З життя
Семейная драма: Раненое сердце бабушки
Расколотое сердце бабушки: Драма семьи Ларисы
Лариса готовила котлеты на кухне их уютной московской квартиры, когда дверь с шумом распахнулась, и в прихожую вбежали её дочки, только что вернувшиеся от бабушки.
— Ну что, мои зайки, как провели время у бабули? — Лариса вытерла руки о фартук и улыбнулась.
— Бабуля нас не любит! — в один голос выпалили Поля и Даша, их глаза блестели от обиды.
— Что? С чего вы взяли? — Лариса замерла, чувствуя, как сердце ёкнуло.
— Бабуля сегодня… — девочки переглянулись.
— Что она сделала? — голос Ларисы стал резче.
Поля и Даша, с трудом сдерживая слёзы, выложили всё. Лариса слушала, и с каждым словом её лицо становилось каменным.
— Бабуля нас не любит! — повторили девочки, едва переступив порог.
— Да что за ерунда?! — Виктор, отец девчонок, отложил газету, нахмурившись. Лариса посмотрела на мужа — теперь и он должен был услышать.
— Она Вове и Лёле всё самое вкусное отдавала! — начала Поля, теребя рукав кофты. — А нам — крошки. Им разрешала бегать и кричать, а нам велела сидеть, как в библиотеке. А когда они уезжали, бабуля им целый пакет конфет вручила, каждого поцеловала и до трамвая проводила. А нас… — тут Даша всхлипнула, — просто за дверь выставила!
Лариса почувствовала, как кровь отлила от лица. Она давно замечала, что свекровь, Татьяна Петровна, души не чает в детях своей дочери Оксаны, а вот её дочкам внимания не доставалось. Но чтобы настолько открыто? Отношения со свекровью у Ларисы всегда были ровными: без конфликтов, но и без особой теплоты. Всё изменилось, когда у Оксаны родились Вова и Лёля. Тогда Татьяна Петровна расцвела.
По телефону она могла часами рассказывать, какие у Оксаны замечательные дети:
— Умнички, вся в маму, просто ангелы! — восторгалась бабушка.
Лариса надеялась, что их дочкам тоже перепадёт хоть капелька этой любви. Но когда родились Поля и Даша, свекровь встретила новость скептически:
— Две сразу? Ну вы даёте! У меня сил на них не хватит.
— Да мы и не просим, — удивился Виктор. — Сами справимся.
— Ещё бы! — фыркнула Татьяна Петровна. — Оксане бы лучше помогли. У неё погодки, ей тяжело!
— А наши разве не дети? — не выдержала Лариса. — Вы же сами говорили, что у Оксаны дети — ангелы!
Свекровь зыркнула на неё и процедила:
— Брат обязан сестре помогать. Она ему родная, не то что ты.
После этого Лариса и Виктор поняли: помощи от свекрови ждать не стоит. Двойняшки требовали много сил, но выручала мама Ларисы. Она ехала через пол-Москвы, помогала, как могла, и ни раз не пожаловалась. А Татьяна Петровна видела только Оксану и её семью. Про Вову и Лёлю готова была говорить часами, а про Полю и Дашу отмахивалась:
— Ну растут себе…
Лариса с мужем жили далеко от свекрови, навещали редко. С Оксаной старались не пересекаться: четверо детей в одной квартире — ад кромешный. Стоило малышам зашуметь, как Татьяна Петровна хваталась за голову, жалуясь на давление. Виктор и Лариса тут же собирали вещи и уезжали. Оксана с детьми оставалась.
Когда они всё же приезжали, начинались придирки: то Поля с Дашей съели конфеты без спроса, то что-то разлили, то слишком громко смеялись. И снова — давление, головная боль и намёки, чтобы поскорее ушли. А между тем свекровь не уставала хвалить Оксаниных детей:
— Вот это внуки! Тихие, послушные, лапочки. Вечно «бабуля, бабуля»!
Вове и Лёле она покупала вещи чуть ли не каждую неделю, заваливала сладостями. А Полю и Дашу одаривала только на дни рождения — да и то без энтузиазма.
Первыми несправедливость заметили соседи. На вопрос, почему Татьяна Петровна так выделяет Оксаниных детей, она гордо отвечала:
— Это мои кровинки!
— А Викторовы дочки?
— А кто их знает? На сына записаны — и ладно.
Эти слова, как яд, дошли до Виктора и Ларисы. Виктор впервые вспылил и поехал к матери выяснять отношения. После этого свекровь притихла, но ненадолго.
Оксана с детьми жила рядом с матерью, частенько навещала. Виктор возил дочек реже, но девочки любили играть с двоюродными братом и сестрой. Поначалу. Но скоро даже Вова и Лёля заметили, что бабушка относится к ним иначе. Естественно, все шалости они стали сваливать на Полю и Дашу, а бабушка охотно верила любимчикам.
Последней каплей стала история, которую рассказали девочки. Татьяна Петровна накормила Вову и Лёлю конфетами, дала каждому по шоколадке, обняла и проводила до трамвая. А Полю и Дашу просто выставила за дверь, сославшись на «ужасную мигрень». Их автобусная остановка была в десяти минутах ходьбы, через грязный пустырь.
— Вы шли одни?! — ахнула Лариса, холодея.
— Ага, — кивнула Поля, шмыгая носом.
— Там ещё собаки бегали… Мы боялись, — добавила Даша, глаза её блестели. — Больше к бабуле не поедем!
Лариса и Виктор переглянулись. Решение дочек они поддержали, но Виктор всё же позвонил матери:
— Мам, тебе так плохо было?
— С чего ты взял? — удивилась Татьяна Петровна.
— Тогда почему ты отпустила девочек одних? Знала же, где их остановка!
— Да не драматизируй, не маленькие. Дошли ведь! Пусть самостоятельными растут.
— Мам, им шесть лет! Они шли через пустырь, где собаки! А детей Оксаны ты всегда провожаешь. Почему?
— Ой, всё! Это твоя Лариска тебя накручивает? Не желаю так разговаривать! — свекровь бросила трубку.
Виктор растерянно посмотрел на жену. Лариса вздохнула. Опять она во всём виновата. Хорошо хоть муж на её стороне. Виктора пришлось успокаивать — он не мог понять,
How to Set Your Husband Straight: A Heartfelt Story of Recovery, Five Feline Friends, and Finding Strength After Illness
Reining In My Husband. A Diary Entry Thank you for your kindness, for every like, comment, and thoughtful response to...
A House Full of Uninvited Guests: Or, How My Husband’s Home Became a Never-Ending Refuge for Distant “Relatives,” Strangers, and the Occasional Professor, Complete With Volleyball Tournaments in December and Auntie Marsha’s Famous Pancakes
A House Overrun with Uninvited Guests – Cant these dear souls go and live somewhere else? asked Alice, raising her...
How My Future Mother-in-Law Ruined Our Holiday: The Story of an English Family Vacation Gone Awkward, Complete with Last-Minute Substitutions, Reluctant Travel Partners, and Lessons Learned Before Saying ‘I Do’
Its just Being alone with my daughter on holiday, its frightening, you know? Margaret swept her hand through the air...
“I Gave Birth to Your Son, But We Don’t Want Anything from You” – The Mistress Called Lera’s husband looked at her like a chastened dog. “That’s right, you didn’t mishear me, Lera. I… I had someone else, half a year ago. Just a few times—nothing serious, just a fling. And now, she’s given birth to my son. Recently…” Lera’s head was spinning. Talk about earth-shattering news! Her steady, loving husband, a child on the side! The meaning of what he said barely penetrated. For a moment, she simply stared. He sat across from her, shoulders hunched, hands squeezed tight between his knees. He seemed smaller than usual—deflated somehow. “A son, then,” repeated Lera. “So, you, a married man, now have a son. And it wasn’t your wife who gave birth. Not me…” “Lera, honestly, I didn’t even know. I swear.” “You didn’t know how babies are made? You’re forty, Nick.” “I didn’t know she’d… well, that she’d choose to keep it. We broke up long ago, she’s with her husband now. I thought that was it.” He fumbled with his words. “Then, yesterday, a call: ‘You’ve got a son. Seven pounds, healthy.’ And then she hung up…” Lera stood, legs unsteady, knees like jelly as if she’d just run a marathon. Outside, autumn raged. Lera found herself distracted by the view—beautiful, even now. “So what now?” she asked, her back to him. “I don’t know,” he whispered. “Oh, great answer. A real man’s answer. You don’t know.” She spun around. “Are you going over there? To see him?” Nick, panic in his eyes, managed to mumble, “Lera, she gave me the hospital’s address, said discharge is in two days. She said: ‘Come if you want, don’t if you don’t. We don’t want anything from you.’” “Very noble of her…” Lera echoed. “‘We don’t want anything.’ How naive…” The front door slammed—her two eldest had returned. Instantly, Lera slipped on a smile. Years in business had taught her to keep her head up, even when a deal was falling apart. Their older son poked his head into the kitchen—a tall, broad-shouldered lad, twenty. “Hey, Mum, Dad. You both look glum! Mum, is there any food? We’re starving after training.” “Manty in the fridge, heat it up,” she replied automatically. “Dad, you promised to look at the carburettor on my rust-bucket,” called out her younger son, clapping Nick’s shoulder. The family scene stabbed at Lera’s heart. They called him Dad. Their real father had faded into the background years ago—now just money transfers and the occasional postcard. Nick had raised them: taught them to drive, patched scraped knees, handled school issues. He was their real dad. “I’ll take a look, Alex,” Nick smiled. “Give Mum and me a minute.” They left, clattering plates. Lera turned to him. “They love you,” she whispered. “And yet you…” “Lera, stop it. I love them too. They’re my boys. And I’m not leaving. I’ve told you—it was a mistake, an error in judgment. Nothing serious.” “Nothing serious—just the kind of mistake that leads to changing nappies,” she shot back. Their six-year-old daughter, Maisie, then burst in, and Lera’s composure cracked. Maisie leapt into her dad’s lap. “Daddy! Why are you sad? Did Mum scold you?” Nick pulled her close, burying his face in her pale hair. For her, Lera knew, he would do anything. “No, princess. Just adult stuff. Go pop on cartoons, I’ll be in soon.” With Maisie gone, silence fell again. “Everything’s changed, you know,” Lera said quietly, sitting again. “There’s a son out there, and he needs a dad. That woman says ‘nothing now’, but give it time—when there’s winter coats to buy or doctor’s bills, she’ll ring. And you’ll go. You’re kind-hearted, Nick—you always have been.” He said nothing. “And the money, Nick? Where are you going to get that?” Lera’s words hit their mark. His business collapsed two years ago—their debts paid from her earnings. He scraped by now, but everything important—home, cars, holidays, the kids’ education—came from her. Even his bank card was one attached to her account. “I’ll figure it out,” he muttered. “Driving Ubers at night? Or dipping into my purse to support your lovechild? I bankroll us, and now you’ll bankroll them—with my money?” “She’s not my mistress!” Nick barked. “It was over six months ago!” “Children have a way of binding people closer than any marriage certificate. Will you go to the hospital when they discharge her?” The question hung in the air. Nick covered his face with his hands. “I don’t know, Lera. Human decency says I should—after all, it’s not the child’s fault.” “And what about human decency toward me? Toward Maisie and the boys? You’ll hold that child, and you’ll get attached. Soon it’ll be weekly visits… then weekends away. You’ll start lying—to me, to the kids.” Nick grimaced. “She’s eight years younger than me, Nick. Thirty-two. She gave you a son—your own, flesh and blood. My sons aren’t yours by blood, as much as you raised them. That boy out there—he is.” Nick protested: “Nonsense. The boys are mine. I raised them.” “Men always want a legacy. Their very own.” “We have Maisie!” “She’s a girl, Nick…” Nick stood abruptly. “Enough! Stop pushing me out the door. I said I’m staying. I can’t just ignore the fact that somewhere there’s my own son. If you want me gone, I’ll leave—right now, pack my things and be gone. But don’t try to blackmail me, Lera!” Lera froze. If she said “leave” now, he would go—foolish, prideful, and broke. But he’d go straight to them. There, he’d be a hero, a savior, father—albeit a penniless one, but theirs. And then she’d lose him for good. Despite the pain, she didn’t want that. The children loved him. She did, too. “SIT,” she whispered. “No one’s throwing you out.” He hesitated, breathing heavily, then sat. “Lera, I’m sorry. I’m such a fool…” “A fool,” she agreed. “But MY fool…” That evening, Lera helped Maisie with homework, checked work emails… but her thoughts kept drifting. She pictured the other woman, young and beautiful, probably feeling victorious. “We don’t want anything!”—the most damning move of all. No demands, no drama, just presenting the facts. That pricks a man’s pride—makes him want to be the hero. Nick tossed and turned at night; Lera lay awake, staring into the dark. She was forty-five: gorgeous, stylish, successful—but aware that youth was not forever. The future belonged to that other woman. * The next morning was harder still. The boys ate quickly and left. Maisie cornered her father: “Daddy, braid my hair? Mum doesn’t do it right!” Nick obliged, his large hands strangely gentle. Lera sipped her coffee and watched: here was her husband—warm, familiar, hers. And out there was another child, who had the same claim. How was this fair? “Nick,” she said, as Maisie rushed off to dress. “We need to decide—now.” He set the brush aside. “I thought about it all night.” “And?” “I’m not going to the hospital.” Lera felt something tighten in her chest, but hid it. “Why?” “Because if I go, I’ll give hope—to her, to myself, to that child. I can’t be a part-time dad, split between two homes. I don’t want to lie to you, Lera. I don’t want to steal time from Maisie or the boys.” He looked at her, exhausted. “I chose you eleven years ago. You’re my wife. This—this is my family.” “And the boy?” Even she was surprised to hear herself ask it. “I’ll pay support. Through the courts or with a bank account—whatever’s needed. But visits? No. Better he grows up never knowing me, than waiting for a father who’s just watching the clock, desperate to get home to his real family. That’s fairer.” Lera was silent, rolling her wedding ring around her finger. “You’re sure you won’t regret this?” “I probably will,” Nick admitted. “I’ll worry, I’m sure. But if I go, I lose you—and you won’t stand for that. You’re strong, but not made of stone. You’ll start to hate me, and I can’t let that happen.” He crossed the kitchen, resting his hands on her shoulders. “I don’t want another life. I want you—and the kids. The rest is the price for my mistake. I’ll pay in money, and only in money. No time. No attention. That’s all I’ve got to give.” She placed her hand over his. “Your own money?” she smirked. “I’ll earn it. I’ll find a way. I’ll never ask for your help with this.” And with that, she was at peace. Her husband may not have behaved honourably toward her, but these were exactly the words she had needed. No sharing. The other woman could deal with her choices. Nick never went to the hospital. The mistress soon flooded his phone with angry voicemails. He told her bluntly: she could expect financial support, nothing more. She hung up, and for half a year—there wasn’t another word from her. Lera was more than satisfied with that.
I’ve had a son by you, but we want nothing from you, rang the voice down the phone his mistress....
Gathered My Things and Set Off in Peace, My Wife Declared
Emily packed her suitcase, scrawled off in peace on a napkin, and drifted out the door like a sigh. Yesterday....
The Estranged Relative Who Came Knocking
How do you picture that, Mum? Ilya snapped, looking annoyed. Im supposed to live two weeks with a complete stranger?...
Move to Your ‘Own Territory’ – Declared the Husband
Move out to your own place, he said, his voice flat as dinner plates clattered. Victor had waited too long...
Dad Didn’t Keep His Promise
You know, said Natalie, choosing her words carefully. Grownups can be downright foolish, sometimes even more so than children. Dad...