Agata stared at the computer screen, trying to make sense of the code. The lines flickered before her eyes. At 22, she was just starting her career as a programmer. Every project opened new opportunities. The small room on the second floor of her mother-in-law’s house had become her workspace.
Moving here seemed like a great idea a few months ago. To help elderly Valentina Ivanovna with the household. To save on apartment rent. Oleg had been persuading his wife for months.
“Mom struggles alone in such a big house,” her husband said. “And it will be easier for us to save for our own place.”
Agata agreed. Valentina Ivanovna welcomed the young couple warmly.
“Finally, the house will come to life!” exclaimed the mother-in-law. “It was so quiet and empty here for so long.”
The first two weeks passed peacefully. The house was truly spacious. Agata chose a room upstairs. Valentina Ivanovna cooked delicious lunches. In the evenings, they drank tea in the kitchen.
Working in the new environment even turned out to be more convenient. Agata arranged with her boss to switch to remote work. The commute to the office was too long. The home atmosphere encouraged creativity.
But everything changed with the arrival of summer.
“The children are coming for vacation!” Valentina Ivanovna announced happily at breakfast. “My eldest son is bringing the whole family. Imagine what a celebration it will be!”
Agata nodded, unaware of the scale of the upcoming changes.
First came Viktor with his wife Irina and three children. The house instantly filled with children’s voices. The little ones ran through the corridors. Irina spoke loudly on the phone.
“Aunt Agata, what are you doing?” seven-year-old Danila peeked into the room.
“I’m working,” Agata answered, not taking her eyes off the keyboard.
“Can I watch cartoons on your computer?”
“No, Danila. I have an important task.”
The boy went off to complain to his grandmother. Ten minutes later, Valentina Ivanovna peeked into the room.
“Agatushka, can’t you give in to the child? The kids are on vacation.”
“I’m working. I have a deadline in two days.”
“Deadline, schmedline,” waved her mother-in-law dismissively. “You’re at home, not rushing anywhere.”
Agata remained silent. Explaining the specifics of remote work was pointless.
A week later, Valentina Ivanovna’s daughter Svetlana arrived with her husband Andrey. The house fully turned into an anthill. The adults constantly talked over each other. The children played noisy games. The TV was on from morning till night.
Agata tried to talk to Oleg.
“I can’t concentrate,” she complained. “The constant noise distracts me.”
“Oh, come on,” her husband waved it off. “It’s family. The kids are happy. Doesn’t that make you happy?”
“It does. But I’m losing my productivity.”
“Hang in there a little. They’ll leave soon.”
Agata sighed. Oleg didn’t understand the problem.
The workday became a trial. As soon as Agata dove into the code, children burst into the room.
“Aunt Agata, where’s mom?” asked five-year-old Sonya.
“I don’t know, sweetheart. Look downstairs.”
“Will you play with us?”
“I’m working, dear.”
“But you’re just sitting there!”
Half an hour later, Danila ran in with a tablet.
“Aunt, my game isn’t working! Help!”
“Ask your dad.”
“Dad is sleeping. But you know computers!”
The children sincerely didn’t understand why adults had to stare at a screen for so long. For them, the computer was a toy. Agata tried to explain, but it was useless.
The adults also didn’t consider her work serious. Irina popped into the room with requests.
“Agatushka, can you watch the kids for five minutes? I need to run to the store.”
“I have a meeting in ten minutes.”
“What meeting? You’re at home!”
Video meetings became a nightmare. Agata apologized to colleagues for the children’s shouting and music. The management began to doubt her professionalism.
Valentina Ivanovna gradually involved her daughter-in-law in household chores.
“Agatushka, could you make some soup?” the mother-in-law asked. “My back hurts.”
Agata cooked soup between work tasks.
The next day the request repeated.
“Maybe you could make a salad? You cook so well.”
Gradually the list of duties grew. Agata cleaned up the children’s toys. Washed dishes after family lunches. Hung laundry on the lines.
“If you’re home, you can help,” reasoned Valentina Ivanovna. “I’m alone with all the housework.”
The workday stretched into the late night. Only after ten p.m. did relative silence come to the house. Agata sat down at the computer and worked until two a.m. Projects were delivered late. Clients expressed dissatisfaction.
“What’s going on with you?” asked the project manager. “You used to be punctual.”
Agata didn’t know how to explain the situation.
Oleg was happy about the family idyll.
“How wonderful that everyone is together!” he said at dinner. “Mom looks ten years younger.”
Agata was silent. She had turned into unpaid help, but her husband didn’t notice.
Agata crawled out of bed at ten a.m., her eyes sticky with fatigue. She had been working on a complex project until four a.m. The children had been constantly playing with the light switches yesterday. The light flickered on and off. The computer rebooted several times. Today was her day off, the first in two weeks.
At the kitchen table sat a grim Valentina Ivanovna. A mountain of unwashed dishes towered around her. Toys and crumbs littered the floor.
“Disgraceful!” exploded the mother-in-law upon seeing Agata. “A young woman should be more responsible! You must care for the family, not lie in bed until noon!”
Agata tried to explain:
“Valentina Ivanovna, I worked until four a.m. I had an urgent…”
“You work from home, so you can cook for ten people every day!” interrupted the mother-in-law. “You’ll set the table three times a day! And clean! My children are visiting. They can’t live in such a mess!”
Something inside Agata finally broke. Years of suppressed anger burst out. She had no strength left to endure.
“I am not your servant!” Agata shouted, trembling with fury. “I work as a programmer, I earn money! I’m not just playing on the computer! Your grown children can clean up after themselves!”
Valentina Ivanovna went pale with outrage.
“How dare you talk to me like that?! Ungrateful! I let you into the house!”
“And I pay for it with work and nerves!” Agata refused to back down. “I cook, clean, wash! And still make money!”
Relatives rushed in at the noise. Irina ran out of the living room.
“What’s happening here? Why is Agata yelling at mom?”
“She’s completely insolent!” Valentina Ivanovna was outraged. “She refuses to help around the house!”
Viktor sided with his mother.
“Agata, mom is right. You live here for free. You have to earn that.”
“Earn it?” Agata repeated. “Am I hired help?”
“You’re young and healthy,” Irina intervened. “And mom is already old. Naturally, you should do more.”
Svetlana nodded.
“Of course! In our family it has always been like that. The younger help the older.”
“I’m not the younger!” Agata protested. “I’m an adult married woman! I have my own job, my own responsibilities!”
“What job?” Andrey smirked. “Clicking a mouse on the internet.”
Agata turned and went upstairs to her room. Her hands shook with anger. She feverishly began packing her things into a suitcase. Tears of rage blurred her eyes.
By lunchtime she stood at the door with her luggage. At that moment, Oleg returned. Valentina Ivanovna had time to call him.
“What’s going on?” the husband asked, surprised to see the suitcase.
“Your wife has gone crazy!” the mother exclaimed. “She yelled at me, was rude to the relatives!”
Agata told him what had happened, hoping for support:
“Oleg, I can’t live like this anymore. They’ve turned me into unpaid help. I work day and night!”
The husband laughed.
“Mom is right, you really should help the family more. What’s so hard about helping around the house?”
“Help around the house?” Agata repeated. “Oleg, are you serious?”
“Well, yes. You’re at home. You have time.”
“I’m not at home! I’m working! Earning money!”
“Mom can’t handle this household alone,” Oleg continued. “And you’re young and energetic.”
Agata looked at her husband and didn’t recognize him. The man she loved had betrayed her. He took the family’s side against his wife.
“Fine,” she said quietly. “Now everything is clear.”
Agata pushed her husband aside and left the house, dragging her suitcase. Oleg remained standing in the doorway.
“Where are you going?” he shouted after her.
“To where they respect me,” Agata answered without turning back.
In the taxi, she filled out a divorce application on her phone. Her hands no longer trembled. The decision was absolutely right.
Moving in with her mother-in-law was a mistake. But now she was fixing it.
Her parents met their daughter with understanding. Didn’t ask unnecessary questions. Just hugged her and offered tea.
Her mother quietly said:
“We always said this marriage wouldn’t bring happiness. But you were in love.”
Agata nodded sadly.
“I was. But love without respect is worth nothing.”
The divorce went quickly. Oleg did not object. Valentina Ivanovna called with reproaches and threats. Agata blocked the numbers and moved on.
Six months later Agata got a promotion at the IT company. Bought her own apartment in the city center. Bright, spacious, where no one disturbed her work. Where silence was a luxury, not a dream.
Sometimes Agata received messages from her ex-husband. Requests to come back, apologies. She deleted them. The past stayed in the past. There was no point in going back.
Valentina Ivanovna was left with a full house of relatives. But they gradually moved out. Left her alone to deal with the consequences of excessive demands. The house emptied. There was no one to cook.
Agata built a successful career. Traveled the world. Met an understanding partner who respected her work. Who never called programming a pastime. Who supported her ambitions.
And Agata finally lived her own life. Without excuses and compromises. Without other people’s children underfoot and piles of dirty dishes.