“Timofey, hi!” Lena burst into the apartment like a whirlwind. Even from the entrance, she looked at the windows of their apartment and saw the light on, and was very happy. After all, her Timofey had been on a business trip, and if there was light in the windows, it meant he had returned! Finally, he was back!
She kicked off her boots and coat and rushed into the room where Timofey was sitting in front of the computer.
“Hi!” Timofey said. There was no joy in his voice; it was ordinary.
“Is he really not happy to see me?” Lena thought. But she still hugged him tightly and kissed the top of his head.
“Lena, leave me alone. I’m busy,” Timofey just waved her off. “Go make dinner,” he ordered.
Lena stepped back, staring at her boyfriend in surprise. How could this be?! He’d been gone for a week, and he wasn’t even missing her? Could some stupid game be more important than she, Lena, a living person?
“What are you standing there for? I’m hungry,” his tone seemed harsh to Lena, but it was exactly what brought her to her senses, and she headed to the kitchen.
She thought he would soon join her, tell her how his business trip went, and maybe they would watch a movie or just chat, like they did about a week ago.
But the miracle didn’t happen. Timofey sat at the computer all evening, while Lena fell asleep.
In the morning, Lena woke up as usual, while Timofey was still sleeping, made breakfast, got ready for work, and left the apartment. Timofey was still asleep, so she couldn’t talk to him again.
………………..
“I swear he has someone else,” said Sonya, Lena’s work colleague whom she had become friends with. “Believe me, when a man comes back from a business trip and ignores his girlfriend, that’s exactly what it means.”
Lena bit her lip. Of course, she wanted to say it wasn’t true, but she understood that Timofey’s behavior was not normal.
“If you come home today and he starts a scandal over nothing, then it’s definitely true,” Sonya added.
Lena stayed silent because she felt… probably disappointment and hurt — after all, Timofey had pursued her. But now that he got her, it turned out she was no longer needed.
“Lena, Lena,” Sonya shook her by the hand.
“I was lost in thought, sorry…” Lena said sadly.
“I’m asking, what will you do if he asks you to leave?” Sonya asked.
Lena shrugged.
“I’ll leave. What else?”
“Many stay and try to become a better version of themselves and bend over backward for the man…” Sonya said. Then quietly added:
“But it doesn’t work. You still won’t get back the relationship you had. It will be different anyway. And…,” Sonya smirked, “It’s not guaranteed you can trust him…,” then sighed and whispered even softer, “Been there… know that…”
“Sonya, maybe it won’t be like you say. Stop freaking me out,” Lena shook her head as if to push away Sonya’s thoughts and smiled. “I’m an optimist!”
“Yes… you’re our unsinkable ship… Really, why am I always thinking the worst? Maybe your Timofey was just tired yesterday and today everything will be fine,” Sonya caught Lena’s gaze and smiled back.
……………….
In fact, this time Lena agreed with Sonya: a person who loves and has been away for a week does not behave like this. That’s why Lena was mentally prepared for any outcome.
That day she came home first and immediately started preparing dinner. Timofey was running late. Lena tried hard to get rid of all the bad thoughts that had taken over her head, so besides the main dish, she made a couple of salads and even prepared some sliced bread for sandwiches.
Timofey still wasn’t home.
Lena took the phone — no message or call from him, and her message asking “when will you be?” with a hint about the tasty dinner wasn’t read… She sighed and dialed his number. It rang, but no answer. Lena hung up and called again. This time the phone was switched off.
……………
Timofey came home an hour later. Lena rushed to him, but he pushed her away and acted as if she wasn’t there. And there was no dinner. He took out of a bag something he apparently bought at a store for dinner, sat down with a plate at the computer, and started playing again.
But the worst thing was he didn’t say a single word all evening.
…………..
“Oh, so he’s silent now?” Sonya raised one eyebrow.
Lena nodded.
“Yes. He bought his own dinner and ate it. Took a separate kitchen towel, moved his shampoo and shower gel away from mine in the bathroom, and put his towel separately too. And he sat all evening playing on the computer…”
“Funny,” Sonya smirked. “Turns out he’s a manipulator… Apparently, he wants you to leave on your own, without scandals or quarrels.”
Lena shrugged.
“I don’t know…”
“What is there to know? There are only two options: either that girl is the one, and they’ll live together happily ever after, or she’s not, and he will definitely run back to you.”
“How do you know all this?” Lena asked.
“Rich personal experience,” Sonya said sadly.
………………..
Mom frowned at Lena.
“So you decided to live separately?” she asked again.
“Yes,” Lena nodded.
“You want to figure out your relationship… Lena, why figure things out? Timofey loves you. Remember how he used to take care of you! You’re ruining everything again! He’s a great guy!” In her mother’s eyes was the question: why did you leave him?
“Mom, I agree with you, but… it just happened this way,” Lena didn’t know what to say. She felt that if she started telling about how her boyfriend behaved after his trip, her mother wouldn’t believe her.
“Alright, daughter. Maybe it’s for the best. You’ll help Natasha with the kids. She’s studying now. You’ll sit with them.”
…………….
Time passed. Lena continued living with her mother and stepfather and working. At first, she really wanted Timofey to call her and ask her to come back. But he didn’t call and even blocked her.
Lena was walking home from work. She was very tired and desperately wanted to be home. There she would make tea, sit in a soft chair, and just enjoy the silence and calm.
People passed by her, but she paid no attention.
“Lenka, hi!” suddenly someone stopped her.
Lena stepped forward and bumped into someone’s jacket.
“Oh,” was all Lena could say. She stepped back and looked up and saw her former classmate.
“Seryozha, hi!”
She was glad. Her tiredness vanished like a wave.
“How are you?” she asked.
“Good. And you?”
“Not bad.”
They talked and couldn’t part.
“Listen, come to my place. I married Marinka. She’ll be glad to see you,” Sergey offered. Marina was also Lena’s former classmate, so she agreed. Later it turned out all three worked in the same field, so Lena came home late.
“Where have you been?” her mother asked strictly.
“What?” Lena was surprised that her mother was asking about that. “I sent you a message that I would be late.”
“I had to stay with Natasha’s kids instead of you!” Mom was clearly displeased.
Lena was stunned.
“Why instead of me? I just help you when I can. And today you didn’t ask me to.”
“Today yes, force majeure. But on other days it’s your job,” Mom turned and went to the kitchen.
Lena realized she needed to move out. Not that she didn’t want to help Natasha, she did, but running to her whenever she demanded — no way. Lena clearly remembered when she needed her sister’s help — the sister simply refused.
……………..
Lena was in her sister’s apartment with her kids, constantly glancing at the clock. She was literally counting minutes until her sister returned, but Natasha sent a message saying she would be late.
Lena looked at Natasha’s son. He was sitting at the table pretending to do homework. Lena wanted to scold him but changed her mind. The last days she spent with these kids were unbearable. While she had no questions about Annushka, Matvey did everything to drive Lena crazy, and of course misbehaved. That’s why she didn’t want to make the atmosphere worse.
“Let Natasha come and deal with her son herself,” she thought and looked at the clock again and sighed: it seemed the hands were stuck.
Then Lena checked her phone again — maybe Natasha wrote something else — but no, no more messages.
Finally, a key turned in the lock. Matvey rushed to Natasha first. Suddenly he burst into tears and started complaining that Lena had hit him, didn’t make dinner, and that she was a terrible nanny.
“Wow!” Lena thought. “Lying without shame!”
Then Natasha started yelling at Lena and simply pushed her out the door.
On one hand, Lena should have been outraged at such behavior, but she was glad: now Natasha would believe her son and no one would ever force her to babysit. Perfect! Exactly what she wanted!
Lena went downstairs. She stood for a while near her sister’s entrance, then went home.
………………….
Then events in Lena’s life literally spun out of control. Her usual life, which she had carefully built after breaking up with Timofey, collapsed.
It all started when she ran into her ex. He was waiting for her at work exit and suggested they talk in the nearest café.
“Why did you leave and don’t call?” he asked.
“Original conversation starter,” Lena thought.
“Didn’t we agree to live separately? Didn’t you say it would be better for you without me?”
“I was just testing you, silly!” Timofey smiled and tried to cover Lena’s hand with his own. But she pulled it away.
“Testing? Oh! Now it’s clear! It was just a test.”
“Come back,” said Lena’s ex.
Then he started telling how much he missed her, how he longed for her…
And she smiled at him: she wanted him to say something like that when he returned from his trip, but…
“You’re so handy! My apartment misses you as much as I do,” Timofey’s voice reached Lena, and she suddenly thought she had invested too much in their relationship. Much more than he did… She worked, cleaned, cooked, endured his outbursts, organized his leisure time, lent money to his cousin who went abroad with them and probably would never return.
“Please, come back…” Lena saw the pleading look in Timofey’s eyes and his hands folded in a prayer gesture.
“Sorry, but no,” Lena answered.
…………………
Lena sat in the kitchen and listened to her mother ranting.
“How can you betray your sister like that?! How? They only asked you to watch the kids, and you refuse! She has to study to support them. What kind of person are you?”
“Mom, let’s skip the drama, please,” Lena said calmly. “Natasha kicked me out and told me not to come near her and her kids anymore. I’m just doing what she wants,” Lena smirked.
“Don’t be sarcastic!” Mom kept yelling. “She was just angry at you. How could you punish Matvey? You’re not his mother!”
Then Mom spoke more calmly:
“Now Natasha calmed down. Nothing terrible happened. So get dressed and go to her.”
Lena laughed. She really found the situation funny. How so? Suppose you believe your child and defend him. So why invite an unwelcome person again who might harm?
“I’m not going,” Lena said firmly. “First, Natasha didn’t even apologize…”
“And why should she? You messed up.”
And then Lena got angry: why does Mom always think that Lena did something wrong? Since childhood.
“I didn’t mess up. Didn’t even lay a finger on your Matvey. And I’m not going to watch him and his sister. I don’t know what else he’ll come up with and say about me, and I don’t want to know,” Lena said decisively.
“Oh, is that so!” Mom pursed her lips.
“Yes, that’s right. By the way, Natasha asked you to help with the kids and you agreed,” Lena felt sorry but decided to stand her ground. “Or Natasha can take them to a kids’ club to be looked after there. Or hire a nanny,” Lena suggested options.
“Get ready and leave,” Mom suddenly said.
“What?” Lena was surprised.
“Get ready and leave,” Mom repeated. “If you don’t want to help your family, then I won’t help you.”
Lena stood up and started packing.
After surprise, fear overwhelmed her: where would she go and horror that she hadn’t saved money for emergencies, which was happening now.
But Lena continued packing.
At that moment her phone rang. It was Sergey.
“Lena, hi,” he said. “Listen, do you know anyone who wants to rent an apartment?” he asked.
Lena never believed the saying that when one door closes, another opens. But it turned out to be true.
“There is! Sergey, I’m that person. I was just kicked out of my home…”
“Okay, come to us, we’ll figure it out,” Sergey said, and Lena felt calm. She was sure now everything would be fine.
………………..
It turned out Sergey and Marina got a call and urgently had to leave to work in another country. Lena stayed to look after their apartment and summer house, paying minimal rent and utility bills.
After Lena’s life got back on track, she suddenly realized she had spent almost all her money and time on her mother and sister and completely forgotten about herself.
Some time later, her mother called, tearfully asking her to come back. She complained that everything had become more expensive, their living standards fell, it was hard to clean and shop. She even literally blurted out “forgive me, daughter.”
But of course, Lena didn’t return.
……………….
Lena was walking on the sidewalk, smiling. Big heavy raindrops fell on her from the sky, just like on everyone else. A cold wind blew and splashed droplets right in her face. There were few passersby, all hiding under big umbrellas. Surely, they didn’t like the weather and hurried home. Only Lena enjoyed the rain, the wind, and her solitude. She felt free. Because now she could influence her life herself, without looking back at others.
“Baron, Baron! Come here! Let’s go home!” Lena heard a man calling his dog. And at that moment, a big dog, as it seemed to her, rushed past Lena, happily jumping around its owner and trying to bite him for some reason. Probably playing.
“Baron, Baron! Leave me alone! How many times do I have to tell you? Don’t bite me. Don’t bite the hand that feeds you! Okay, you win, let’s go for another walk!”
Lena smiled even wider.
“Don’t bite the hand that feeds you,” Lena somehow caught on to the phrase and thought it was very true. In life, you should always appreciate what others give you, not throw them away to the right and left.
Because Timofey didn’t appreciate her, neither did her sister, nor her mother… They “bit the hand that fed them.” And without Lena, they felt bad and tried to get her back, but… “the train, as they say, has left.”