but the conversations were brief and unproductive for the woman.<\/p>\n
Soon, all the relatives, friends, and even mere acquaintances of Olga Vladimirovna knew what an ungrateful brat she had raised. They said his material values outweighed any love for his mother and his own brother. And poor Sonya suffered as well.<\/p>\n
As the saying goes, simplicity is worse than thievery! To think\u2014coming in demanding an apartment, imposing your conditions, and then being offended when you\u2019re refused\u2026 Such unclouded insolence is hard to come by.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
You\u2019ll be living in Ilya and Lariska\u2019s room. I won\u2019t be a nuisance to you; we\u2019ll get along just fine,\u201d the pleased mother-in-law advised, biting into a… <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":24410,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-24409","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"yoast_head":"\n