Alexey was checking on his phone where so much money had gone on the credit card while Marina washed the dinner dishes. His mother’s call caught him off guard—she usually phoned on Sundays, and today was Wednesday.
“Lyoshenka,” Valentina Petrovna’s voice sounded especially sweet, which always put him on alert, “I’ve been thinking about my upcoming jubilee. I so want to celebrate my seventieth beautifully. It’s such a milestone!”
Marina turned when she heard her mother-in-law’s familiar intonations. From her face, Alexey realized the conversation wouldn’t be easy.
“Of course, Mom,” he answered carefully. “What do you have in mind?”
“Well, I’d like to invite all the relatives, friends… Maybe celebrate in a restaurant? But you know what my pension is like. And I want everything to be lovely, festive.”
Alexey felt Marina tense at the sink. They both knew perfectly well where this was going.
“Mom, how many people are you planning to invite?” he asked, already sensing a catch.
“Oh, as usual, about fifteen. You know our circle.”
Alexey exhaled in relief. Fifteen people was manageable. He looked at his wife; she nodded, drying her hands on a towel.
“All right, Mom. Marina and I will think about it. Maybe that can be our gift to you for your jubilee.”
“Oh, Lyoshenka, thank you! I’m so happy! So it’s settled?”
“Mom, we’ll run the numbers first, check prices. Then we’ll decide for sure, okay?”
After he hung up, Marina sat next to him at the kitchen table.
“So, shall we crunch it?” she asked without much enthusiasm.
They opened the laptop and started looking for suitable restaurants. In their area, they found a few decent places with moderate prices. The best option offered a banquet menu for two thousand rubles per person. On the condition that guests brought their own alcohol, the total would come to thirty thousand rubles.
“We can afford it,” Marina said, though there was doubt in her voice. “It’s not a small amount, of course, but your mother has a birthday only once a year.”
“Exactly. And did you hear how happy she was? I haven’t heard her so cheerful in a long time.”
The next day Alexey called his mother and told her about the restaurant they’d found.
“‘Cozy Courtyard’?” Valentina Petrovna repeated. “Where is it?”
“On Sadovaya, not far from the metro. Very convenient to get to.”
“Alyosha, have you been there yourself? I’ve never heard of it… Maybe ‘Golden Age’ would be better? Remember, we were there for Sveta’s wedding?”
Alexey remembered. The “Golden Age” was not cheap. A banquet there would cost three times more.
“Mom, but ‘Golden Age’ is very expensive…”
“Well, Lyoshenka, this is my jubilee. Seventy is a serious date. I want everything to be top-notch.”
That evening over dinner, Alexey relayed the conversation to Marina. She listened in silence and set down her fork.
“How much would the banquet cost there?” she asked.
“About ninety thousand if we buy their alcohol. Seventy if we bring our own.”
“Seventy thousand?” Marina shook her head. “Alyosha, that’s a lot of money. We don’t have that much.”
“Well, we could dip into the vacation fund. Or borrow from your parents.”
“What vacation? We haven’t gone anywhere for two years. And my parents don’t have that kind of money either.”
But Alexey was already picturing how upset his mother would be if he turned her down. Valentina Petrovna knew how to make him feel guilty even when he hadn’t done anything wrong.
“Okay, I’ll talk to her again. Maybe I can persuade her to go back to the place we found.”
Three days later, Valentina Petrovna called again. This time her voice was even more excited.
“Alyosha, I have news! I ran into Nina Vasilievna yesterday—remember, my colleague from work? She was so happy I’d invite her to the jubilee. And then I thought—why not invite all my former colleagues? And our neighbors from the dacha? We’ve been friends with some of them for so many years!”
Alexey’s heart sank.
“Mom, how many people is that in the end?”
“Well, I counted… About thirty. Maybe a bit more. But it’s my jubilee! Seventy years is no joke!”
Alexey felt the blood drain from his face. Thirty people at the Golden Age would be more than one hundred and fifty thousand rubles. They simply didn’t have that kind of money.
“Mom, but we were budgeting for fifteen people…”
“Well, Lyoshenka, you understand. How can I not invite people I’ve known for so many years? They’ll be offended. And I want the celebration to be truly big and memorable.”
The evening conversation with Marina was heavy.
“One hundred and fifty thousand rubles?” she repeated when Alexey relayed his talk with his mother. “Alyosha, do you realize that’s more than the two of us earn in a month?”
“I do. But maybe we could take out a loan?”
Marina was silent for a long time, staring out the window.
“A loan,” she said at last. “So we take a loan for one hundred and fifty thousand to celebrate your mother’s birthday. And then we’ll pay it off for two years with interest. That comes to two hundred thousand or more.”
“Well, we could take it for a year…”
“For a year, that’s fifteen thousand a month! Fifteen thousand, Alyosha! That’s a lot! We won’t be able to take a vacation, or fix the car if something happens, or buy new furniture. We’ll live hand to mouth for a year for the sake of one evening!”
Alexey understood that his wife was right, but he couldn’t imagine how he would explain a refusal to his mother. Valentina Petrovna had worked as a teacher all her life, earned little, and now her pension was small. She’d had so little that was beautiful or ceremonial in life.
“Maybe you could talk to her?” he suggested. “Woman to woman…”
“Talk about what?” Marina raised her voice. “About the fact that in eight years of our marriage your mother hasn’t said a kind word to me even once? That she still thinks I’m unworthy of being part of your family? Remember what she said at our wedding? ‘It’s a pity Alyosha chose the wrong girl.’”
“Marinochka, don’t dredge up the past…”
“The past?” Marina’s eyes flashed. “What about the last birthday? When she said in front of everyone that I cook badly and she doesn’t understand how you live with me? Or when we brought her groceries while she was sick and she asked for receipts. Not because she wanted to repay us—because she thought we were buying the cheapest stuff. And the recent talk about how good daughters-in-law help their mothers-in-law with money?”
Alexey was silent. He couldn’t deny that his mother had often been unfair to Marina. But he had gotten used to excusing her behavior by citing age, loneliness, a hard life.
“So now,” Marina went on, “she wants us to go into debt for the sake of her party. And not once did she think about how that would affect our lives. Is your mother prepared to pay for it if she wants to invite that many guests? Or is it all on us again?!”
The question hung in the air. Alexey realized his wife was right. His mother herself should have offered to share expenses or find a cheaper option.
“I’ll talk to her,” he said quietly.
“What will you talk about? That we can’t afford that amount? She’ll say we’re stingy. Or that she has to cut the guest list? She’ll be offended and tell everyone what an ungrateful son she has.”
On Saturday they went to see Valentina Petrovna. The apartment, as always, was perfectly tidy. His mother greeted them in a fancy housecoat and with a fresh hairstyle.
“Come in, come in! I’ve made tea, baked cookies. Sit at the table.”
Over tea, they first chatted about the weather, the news, their health. Finally, Alexey braced himself to bring up the party.
“Mom, Marina and I did the math… A banquet for thirty people at the Golden Age will be very expensive. Maybe we should limit the number of guests?”
Valentina Petrovna’s face changed instantly.
“What do you mean?” she asked coldly. “I should leave someone out? Offend people?”
“Well, maybe choose those who are especially dear to you?”
“Alyosha, they’re all dear to me. And besides, what will people think? They’ll say my son is so stingy he can’t organize a proper celebration for his mother’s jubilee.”
Marina sat silently, clutching her cup. Alexey saw her cheek twitch—the sure sign she was holding back anger.
“Mom, it’s not about stinginess. It’s just that this amount is very large for us…”
“And how much do you spend on your own entertainment? On restaurants, movies, clothes?” Valentina Petrovna looked at Marina. “On her expensive cosmetics and jewelry?”
“Mom, Marina doesn’t have expensive jewelry…”
“Right, of course. And what’s that?” She nodded at Marina’s simple earrings. “Gold, I suppose?”
“It’s costume jewelry for five hundred rubles,” Marina said quietly.
“Aha, sure. And the ring?”
“The wedding band.”
“By the way, about jewelry,” Valentina Petrovna suddenly brightened. “I was thinking… For my jubilee, I should have not only a party but also a present. I’ve long dreamed of a gold ring with a little stone. Not very expensive, of course. I just want to have something pretty.”
Alexey felt his mouth go dry. A gold ring—another twenty to thirty thousand on top of everything.
“Mom, well… we’re organizing the banquet. That’s already a gift.”
“Lyoshenka, but the banquet is for everyone. A gift should be just for me. You understand?”
Alexey mumbled something incoherent, at a loss for words. Marina was silent, but he could see her hands trembling.
“We… we’ll think about it,” he finally squeezed out.
“Do think,” Valentina Petrovna nodded. “It’s just that I’ve already told everyone about the banquet. Nina Vasilievna even bought a new dress specially.”
They drove for a long time in silence. At last Marina couldn’t hold back.
“Eight years, Alyosha. For eight years she’s spoken to me like this. For eight years I’ve endured her hints, reproaches, comparisons. For eight years I’ve listened to how I’m a bad wife, a bad homemaker, a bad daughter-in-law. And now she wants us to take out a loan, deprive ourselves of everything for a year, and buy her a ring on top of it?”
“Marinochka…”
“No! Enough!” Marina turned to him. “Tell me honestly: when was the last time your mother said something nice to me? When did she take an interest in how I’m doing? When did she thank me for helping? When did she ask whether we could afford this?”
Alexey was silent, because there was nothing to say.
“And now she demands more than one hundred and fifty thousand rubles plus a ring. And she didn’t even think to offer help or share expenses. Do you know what outrages me the most? Not even the money. It’s that she takes it for granted. That it’s your duty to provide her a lavish party, and she doesn’t even think to thank us in advance.”
“She did thank us…”
“She was delighted! That’s not the same thing. She was delighted that she’d get what she wanted, not that we were ready to make sacrifices for her.”
That evening, Alexey decided to try talking to his mother again by phone. Maybe he could explain calmly, without emotions.
“Mom, let’s go over everything one more time. One hundred and fifty thousand is really a lot for us. Maybe we can find a compromise?”
“What compromise?” Valentina Petrovna’s voice grew louder. “Alyosha, I worked my whole life, I scrimped on myself my whole life. I raised you alone, denied you nothing. And now that I’m seventy, when I want to celebrate my birthday beautifully just once in my life, my own son starts haggling.”
“Mom, I’m not haggling…”
“You are. And all because of that wife of yours. She’s filled your head with nonsense, hasn’t she? Whispering all sorts of nasty things about your mother, being stingy.”
“Mom, what does Marina have to do with this?”
“Because a normal wife supports her husband, not sets him against his mother. You weren’t like this before you married her.”
At that moment, Marina walked into the room. She heard the last words and stopped.
“Mom, that’s not true…”
“It is, Lyoshenka. Just look how she looks at me. As if I’m taking something from her. Am I a stranger? I’m your mother!”
“Yes, you are his mother,” Marina suddenly said. “And you’ve been using that for eight years.”
Alexey froze. So did Valentina Petrovna.
“What did you say?” she asked quietly.
“I told the truth,” Marina stepped closer to the phone and Alexey turned on speaker. “For eight years you’ve used the fact that you’re his mother. You’ve made him feel guilty for every refusal. For eight years I’ve listened to your reproaches, hints, and comparisons. For eight years I’ve endured your treating me like a second-class person. And now you demand that we go into debt for your party, and you don’t even think to ask whether we can afford it.”
“Alyosha!” Valentina Petrovna shouted into the receiver. “Do you hear how she’s talking to me?”
“I’m talking to you honestly,” Marina continued. “For the first time in eight years. And you know what? You can organize your celebration yourself. You have a pension, you have savings. If a lavish banquet is that important to you—pay for it yourself. And we’ll give you what we think is appropriate.”
“Ungrateful!” Valentina Petrovna’s voice trembled with rage. “Greedy! Alyosha, do you see whom you married? I knew she wasn’t worthy of our family! She doesn’t even understand what it means to respect elders!”
“And do you understand what it means to respect other people?” Marina didn’t back down. “Do you understand what it means to be grateful for help? Do you understand that people can have their own plans and means?”
“How dare you! I’m his mother!”
“And I’m his wife! And I have the right not to be insulted!”
Alexey listened to the exchange and, for the first time in eight years, realized that Marina was right. Absolutely right. His mother really had been using his sense of filial duty as a weapon, making him feel guilty. She really had treated his wife as an enemy. She really had never considered their means and wishes.
“Mom,” he said quietly. “Be quiet.”
“What?” Valentina Petrovna was taken aback.
“I said—be quiet. Marina is right. Right about everything.”
Silence hung on the line.
“You… you’re taking her side?” his mother finally whispered.
“I’m taking the side of fairness,” Alexey said firmly. “For eight years you’ve been hurting my wife. For eight years you’ve made me choose between you. For eight years I kept silent, hoping things would improve. But that’s enough.”
“Alyosha…”
“No, Mom. Now listen to me. Marina is a wonderful woman. She’s kind, intelligent, caring. She never forbade me to help you. She always supported our visits. She cooked for you, cleaned for you, bought medicine when you were ill. And in return you only criticized and reproached her.”
“But I didn’t mean it…”
“What else, then? Out of love? Out of concern? Mom, in eight years you haven’t said a single nice thing to Marina. Not once did you thank her for helping. But you regularly compared her to other wives, criticized her cooking, her clothes, her job.”
“I wanted her to be better…”
“You wanted her to know her place. To understand she was a stranger in our family. Well, congratulations. You achieved that.”
Valentina Petrovna was silent.
“And now about the jubilee,” Alexey went on. “We’re willing to give you what we can afford. But we won’t go into debt for your party. If you want a banquet for thirty people in an expensive restaurant—organize it yourself. You have money, you have friends who can help.”
“I don’t have that kind of money…”
“Then invite fifteen people to a simple restaurant. Or celebrate at home. We’ll help with the food and the cleaning. But you have no right to demand the impossible from us.”
“So that’s how it is,” his mother’s voice turned icy. “My son thinks I don’t deserve a beautiful celebration.”
“Mom, enough with the manipulation. You do deserve a beautiful celebration. But with your own money. Like normal people.”
“I see. Then don’t come to my birthday at all. Since I’m such a burden to you.”
“As you wish,” Alexey said wearily. “If you decide to celebrate modestly—call. We’ll come with a gift and our congratulations. If you’re going to sulk and manipulate—sorry.”
He hung up and hugged Marina.
“I’m sorry,” he said softly. “I’m sorry for all these years. I should have stood up for you much earlier.”
Marina hugged him back. For the first time in a long while, she felt that they were truly a family. Not him on one side and her on the other, each tugging the blanket their way, but a real team.
A week later, Valentina Petrovna called again. Her voice was quiet and contrite.
“Lyoshenka,” she said, “I’ve been thinking… Maybe we really should celebrate more modestly? At home, with the closest ones?”
“Okay, Mom,” Alexey replied. “We’ll help.”
“And… invite Marina too. Let her come.”
“Mom, you know—we always come together.”
“Yes, of course. I just… wanted to say I’d be happy to see her.”
It wasn’t an apology, but it was a beginning. And maybe, for now, that was enough.
On the day of the jubilee they arrived at Valentina Petrovna’s with a bouquet of flowers and a small gift—a beautiful jewelry box. Not a gold ring, but a sincere token of affection.
Ten people gathered at the table—the closest relatives and friends. Valentina Petrovna looked festive and elegant in her best dress. She accepted congratulations with dignity and even thanked Marina for helping with the preparations.
It wasn’t the warmth Marina had dreamed of. But it was respect. And as it turned out, that was enough to begin a new chapter.
They drove home, both understanding that something important had changed in their family today. They had learned to be a team. And that was worth more than any gold ring.