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<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
Igor sighed and winced as he heard the doorbell ring.<\/p>\n
The visit from his father-in-law and mother-in-law had been planned in advance, but up until the last moment, the man had hoped for a miracle\u2014what if they changed their minds?<\/p>\n
Like a schoolboy who hadn\u2019t prepared his homework, he wished fruitlessly for his teacher to fall ill or, even better, for the class to be canceled, and then\u2026<\/p>\n
\u201cIgor, open the door!\u201d came his wife\u2019s voice from the room.<\/p>\n
Forcing a friendly smile onto his face, Igor opened the door.<\/p>\n
The first to flutter into the hallway was his tiny, desperately trying to look younger mother-in-law, Anna Mikhaylovna. If Igor hadn\u2019t known her real age, he would have easily mistaken her for a woman his age, perhaps just a little older.<\/p>\n
This lady had flawless, porcelain-like skin, a soft, kind smile, and eyes full of seeming innocence.<\/p>\n
However\u2026 how wrong were those who, enchanted by Anna Mikhaylovna\u2019s almost angelic appearance, found themselves caught in her sharp claws and keen grip.<\/p>\n
This iron lady had a tough and calculating character.<\/p>\n
It cost Igor dearly to realize this mistake. When he met Yulya, who was a perfect copy of his mother, he too was taken in by her innocent look and delicate, doll-like appearance. Only after the wedding did the young man realize that Yulya wasn\u2019t just a copy of Anna Mikhaylovna, but a worse version of her.<\/p>\n
The thing was, besides the authoritarian character that Yulya inherited from her mother, she was also incredibly jealous and hot-tempered. In moments of emotional outbursts, Yulya became extremely aggressive. Initially, she would just scream in anger, but soon she began throwing objects at her husband, charging at him, trying to scratch his face.<\/p>\n
Recently, she had started attacking, grabbing anything within reach. Once, she even charged at him with a fork lying on the table. Fortunately, Igor managed to intercept her swinging arm just in time. The cause of her anger was often unfounded jealousy. It was enough for Igor to greet the neighbor warmly, and a scandal would break out at home, complete with yelling and physical altercations.<\/p>\n
However, these bursts of rage were short-lived\u2014like a summer storm. The clouds would drift away on the horizon as though they had never been there, and the sun would shine gently in a cloudless sky. After an episode of uncontrollable rage, Yulya would throw herself around Igor\u2019s neck (and after the incident with the fork\u2014at his feet), hugging him passionately and begging for forgiveness. She even promised to see a psychiatrist. And Igor forgave her, understanding that no one was perfect.<\/p>\n
Following his wife into the apartment came his father-in-law, Ivan Ivanovich, a tall, large man with a strong chin and a gentle character.<\/p>\n
Perhaps, in his youth, Ivan Ivanovich\u2019s character matched the shape of his chin, but over the years of living with Anna Mikhaylovna, that character had been \u201cbroken.\u201d All that remained was a chin that meant nothing.<\/p>\n
There was no particular reason for the visit from his wife\u2019s parents.<\/p>\n
It was a ritual Saturday visit.<\/p>\n
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<\/p>\n
The tradition of visiting each other once a week had been established by Anna Mikhaylovna and her daughter, and the men simply complied. The older one bent according to habit, while the younger one did so with growing irritation.<\/p>\n
Igor didn\u2019t like visiting his wife\u2019s parents, nor their return visits. Usually, the whole tiring procedure boiled down to the same thing. It happened according to the same pattern.<\/p>\n
Igor would sit at the table, feeling his shoulders tense up, and start an internal timer, counting the sixty minutes allotted for this event. Anna Mikhaylovna would immediately start dominating the conversation, as though everyone around her, especially her husband, were merely props in her performance.<\/p>\n
Igor was repulsed when she mockingly and repeatedly made her husband get up from the table, ordering him to do something, and he, like a submissive shadow, would carry out her instructions with a resigned smile on his face.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy can\u2019t he take on the role of a man in their family? Why does he agree to be her slave?\u201d Igor thought during their first dinners. But soon, with horror, he realized that such a role, the silent, obedient \u201cAlenya,\u201d was also destined for him.<\/p>\n
At first, when Yulya was still obedient and gentle, Igor would look at his father-in-law with confusion, trying to catch any sign of resistance in him. Trying to appear calm, he caught the glance of his wife\u2019s father, who tried to joke about his situation and about himself.<\/p>\n
\u201cHere\u2019s my wife\u2014fire, a real leader!\u201d Ivan Ivanovich would say with an embarrassed smile, but his eyes showed only submission.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt seems that in Yulya\u2019s parents\u2019 home, there\u2019s no place for true equality, no place for respect,\u201d Igor thought at his first dinner with them. \u201cI can\u2019t understand how one can be so submissive and content in such a relationship. Maybe they had a fight before dinner\u2026 or maybe my father-in-law did something really bad to Anna Mikhaylovna?\u201d<\/p>\n
However, it didn\u2019t take more than six months for Igor to realize that such relationships between Yulya\u2019s parents were not the exception, but the norm.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt seems I\u2019ve fallen into this\u2026,\u201d he thought despondently.<\/p>\n
Especially since his own wife had already begun to show a character similar to her mother\u2019s, with \u201cadditions\u201d in the form of fierce outbursts of anger.<\/p>\n
That evening, everything went as usual\u2014Anna Mikhaylovna\u2019s familiar, commanding, condescending tone towards her husband, a gentle and playful, almost flirtatious manner towards her son-in-law, and a cooing, friendly tone towards her daughter.<\/p>\n
To be honest, Igor had initially wanted to skip the dinner\u2014he was already tired of watching his father-in-law\u2019s obedient \u201ctail-wagging.\u201d<\/p>\n
At the same time, the situation was complicated by the fact that he himself was gradually starting to resemble Ivan Ivanovich.<\/p>\n
He hadn\u2019t started wagging his tail yet, but he was tolerating Yulya\u2019s condescending tone with a resigned air.<\/p>\n
And yesterday, she threw another tantrum with a \u201cmind-numbing\u201d finale that ended with the destruction of a beloved antique vase\u2014a rare piece Igor had kept as a memento of his dear grandmother.<\/p>\n
\u201cPack your things and get out of here,\u201d he said calmly and coldly, looking at the broken pieces.<\/p>\n
But Yulya\u2026 Oh, Yulya\u2026 She cried, begged, and pleaded for his forgiveness: \u201cLast time, I swear!\u201d<\/p>\n
During the scandal, Igor thought he wouldn\u2019t be able to forgive her. But he gave in. He forgave her. But the aftertaste remained.<\/p>\n
What aftertaste? There was an entire layer of muck in his soul, and he didn\u2019t understand why he still tolerated her and hadn\u2019t thrown her out of the apartment.<\/p>\n
Does he love her? He wasn\u2019t sure there was any love left\u2014his wife\u2019s antics and character had trampled it completely.<\/p>\n
Does he feel sorry for her? Maybe. But only a little. He regretted more that he hadn\u2019t really spent time with her parents before the wedding. Maybe then he would have figured out what was what.<\/p>\n
Had he gotten used to her? Probably yes.<\/p>\n
However, Igor realized that their relationship was doomed\u2014Yulya would never change.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf something like this happens again, we\u2019re done. Got it?!\u201d he told his wife yesterday after making up.<\/p>\n
\u201cYes, yes, yes\u2026 Never again. I will control myself. But all of this is just because I love you so much and I\u2019m jealous\u2026 Tomorrow\u2026 Oh no\u2026 Tomorrow is Saturday\u2026 On Monday, I\u2019ll go to a psychologist, or maybe even straight to a psychiatrist.\u201d<\/p>\n
The dinner was nearing its end when Igor received a message on his phone.<\/p>\n
Since he had been eagerly waiting for a reply to an important question, he couldn\u2019t resist glancing at the document that had been sent.<\/p>\n
The information in it was extremely significant, and he became engrossed.<\/p>\n
\u201cGary! Gary!!!\u201d A sharp poke in the shoulder brought him back to reality.<\/p>\n
Igor absentmindedly\u2014his mind still on the document\u2014turned his head to the woman who had poked him.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat do you think you\u2019re doing?! You\u2019re staring at your phone while we have guests. How can you be so rude?! This, by the way, is disrespectful to my parents and to me!\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSorry,\u201d Igor nodded to the now-silent parents. His father-in-law gave a knowing nod in response, but his mother-in-law smiled slyly and shook her head in disapproval. \u201cBut this is an extremely important message.\u201d<\/p>\n
And then everything seemed to happen in slow motion.<\/p>\n
Igor lowered his eyes to the smartphone screen again\u2026<\/p>\n
Yulya\u2019s hand tried to snatch the gadget\u2026<\/p>\n
He raised the phone high above his head\u2026<\/p>\n
And then Yulya swung her hand and slapped him with all her might\u2026<\/p>\n
So hard that his head jerked back in surprise.<\/p>\n
\u201cYulya! What are you doing?!\u201d Ivan Ivanovich exclaimed in astonishment.<\/p>\n
\u201cCalm down, daughter, cool off\u2026 Igor\u2026 What have you done to make the girl have such a nervous breakdown?\u201d Anna Mikhaylovna cooed.<\/p>\n
Yulya, not yet having released all her anger, wound up for a second strike, but Igor intercepted her hand, which immediately went limp.<\/p>\n
A silence fell. And then\u2026<\/p>\n
Suddenly, Igor felt completely happy and free.<\/p>\n
He broke into a smile and cheerfully said: \u201cNow, let\u2019s all get up from the table and head out! Ivan Ivanovich, I\u2019m sorry, nothing personal, but as an integral part of this family\u2026 you too.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cGary! Have you lost your mind?!\u201d Yulya stared at her husband in shock. \u201cHow dare you throw my parents out of our house?!\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDidn\u2019t you get it? Everyone out, including you. You, darling, are at the head of the procession\u2026 Ten minutes to pack\u2026 The rest I\u2019ll pack and send to the address you provide.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBut\u2026 Igor\u2026 I\u2019m your wife\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAlmost ex-wife. Got it? By the way\u2026 Don\u2019t waste time talking\u2014throw your stuff in a backpack. You have eight minutes left.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHooray!!!\u201d Igor silently rejoiced inside as he closed the door. He had never felt so thoroughly happy in his life.<\/p>\n
The man straightened his shoulders and took a deep, free breath, recalling the envious, admiring look his father-in-law had given him as he left. Almost ex.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Igor sighed and winced as he heard the doorbell ring. The visit from his father-in-law and mother-in-law had been planned in advance, but up until the last… <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":24842,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-24841","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"yoast_head":"\n