З життя
Утро с размолвкой: настроение на нуле, завязывая шнурки.
Вот переработанный вариант с учетом русской культурной специфики:
Борис завязывал шнурки в прихожей, настроение было скверное — с утра поссорился с женой. Татьяна стояла, опершись о дверной косяк, руки скрещены на груди, глаза красные от слёз, лицо осунулось, морщины проступили резче. А ведь ей всего тридцать восемь — ещё не старуха.
Чувствуя её взгляд, он опустился на пуфик, упёрся локтями в колени, крупные руки безвольно свисли. Уставился в стену пустым взглядом — сам измотан, выжат как лимон.
— Таня, ну сколько можно? — хрипло выдавил он. — Твои больницы, таблетки в холодильнике, ванной, на тумбочке… Не получается у нас! Зачем мучаешь и себя, и меня?
— Боря, ну в последний раз… Ты думаешь, мне легко? Каждый раз надеяться, слышать стук сердца, а потом… чистка, и эти слова: «Он замёр, не прижился…»
— Давай оставим эту затею! Тысячи пар живут без детей и не помирают.
— Умоляю! — Татьяна сползла по косяку, готовая упасть на колени.
Борис подхватил её, крепко прижал к себе. Оба не старики ещё — ему сорок шесть, выглядит отлично: подтянут, густые волосы с проседью, гладко выбритое лицо с широким подбородком.
— Ладно, ладно… Заеду сегодня в клинику, сдам анализ, — гладил он её по спине, чувствуя, как она дрожит. — Успокойся, тебе нельзя нервничать. Может, подождём полгода? — Он отстранился, взглянул на её заплаканное лицо.
— Нет, врач сказал — сейчас.
— Они всегда так говорят! — резко оттолкнул её Борис, накинул кожаную сумку через плечо. — Одно и то же! А результат — нулевой.
— Боря! — крикнула ему вдогонку Татьяна, но он уже нажимал кнопку лифта.
— Заеду, обещаю.
Татьяна успокоилась, выпила таблетки — гормоны, витамины, всё, что прописали врачи. Собралась на работу, после обеда — в клинику. Десятое ЭКО… Она видела женщин в консультации, которые делали и двадцать попыток — и в сорок восемь вынашивали. А ей всего тридцать восемь.
Муж сдержал слово, заехал в клинику, а вечером — снова в командировку. Татьяна шутила перед подругами и случайными знакомыми в больнице: «Муж приезжает только „материал“ оставить, а потом — снова в самолёт». Так они жили уже лет десять. Он всего добился сам, а она всегда была его тылом — верила в него, даже когда он третий раз прогорал, и они сидели в долгах на съёмной квартире. Одалживала у друзей, у матери, терпела унизительные слова о «бестолковом Борисе», но просила — и брала.
Потом рассчитались со всеми, когда у него пошло в гору. Теперь у них большая квартира в центре Москвы, строят дом в Подмосковье, в тихом месте, но недалеко от города. Две хорошие машины, отпуск за границей дважды в год. Но она не стала матерью… Всё здоровье, все силы отдала ему. А теперь хотела только одного — ребёнка.
Татьяна работала администратором в салоне красоты — без амбиций, жила семьёй. Клиентки её любили, знали годами.
Очередная процедура позади — осталось ждать. Борис звонил из командировки, спрашивал, как она.
— Тань, может, махнём на выходных в Сочи? — бодро предложил он вечером.
— В ноябре? Что там делать?
— Есть отличные отели с подогреваемыми бассейнами. Развеешься… Сделка прошла — надо отметить.
— Но у меня работа.
— Да брось ты её! Сколько раз говорил — хватит.
— Мне нравится. Сейчас Лида на больничном, не могу надолго.
— На два дня! Завтра прилетаю — и в дорогу. В понедельник к обеду вернёшься.
Отдохнули чудесно. Борис взахлёб рассказывал, как обвёл вокруг пальца конкурентов, блестяще провёл переговоры.
— Следующие три месяца — никуда не полечу, — обнял он жену в уютном номере люкс.
— Я так счастлива… — прижалась к нему Татьяна. — Сколько мы прошли.
— Всё позади, — он гладил её по спине. — Всё будет хорошо… Как думаешь, в этот раз получится?
Борис пожал плечами. Миллион раз надеялись…
Вернулись обновлёнными. У неё — плановый визит в клинику, у него — дела. Через неделю он снова собрался в поездку.
— Прости, надо лететь.
Она молча собрала ему вещи, как он любил. В аэропорт его давно не провожала — он предпочитал ездить с водителем.
Задержался на три недели. Об очередной неудаче узнал по телефону. Слёзы, депрессия… Он даже обрадовался, что его нет дома — знал, что так и будет. Вернувшись, услышал: «Давай ещё раз… Не сейчас, но не останавливайся».
— Сколько у тебя было провалов на работе — но ты не сдавался!
— Таня… — Борис схватился за голову. — Как можно бизнес с ребёнком сравнивать? Ты вся измучена… Тебе скоро к психиатру бежать. Прими — детей у нас не будет.
— Когда я делала аборты, потому что «не время», ты меня не останавливал! А теперь сдаёшься?
— Ты преувеличиваешь.
— Пять раз! Потом — как бабка отшептала… А теперь вот.
— Я тебя не заставлял!
— Я верила в тебя… А ты — в нас нет.
— Нет «нас»! Есть ты и я! — крикнул он. — Мне больно смотреть, как ты страдаешь…
Разошлись. Борис ушёл, вернулся ночью, спал в гостиной. Несколько дней — ледяное молчание. Потом он заговорил. Собирал вещи в спальне, бормотал что-то про квартиру, дом…
— Квартиру оставлю тебе, машины — бери обе. А дом… — задумался, запихивая в чемодан рубашки. (Он даже не знал, где что лежит — обычно она собирала.) — Дом тебе оставлю, но ты справишься? Там отделка ещё на год, финансы…
— Боря… — Татьяна села на кровать. — Ты опять в командировку?
Он тоже сел, глядя в окно.
— Я ухожу.
— Надолго?
— Навсегда.
— Долгих командировок не бывает.
— Таня, это не работа… Был роман с сотрудницей. Она беременна.
— Молодая?
— Да.
— Короткий роман — и сразу получилось… — она поднялась.
— Я тоже хотел ребёнка… Но у нас не выходит.Зина закрыла глаза, глубоко вздохнула и впервые за долгие годы почувствовала, что её жизнь только начинается.
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I stumbled into a reason to propose. A strange, dreamlike tale Thank you ever so much for your kind supportall...
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“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...
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Honestly, Im still a bit staggered that my niece actually found herself a bloke, especially considering the way her mum...
People Adopt Children from Orphanages, So I Chose to Bring My Grandmother Home from Her Care Facility—Despite All My Friends and Neighbours Disagreeing and Saying Times Are Tough, I Knew in My Heart It Was the Right Thing to Do
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