З життя
Вернулась ко мне спустя год после развода: беременная и растерянная…
Она ушла к другому после десяти лет брака. А через год стояла на моём пороге — беременная и сломленная…
Мы познакомились с моей женой, Дашей, почти двенадцать лет назад. Я тогда учился в архитектурном институте в Нижнем Новгороде, ютился в общаге. Даша приехала из глухого городка под Владимиром — робкая, одинокая, будто мышка в этом шумном муравейнике. Мы не сразу нашли общий язык. Я её сначала и не замечал — слишком уж тихо сидела в углу с учебниками.
Но время лечит стены, как штукатурка. Через пару месяцев мы разговорились: сначала робко, а потом за полночь не могли заткнуть друг друга. Она жаловалась на трудности, я делился планами. Вскоре нам дали семейную комнату — комендантша, видя, что мы серьёзны, пошла навстречу. Так и закрутилась наша жизнь.
Я всегда знал своё место. Хотел быть опорой, мужчиной, который не только дома строит, но и в них душу вкладывает. Сразу сказал Даше: «Тебе работать не надо. Женское дело — очаг беречь. Если мужик семью не потянет, так это и не мужик вовсе». Она не спорила. Стряпала, убирала, ждала с работы — жили душа в душу.
Дела пошли в гору. Устроился в строительную контору, дорос до прораба, потом открыл своё дело. Купили дом в Подмосковье, две машины — мне «Ладу», ей «Ниву». Жили, как в мечтах. Одно не клеилось — дети. Годы шли, а в доме тихо. Оббегали кучу врачей, тратили кучу рублей, но толку — ноль. Я виду не подавал, хоть сердце щемило. Она тоже молчала, но глаза выдавали пустоту. В итоге махнули рукой: раз судьба не даёт, значит, не надо.
А потом — бац, и всё рухнуло, как картонный домик под дождём.
Вернулся домой раньше — хотел пробку объехать. Во дворе нет «Нивы», ворота распахнуты. Странно. Ждал. Вечер тянулся, будто резиновый. И тут — СМС с левого номера:
«Прости. Не могу больше врать. У меня другой. Он возвращается, и я с ним. Обманула тебя, но… может, когда-нибудь поймёшь.»
Мир перекосило, будто после новогодней гулянки. Я сидел на полу в доме, который строил для семьи, а получил — для одного. Вытащил меня из этого болота только друг — Серёга, с которым на стройке рука об руку работали. Не дал пропасть.
Время лечит, хоть и хромает. Увидел Дашу в соцсетях — на фоне Кавказских гор. Понял: живёт где-то в Сочи. А выбросить её из головы не получалось. Каждый угол в доме орал её именем. Молился, чтоб вернулась. И, видимо, кто-то наверху услышал.
Ровно через год — снова звонок в дверь. Открываю… и ноги подкашиваются. На пороге — она. Худая, измученная, в потрёпанной одежде. И живот — огромный. Почти на смене.
Даша упала на колени, рыдала и умоляла простить. Тот самый «любовник» её выгнал — она ему изменила, он её бросил. Денег нет, жилья нет, надежды — тем более. И кроме меня, ей идти некуда.
Можно назвать меня дураком. Можно сказать, что надо было хлопнуть дверью. Но знаете что? Я не смог. Потому что всё это время продолжал любить. Потому что даже сквозь боль хотел видеть её рядом. Потому что если не простишь — сам себя потеряешь.
Прошло несколько лет. Теперь у нас сын — тот самый, о котором мы и мечтать перестали. Я люблю его, как родного, потому что он мой — не по крови, а по сердцу. И Дашу люблю, хотя в груди до сих пор осколки.
Ни разу не упрекнул. Не напомнил. Потому что настоящая любовь — это когда принимаешь человека не за что-то, а вопреки всему.
Husband Refuses to Let Our Daughter Live in the Flat He Inherited from His Aunt—He Wants to Sell It and Split the Money Equally Among Our Three Children, but I Believe Our 19-Year-Old Daughter Should Have Her Own Place While Studying—Who’s Right in This Family Dilemma?
My husbands aunt left him a flat right in the centre of Oxfordtiny little thing, youd miss it if you...
Two Weeks Away from My Garden Retreat: Returning to Find the Neighbours Had Built a Greenhouse on My Land and Planted Cucumbers and Tomatoes
It had been a fortnight since I last visited my garden retreat, and in that time, the neighbours had erected...
A Dog, a Proposal, and a Happy Ending: How a Free Pup Led to Love, Laughter, and a New Family – A Heartwarming English Tale
I stumbled into a reason to propose. A strange, dreamlike tale Thank you ever so much for your kind supportall...
The Pensioner Told Me She Hasn’t Seen Her Son in Over Six Years – “When Was the Last Time Your Son Spoke to You?” I Asked My Neighbour… And In That Moment, My Heart Broke
“How long has it been since your son last spoke to you?” I asked my neighbour, and I felt a...
“We Sold You the House—But We Have the Right to Stay for a Week,” the Owners Claimed. In 1975, We Moved from the Countryside to the Edge of Town, Bought a House, and Got Quite a Shock… Back in the village, neighbours always lent a helping hand—my parents were no different. So, when the previous owners of our new home asked if they could stay a couple more weeks while sorting out paperwork, my parents agreed. But these folks owned an enormous, vicious dog—one they didn’t want to take with them, as he never listened to us. To this day, I remember that dog. A week went by, then two, then three—yet the former owners still lived in OUR house! They slept through to dinnertime, rarely left, and showed no intention of moving. Worst of all was their attitude—they acted as though they still owned the place, especially the mother. Time and again, my parents reminded them of the deal, but their “move-out” date kept shifting. Meanwhile, they let their dog roam, never minding where he did his business—right in our garden. We were afraid to go outside; the dog attacked everyone. Over and over, my parents pleaded: keep the dog on a lead! But as soon as my father left for work and my brother and sister went to school, the dog was immediately back in the garden. In the end, it was the dog who helped my father get rid of these cheeky squatters. One day, my sister came home from school, opening the garden gate unthinkingly. The big black brute knocked her down—miraculously, she wasn’t badly hurt, just her coat ripped. They chained up the dog, then blamed my little sister for coming home too early. And that evening, all hell broke loose! Dad came back from work, and—without even taking off his coat—dragged the old lady right out into the street, still in her house dress, with her daughter and husband running behind. Every belonging of these bold squatters flew over the fence into the mud and puddles. They tried to set their dog on my dad, but the dog, seeing the chaos, tucked his tail and hid in his kennel. He wasn’t about to leave. An hour later, every last thing they owned was on the pavement, the gate was locked, and their dog sat outside with them, shut out for good.
Weve sold you the house. Were entitled to stay for a week, declared the former owners. It was 1975, and...
For about a year, my son had been living with Kate, but we’d never met her parents – it struck me as odd, so I decided to investigate I’ve always tried to raise my son to respect women first and foremost – his grandmother, his mother, his wife, his daughter. In my opinion, that’s the greatest quality a man can have: respect for women. My husband and I gave our son a wonderful upbringing and education and made sure he had everything he needed to get through life with ease. We didn’t want to help him with anything else, but we still bought him a two-bedroom flat. He did work to support himself, but he couldn’t quite afford a place of his own. We didn’t give him the flat right away, in fact, we didn’t even tell him we’d bought it. And why? Because our son was living with his girlfriend – that’s why. For about a year, he’d been living with Kate, but we’d never met her parents and I always found that strange. Later, I discovered that Kate’s mum used to be a neighbour of one of my friends. She told me something that really unsettled me. It turned out, Kate’s mother threw her husband out when he started earning less, but the real madness started after… She began seeing a married – but wealthy – man. Kate’s grandmother, just like her daughter, also had a relationship with a married man. She would even force both her daughter and granddaughter to trek out to his country house to help on his farm. Because of this, my son already found himself tangled up in his future mother-in-law’s affairs. But what concerns me most is that Kate’s mother and grandmother are turning her against her father. It’s clear the girl cares for her dad, but these two women have put her relationship with him in jeopardy. And to top it all off, Kate has decided to drop out of university. She believes it’s a man’s job to look after the family. I agree to some extent, and I raised my son for that, but heaven forbid they face any real life problems. What sort of safety net will there be if something goes wrong? How would she support her husband if that happened? By the way, I’ve put the flat back in my own name, because I know I’ve raised a bit of a soft touch, as we say. Yes, property bought before marriage isn’t divided after a divorce, but Kate is such a clever woman, she could very well send my “gentleman” packing with nothing but his socks.
So, listen, for about a year now my sons been living with this girl, Emily, but wed never met her...
– Needless to Say, This Is All My Fault! – My Boyfriend’s Sister Sobs. – I Never Imagined Something Like This Could Happen! And Now I Have No Idea What to Do Next. I Don’t Even Know How to Handle This Without Losing Face. My Boyfriend’s Sister Got Married a Few Years Ago. After the Wedding, It Was Decided the Newlyweds Would Live with the Husband’s Mother. His Parents Have a Spacious Three-Bedroom Flat and Only One Son. – I’ll Keep One Room, and the Rest Is Yours! – Promised the Mother-in-Law. – We’re All Well-Mannered People, So I’m Sure We’ll Get Along Just Fine. – We Can Always Move Out! – The Husband Assured His Wife. – I Don’t See Anything Wrong in Trying to Live with My Mum. If It Doesn’t Work, We Can Always Get Our Own Place…. That’s Exactly What Happened. As It Turned Out, Living Together Was Quite the Challenge. Both Daughter-in-Law and Mother-in-Law Tried, but Things Got Worse Each Day. Resentments Built Up and Arguments Became More Frequent. – You Said If We Couldn’t Get Along, We’d Move Out! – Cried the Wife. – Well, Haven’t We Managed So Far? – His Mother Smiled Condescendingly. – These Are Little Things, and It’s Not Worth Packing Up and Leaving Over Them. Exactly a Year After the Wedding, His Wife Became Pregnant and Gave Birth to a Healthy Son. The Arrival of the Grandchild Coincided with the Mother-in-Law Quitting Her Old Job and Struggling to Find New Work, as Employers Hesitated to Hire Someone Approaching Retirement. The Daughter-in-Law and Mother-in-Law Had to Spend All Day Together, Neither Having Anywhere Else to Go, and Tensions at Home Only Grew. Her Husband Simply Shrugged and Listened to Their Complaints, as He Was the Sole Breadwinner. – We Can’t Just Leave Mum Right Now—She Has No Income. I Can’t Leave Her on Her Own, and I Can’t Afford to Support Her and Rent a Flat for Us. Once She Finds Something, We’ll Move Out! But the Young Woman’s Patience Wore Thin. She Packed Up Her Things, and Her Son’s, and Moved Back in with Her Own Mum. She Told Her Husband She’d Never Set Foot in His Mother’s House Again, and If He Cared About Family, He’d Have to Sort Something Out. She Was Sure Her Beloved Would Try Everything to Bring Them Back Together. But She’d Judged Wrong. It’s Been Over Three Months Since She Moved Out, and Her Husband Hasn’t Tried to Win Her Back. He Still Lives with His Mum, Talks to His Wife and Child on Video after Work, and Visits Them on Weekends at His Mother-in-Law’s House. He Gets the Care and Attention of Two Women at Once; the Parent Gets Sympathy for Her Son, Left with an Angry Wife, and Doesn’t Have to Deal with the Child at All. The Husband Has It Made! And the Mother-in-Law Hasn’t Really Lost Anything, Either! The Young Woman Is Far from Happy with This Situation. She Loves Her Husband Very Much, Though She Knows He’s Not Doing the Right Thing. – What Did You Expect When You Left? – He Asks. – You Can Always Come Back If You Want. It’s Unlikely the Wife Plans to Leave Her Own Mum or Rent a Flat. The Woman, Now on Maternity Leave, Just Can’t Afford It. Is This Really the End of the Family? Do You Think She Still Has Any Chance of Going Back to Her Mother-in-Law’s House Without Losing Her Dignity?
Needless to say, this is all my fault! my mates sister sobbed. I could never have imagined things would turn...
“Mum, he wants me to do this for him… He says all good wives can do it… Does that mean I’m not good? Please teach me… If everyone else can, surely I should be able to as well…” I’m Still Amazed My Niece Found a Husband—Perhaps Just Because of Her Mum When Alina was a child, my sister refused to send her to nursery school; as a teenager, she wasn’t allowed out, she spent all her time at home—she became a bit of a recluse. When Alina was at university in our town, her mother made sure she always came home before 6pm. At 20, her mum would phone at half seven, shouting if she wasn’t home yet. It was absurd, just nonsense. Alina met her future husband in her second year at university; they studied together in the library, he was two years older, shared his notes with her, helped her out—a friendship that blossomed into love and eventually into dating. That’s when my niece began defiantly breaking her mother’s rules. The niece eventually married and her mother finally allowed her to start a new life of her own. Now let me tell you a recent story. I was at my sister’s house when Alina called, her voice breaking between tears and giggles so much we could barely understand her: “Mum, he wants me to do this for him… He says all good wives can do it… Does that mean I’m not a good wife? Please teach me… If everyone else can, surely I should be able to as well…” At that moment, my sister’s expression changed instantly; she told her daughter to calm down and asked what exactly all good wives are supposed to be able to do. “Make soup, Mum,” she said, and we burst out laughing. “Don’t laugh at me! You never taught me how, I’ve looked up recipes online but they never taste right!” So, my sister and I quickly taught her, step by step, how to make soup, giggling at each other all the while. That evening, my niece called to thank us—her husband had complimented her, saying it was delicious. And, best of all, according to her, she’s now a proper wife!
Honestly, Im still a bit staggered that my niece actually found herself a bloke, especially considering the way her mum...