Galina, exhausted after a long day at work, couldn’t wait to be home. Her husband, Sergey, was away on a business trip, and she dreamed of a quiet evening. Anticipating those small joys, Galina turned the key in the lock—but unfamiliar voices drifted from the living room. She froze on the threshold.
A moment later, a stout woman stepped out of the room, followed by a man and a young couple.
“Who are you?” Galina demanded sharply.
“Hello,” the man mumbled. “I’m Nikolai, Sergey’s brother. A cousin. And this is my wife, Vera, and our children—Oleg and Kristina. We didn’t mean to bother you…”
“Sergey’s brother?” Galina cut him off. “Why haven’t I seen you before?”
“Well, we’ve been living in Uryupinsk.”
“Galya, please forgive us,” Vera put in. “Margarita gave us the keys. She said we could stay.”
Galina boiled over. Margarita—Sergey’s little sister. She always acted like she practically owned their apartment, and she had a set of keys “just in case.” But to hand them to other people like this?
“And what made you think you could move into my apartment?”
“Galya, I’m sorry,” Nikolai tried to explain. “We’re in a tough spot… Our house collapsed after heavy rains. We’ve nowhere to go. And Margarita said we could stay here for a while. We thought Sergey had already told you…”
“He told me nothing!”
“How can that be? Margarita said she’d discussed everything with Sergey.”
“Of course! Rita has gone and decided everything for everyone again!”
“Listen,” Galina said, more controlled now, “I understand you’re having difficulties, but that doesn’t give you the right to barge into my home without warning. Come on, pack your things and leave.”
“But, Galya… where are we supposed to go?” Vera asked.
“I don’t know. Talk to Margarita, since she brought you here.”
The relatives slowly gathered their things and left. The door slammed. Galina stood in the middle of the room, shaking with nerves. She immediately called her husband.
“Seriozha! Can you imagine what your little sister has pulled?”
She briefly described the situation.
“I see,” Sergey drawled. “You’re saying they’re at our place right now?”
“Not anymore—I threw them out!”
“Galya, you know Rita. She has a good heart. And if Kolya and Vera really are in that situation… we should help them.”
“We hardly even know them!”
“Galya, they can’t live at the train station. We’ll figure something out.”
“Easy for you to say. You’re fine there on your trip.”
“I knew you’d understand,” Sergey said, relieved. “Let them stay a couple of days until I get back.”
Galina hung up, feeling empty. Her husband, as always, had taken his sister’s side. With a sigh, she decided to call Margarita.
“Hi, Rita. I saw your surprise today.”
“Yeah, Galya, I see. They just ran over to me. Why did you kick them out?”
“I overreacted. You can tell them they can move back in. Just, Rita, please warn me about things like this next time.”
“Of course, Galya, sorry. I’m impulsive.”
Hanging up, Galina went to the kitchen. She decided she’d done the right thing after all. Family should be supported. She started getting ready for their arrival, clearing out a room.
She had just finished when the doorbell rang. Nikolai and his family stood on the threshold.
“Galya, forgive us again. We really didn’t mean…”
“All right, all right,” Galina waved it off. “Come in, make yourselves at home.”
Sergey returned from his business trip a week later. In that time, Galina had gotten used to the new houseguests.
“Yeah, Kolya, tough break,” Sergey said to his cousin. “What about work?”
“Well, I’m still looking.”
“It’s okay, don’t worry. We’ll find something. I’ll help. For now, stay with us. There’s enough room for everyone.”
A few more weeks passed. Nikolai found a job. Vera helped Galina around the house. Kristina and Oleg picked up part-time work. After a few months, seeing their relatives getting back on their feet, Sergey and Galina decided to help Nikolai’s family rent a place of their own. They found a cozy two-room apartment nearby and helped with the initial rent payment.
When everything was ready, Nikolai and his family moved out.
“Thank you,” Nikolai said, hugging Sergey and Galina. “I don’t know how we would have managed without your help.”
“Don’t worry, Kolya,” Sergey smiled. “The main thing is that everything’s worked out now.”
Galina looked happily at her new, larger family. All’s well that ends well.