Well, I expected more. Vadik, you said the apartment was in decent condition, but it needs six months of renovation, and the appliances will have to be replaced too. Remember, you’re paying for the renovations!” declared Olga, Vadik’s sister. It was her first time in this apartment, and she hadn’t even had a proper look around yet, but she didn’t like what she saw.
“Hold on, why do you get to decide what gets changed in my apartment and who pays for it?” Irina objected to her future sister-in-law’s words.
“You’re strange, Irina. You either have memory problems or just can’t think straight if you’ve forgotten what we told you.”
“Explain to me again, what are we talking about?” Irina sat down on the sofa, ready to listen.
From childhood, Irina dreamed of marriage, imagining her wedding. She definitely had to have a beautiful white dress, a veil, and, of course, a charming prince by her side, and they would live “happily ever after,” like in the books.
Ira grew up in a broken family. Her mother and grandmother raised her. Her father disappeared as soon as he faced the first difficulties: sleepless nights and lack of money. First, he moved to his parents’, and then he stopped communicating with his daughter and ex-wife altogether. Ira desperately missed him.
She saw how her friends lived, watched their relationships with their fathers, and really wanted someone similar in her life: strong, brave, and reliable, someone who would take all her problems upon himself, protect and cherish her.
But as years passed, Ira grew up, and her dreams of a father gradually transformed into dreams of an ideal husband. “Let me not have had a good father, but my children definitely will! I’ll do everything for that,” Ira decided and began her search.
It should be said that her requirements for a future life partner were quite naive: a kind, gentle, caring man who loves children and is serious about marriage. She hadn’t thought about what he would be like domestically or how a woman’s life should be built next to a man.
At an event organized by the company where Irina worked, she met a quiet, modest, and attentive man. His name was Vadim.
From their conversation, Irina learned that Vadim was from a well-known noble family. He lived with his mother and younger sister Olga, who was five years younger than Vadim. They lived in a nice apartment downtown.
Vadim was a well-read young man, knew a lot, didn’t give expensive gifts, but courted beautifully. He helped as much as he could – the guy was handy. Irina fell in love and was already mentally planning their life together.
It didn’t even alarm Ira that Vadim was an overly obedient son. He always answered his mother’s calls, did everything she asked, sometimes contrary to his own plans and interests.
But Irina thought this was right, at least until she became his wife, and then, of course, he would listen to her. So she took all his explanations that he was busy because his mother asked for something calmly, philosophically, so to speak. Six months later, Vadim introduced his chosen one to his mother.
It was time for Irina to learn about other fairy tales, in which the handsome prince had a nagging mother-witch and a jealous sister. Anna Igorievna and Olga, Vadim’s mother and sister, seemed to have prepared in advance not to meet the future bride, but to conduct a real interrogation with scrutiny.
Especially the future relatives were interested in the bride’s dowry. Vadim had already mentioned that the apartment where Irina lived was hers. And Irina’s mother and grandmother lived together, they had a house outside the city. Then Anna Igorievna first raised the apartment issue:
“Irochka, in our family, it is customary that men own all the property. Even everything left by my husband is registered in Vadik’s name. A woman cannot own property. Only a man can. Once you have a son, you can register it in his name, but for now – it’s Vadik’s.”
Then Irina let these words pass by. Marriage wasn’t being discussed yet. The meeting itself went relatively well. Irina was prepared for the worst, but they even had a pleasant sit-down and talk.
After the “interrogation,” Anna Igorievna switched to the topic of their family’s connection to the noble lineage, and Olga left after half an hour; she had a meeting.
A few months later The young people continued to date. Vadim never disappointed Irina; on the contrary, she fell in love with him even more. She didn’t meet with the future mother-in-law and sister-in-law again.
And then the day that the young woman had so awaited arrived – Vadim proposed to her, and she accepted. Wedding preparations began.
Recently, Vadim had been living with Irina. One day, he called his future wife and warned that he wouldn’t be coming alone for dinner: his mother and sister were coming over.
“They’re just curious to see how we live; they’ve never been here before,” the groom noted.
“Let them come, I don’t mind!” Irina responded.
They came. But, to the hostess’s surprise, as soon as the future relatives crossed the threshold of the apartment, instead of heading to the table where she was finishing the last preparations, Olga began to inspect the apartment with an owner’s eye, constantly making remarks.
“Mom, what’s this? How many years has it been since there was a renovation here? Vadik, you said Irina had a normal apartment.”
“What’s wrong with it?”
“Has your Irka even heard of modern technology and furniture? Does ‘loft style’ mean anything to her? The wallpaper here hasn’t been changed since Soviet times. God, mom, you have to see this – she has a carpet on the wall!” Olga laughed. “Just dreadful!”
“Vadik, you’ll have to pay for the renovation, buying furniture, and appliances! How can Olya live here?” Anna Igorievna pronounced disdainfully and flicked dust off a cabinet with her finger, grimacing. At that moment, Irina came out from the kitchen, saw this scene, and felt a bit ashamed that she hadn’t had time to clean the apartment for the guests’ arrival. But what she heard, she didn’t like at all.
“What are you even talking about? Why are you discussing my apartment? I’m fine with the renovation, and so is Vadim. We’ll do it when it’s time.”
“I don’t have time to wait. We’ve decided that after your wedding, I will live here, and you will go to live with mother. Didn’t Vadim tell you?” Olga spoke as if this was a long-decided matter, and by her tone, it seemed that Irina was aware of these plans.
Irina turned to her future husband, but he was silent, staring at the floor.
“Vadim, aren’t you going to explain anything?” she asked.
But Vadim remained silent, as if he had swallowed his tongue.
“Why are you attacking the boy? It’s as if you’re hearing this for the first time,” suddenly spoke the future mother-in-law. “I warned you: in our family, only men can own property. Right after the marriage registration, we’re going to the notary. You’ll transfer the apartment to your husband – you’ll make it a gift. And he is free to own it as he sees fit.”
“Have you lost your minds? I’m not going to make a gift deed for your son!” Irina was stunned by her future mother-in-law’s proposal.
“Don’t raise your voice at me! I accept no objections. This is our condition, and it’s non-negotiable! We’ve discussed and decided that Olya will live here. She’s a creative person; she needs space. And you will live with me. And it will be more convenient for Vadim. He complained that he hardly ever cooks and has no time for cleaning. You both work. And I will cook – a man needs to eat properly. And you’re not much of a housekeeper, frankly. I’ve seen everything. You’re hardly ever home, and what difference does it make where you sleep at night? You’ll have a separate room.
Irina stood and couldn’t utter a word She had heard of audacious relatives, but she couldn’t have imagined that some who weren’t even related yet were already flexing their rights.
“Alright, everything’s clear here, let’s go, have dinner. Let’s see what delights you have, daughter!” Anna Igorievna approached the future bride and embraced her, but Irina stepped back.
“Look at that, with character!” Anna Igorievna smirked.
“How smoothly you’ve all planned this, and none of you cares about my opinion? By the way, Vadik, why are you silent? Do you really think I cook badly and clean poorly and want to live under mommy’s wing?” Irina suddenly felt an anger she had never felt before.
“Vadim, you said that Irina doesn’t raise her voice, but look, the daring bride-to-be will be! If there will be one, of course,” and turning to Vadim, she continued, “Who are you to think your opinion means anything? We’ve already decided. If you want to enter a decent family, get a noble surname, and join a noble lineage – you must comply. By the way, Vadik very much asked for my consent to your marriage, and I gave it,” the mother-in-law looked at Ira as if she were an insect.
“Vadik asked? Well, I don’t need this marriage enough to fulfill all your whims and, so to speak, match your lineage,” Irina finally understood. “Now both of you get out! I won’t let anyone control my property and my life. Vadim, we’ve been together for a year, and I don’t want to end it all like this. If you agree with me – stay, but if you share your mother’s views, leave with them. I definitely don’t need such a husband.
“Vadik! Let’s go! She doesn’t need such a husband? We don’t need such relatives! Who did you choose for a wife? I won’t stay in this house for a minute!” Anna Igorievna was gasping with indignation.
“Ir, why are you reacting like this? What difference does it make whose apartment it is? Is it really that important to you? And to me, I mean us, it really would be better to live at mother’s. It’s closer to work.
“Don’t try to persuade her! She’ll regret it and come crawling back begging for forgiveness! Clinging to the apartment – that’s how people show their true nature!” Anna Igorievna maliciously threw in Irina’s face.
To Irina’s surprise, Vadim left with his mother. But contrary to their expectations, Irina did not regret her decision and didn’t call anyone. The would-be mother-in-law and sister-in-law began calling her under various pretexts a couple of weeks later.
A couple of months later, Vadim himself showed up. He came to give Irina a chance to rectify the situation, but after receiving a refusal, he accused her of mercenary motives and asked her to compensate for some expenses he had incurred while living with her.