Please, Andryusha, just for a month! I swear I’ll find a job and move out,” Sveta pleaded, fiddling with her worn handbag as she looked at her brother.
“Why should I?” Andrei leaned against the door frame, arms crossed. “When we divided Grandma’s apartment, you didn’t think about how Marina and I have been bouncing between rental rooms for five years.”
“Son, how can you not understand,” their mother approached, placing her hand on his shoulder. “Your sister is in trouble. That scoundrel deceived us all.”
“No, mom. It’s you and dad who deceived us all,” Andrei carefully removed his mother’s hand. “I suggested we split the money from the sale equally. We could have each had a down payment for a mortgage. And what did you do? ‘Little Sveta needs it more.’ And now what?”
A heavy silence hung in the hallway. Sveta sobbed and turned to the window. Outside, a fine October rain drizzled, the gray five-story buildings of the neighborhood seemed to dissolve in the chilly mist.
“Andrei, enough,” their father emerged from the kitchen, wiping his hands with a towel. “What’s done is done. Now we need to think about how to help your sister.”
“Who helped me all these years?” Andrei felt anger boiling inside. “When Marina and I squeezed into a nine-meter room with a shared toilet, where were you? ‘Andryusha is grown up, he’ll manage.’ And now I’m supposed to let Sveta and her problems into our rented one-bedroom?”
“Son, she’s all alone,” his mother tried again to place her hand on his shoulder.
“No, mom. Not alone,” Andrei stepped back. “She has you. Take her in. I have a pregnant wife, in case you forgot. She needs peace, not drama with a wayward sister.”
“What’s going on here?” Marina came out into the hallway, holding her rounded belly.
“Nothing, dear,” Andrei wrapped an arm around his wife. “My parents are leaving. And Sveta with them.”
“Andryusha, son,” his mother threw up her hands.
“No, mom. The conversation is over.”
The parents left with bowed heads. Sveta, her mascara smeared, followed behind. At the door, she turned:
“You know, you’ve always been selfish. Always thinking only of yourself.”
“Me, selfish?” Andrei smirked. “Who begged our parents for a new iPhone when I was wearing old sneakers to work? Who whined for money for a fur coat while I saved on subway fares? Who happily agreed to take the entire sum from the apartment sale, knowing Marina and I were barely making ends meet?”
“I was foolish,” Sveta lowered her head. “I thought Maxim truly loved me. That we would start a family.”
“I told you he was a scoundrel from the start. But you didn’t want to listen. ‘You’re just jealous of our happiness!'”
A heavy silence hung again. Marina gently freed herself from Andrei’s embrace and approached Sveta:
“Listen, I know it’s hard for you now. But you must realize—your actions led to this situation. Andrei and I worked hard, saved every penny. And you? You squandered money on fun with that… swindler.”
“I didn’t know!” Sveta sobbed louder. “He seemed so reliable, caring. He said he loved me.”
“And you didn’t think to check him out? Look him up on social networks? Ask where he lives, who he’s with? No, you jumped right in.”
“Girls, enough,” their mother tried to intervene. “Sveta is already punished.”
“Punished?” Andrei scoffed. “Mom, do you know she not only blew the apartment money but also racked up loans—for a car that Maxim supposedly picked out for their family. And where’s that car now?”
“Maxim said it had to be registered in his name first because he had better credit,” Sveta’s voice grew quieter. “Then we were going to transfer it…”
“And you believed that?” Andrei shook his head. “God, how can you be so naive? Tell me—how?”
“Son, what’s the point of talking about it now,” his father sighed heavily. “We need to think about what to do next. Maybe let her stay for a while? Until she finds a job, gets on her feet?”
“Dad, do you remember when I asked you for a loan for a down payment on a mortgage? Three years ago. Back then, the rates were still good, we could have gotten an apartment. What did you say? ‘You should earn your own living, don’t rely on your parents.’ Remember?”
“Well, that was different…”
“How is it different, dad? Because I didn’t make puppy eyes and act helpless? Because I tried to honestly work and build my life?”
“Andryusha, she’s just a girl,” his mother started her old tune again.
“Mom, enough!” Andrei raised his voice. “She’s twenty-six years old. What kind of ‘girl’ is that? It’s time she learned to take responsibility for her actions.”
“I have nowhere to go,” Sveta raised her tear-stained face. “Nowhere at all. I can’t go to my parents—they have a one-room, you know how cramped it is. My friends all turned away when they found out about Maxim. I can’t even get my stuff—he changed the locks on the apartment.”
“And where were you when I tried to explain that you can’t buy an apartment in sole ownership of a person you barely know?” Andrei rubbed his temples. “Oh, brother, you’re such a stickler! Maxim said it would be easier with the paperwork.” And now?
“Now I’m on the street,” Sveta smeared her mascara. “With debts and no roof over my head.”
Marina exchanged glances with her husband. Her look was sympathetic but also resolute.
“Sveta, listen,” she touched her sister-in-law’s shoulder gently. “We can’t take you in. We really can’t. We have a rented one-bedroom apartment, I’m in my seventh month, soon on maternity leave. It will be tight for us too.”
“But you’re family!” their mother threw up her hands. “How can you leave your sister in trouble?”
“Mom, where was this familial care when you sold Grandma’s apartment?” Andrei wrapped an arm around his wife. “Why didn’t anyone think that we might need a place to live too?”
“We thought Sveta would get married, start a family…”
“And we’re not a family?” Andrei scoffed bitterly. “Marina and I have been married for five years, expecting a child. But somehow we weren’t considered.”
A burdensome silence fell in the hallway. Outside, the rain drizzled, and rare cars passed by.
“Know what,” Marina straightened up decisively. “Here’s the deal. Sveta, we can’t take you in, but I’ll help you find a job. There are vacancies at our shopping center, I’ll find out. And also—my colleague has a room for rent in a shared apartment, it’s cheap. It’s not luxury, of course, but a roof over your head.”
“I… I don’t know,” Sveta blinked uncertainly. “I’ve never lived in a communal apartment.”
“We have,” Andrei smirked harshly. “And we didn’t die. We learned to appreciate what we have.”
“Alright,” Sveta finally stopped sobbing. “I agree. To the room and the job. But… can I at least stay with you tonight? I really have nowhere to go.”
Andrei was about to sharply refuse, but Marina gently squeezed his hand:
“Okay, just for one night. Tomorrow morning we go look at the room and sort out the job.”
Their parents exchanged relieved glances:
“That’s right, good for you,” their mother bustled. “We’ll go then? Sveta, darling, hang in there. Everything will work out.”
When the parents left, Sveta curled up on the edge of the couch in the small living room. Marina brought her tea and cookies:
“Eat up. And let’s agree—no hysterics or drama. Tomorrow we start a new life.”
“And the old debts?” Sveta clutched the cup with trembling hands. “Maxim deliberately registered everything in my name. The car, the appliances…”
“Then you’ll pay them off,” Andrei settled into the chair opposite. “Gradually, bit by bit. You’ll learn to manage money, plan expenses. It’s about time.”
“I never knew how,” Sveta lowered her head. “I always relied on you and our parents.”
“Well, you’ll stop that now,” Marina sat next to her. “You know, I used to be like that too—spoiled, frivolous. Thought the whole world was at my feet. Then my parents died in an accident, I was left alone. That’s when I realized—I either learn to live on my own or I’m done for.”
“How did you manage?”
“It was hard,” Marina smiled thoughtfully. “But I managed. Worked, studied, saved. Then I met your brother—just as hardworking as me. We found each other.”
“I thought you didn’t approve of my relationship with Maxim out of jealousy,” Sveta blushed. “But you just saw what I didn’t want to notice.”
“Alright, enough revelations for today,” Andrei stood up. “Marina, sweetheart, you need to rest. And you, Sveta, make yourself comfortable on the couch. Linens are in the closet.”
At night, Andrei lay awake for a long time. He listened to his wife’s steady breathing and thought about the twists of fate. Just that morning he was sure he would never forgive his sister for her betrayal with the apartment. And now… Now he suddenly realized—maybe it was for the best. Maybe this shake-up was just what Sveta needed to finally grow up.
In the morning, they were awakened by a clatter in the kitchen. Andrei rushed out of the bedroom and froze at the threshold—Sveta, wearing Marina’s apron, was eagerly cooking something.
“Sorry for waking you,” she smiled sheepishly. “Wanted to make breakfast. As a thank you.”
Eggs sizzled on the stove, freshly brewed coffee steamed on the table.
“Imagine that,” chuckled Andrei. “And I thought you couldn’t even cook.”
“Turns out I can,” Sveta served the eggs. “I just didn’t want to before. Why bother, if you can go to a restaurant or order delivery?”
“No money for delivery now,” Marina entered the kitchen, inhaling the coffee aroma. “You’ll have to learn to cook yourself.”
“You know,” Sveta sat down at the table, “I thought all night. About my life, about you. And I realized—you’re right. You can’t live off others forever. It’s time to take responsibility for myself.”
“Finally,” Andrei sipped his coffee. “About time you realized.”
After breakfast, they went to look at the room. The area wasn’t prestigious, the house was old, the room needed repairs. But the price was right, and the neighbors were quiet pensioners.
“I’ll take it,” Sveta said resolutely. “Only I have no money right now. Not even for the first month.”
“I’ve arranged it, we’ll pay after your first paycheck,” Marina patted her on the shoulder. “The landlady is a good friend of mine, she understood.”
Then they went to the shopping center. Marina talked with the administration, and Sveta was hired as a sales consultant in a cosmetics store—on probation.
“Schedule is two days on, two off, the salary is small, but it’s enough to live on,” Marina explained. “The main thing is to get a foothold, and we’ll see from there.”
In the evening, when they brought Sveta’s things to her new room, she suddenly burst into tears:
“Thank you. Really, thank you. I didn’t deserve such care.”
“Stop it,” Andrei awkwardly patted his sister on the shoulder. “You’re still my little sister. Silly, spoiled, but still family.”
“I promise I’ll change. Honestly.”
“We’ll see,” Andrei smiled. “Actions speak louder than words.”
It was the end of one story and the beginning of another. A story about how a spoiled girl learned to become an adult. How she rebuilt her life—now without rose-colored glasses and illusions.
Six months later, when Andrei and Marina’s son was born, Sveta was already working as a senior salesperson, fully paying for her room, and slowly paying off her debts. She often came to her brother’s, helped with the baby, cooked meals.
Their parents initially tried to take over her care again, but Sveta now firmly stood her ground:
“No, mom. I can manage on my own. Enough coddling me like a little girl.”
And only then did Andrei finally believe—his sister had truly grown up.