“You know, Oksana, just because you no longer live with our son doesn’t mean you should stop staying in touch with us, his parents,” Lidiya announced with dramatic emphasis.
“Oh? Well, if that’s how you see it…”
“Yes, exactly. Pyotr Lvovich and I miss our granddaughters very much,” the former mother-in-law pressed on.
That morning, following an old habit of hers, she had called her former daughter-in-law at an unreasonably early hour. She used to do the same thing back when Oksana was still living with her son Dmitry. It was one of Lidiya’s peculiar traits — she liked to settle all serious matters first thing in the morning. It was not exactly surprising, since the woman had struggled with insomnia for years. What she never seemed to consider, however, was whether the person on the other end of the line might find the timing inconvenient.
And at that moment, it truly was inconvenient for Oksana. She was getting the children ready for kindergarten. Still, she could not simply hang up. Lidiya Nikolaevna had always treated her well and had continued helping both Oksana and her two granddaughters even after the divorce.
“I’m not refusing to keep in touch with you. I just don’t really have time for it right now. Maybe during the November holidays I could come by with the girls,” Oksana replied reluctantly.
“The holidays are fine. But my husband and I would like to see you sooner. Much sooner, in fact. We were thinking of paying you a little courtesy visit in the next few days. Would you mind? Tomorrow is Saturday, and you and the girls will be home. Pyotr Lvovich and I happen to be free, so we wanted to ask whether we could come over.”
Of course, Oksana already had plans for the following day. She wanted to send the girls to visit her own parents, who missed their granddaughters as well. As for herself, she had planned to meet with an old friend she had not seen in over a year. They lived in the same city, yet endless responsibilities and everyday worries had kept them from getting together.
For a young woman who had become single only a few months earlier, such a meeting felt almost necessary for survival. She craved support, warmth, and the comfort of a friendly presence.
“I don’t mind, Lidiya Nikolaevna, you can come. But let’s do it in the first half of the day, so I don’t have to cancel my plans,” Oksana answered politely, remembering her mother’s favorite saying:
“A gentle calf suckles from two cows. Never forget that, sweetheart.”
During the divorce, her former in-laws had taken her side and continued to help financially. They had not supported their son Dmitry in his decision to run abroad in pursuit of some fantasy about making millions.
His departure had happened almost suddenly. He had run into a former classmate who came back from overseas to visit his parents, and after talking to him Dmitry had practically caught fire with the idea of leaving too, of going somewhere full of opportunity.
He had asked Oksana and the children to go with him. But she refused immediately and without hesitation. She told him plainly that she had no intention of leaving her country. More than that, she would not even leave her hometown, the place where her family lived, where she had been born, and where her daughters had been born. Let alone leave the country altogether.
Dmitry had always been ambitious. He had studied hard to become a highly skilled IT specialist. He sent out his résumé everywhere he could, but none of the offers he received satisfied him. That was why the idea of trying his luck abroad felt to him like a challenge from fate itself.
Not long before he left, he and Oksana filed for divorce. Then, purely by accident, she found out that her ex-husband was not leaving alone. He was going with a younger woman, someone he had apparently been involved with for quite a long time.
Oksana did not take the breakup lightly. She had loved Dima. She had given birth to their children in love. She had honestly believed that the feeling was mutual, that her husband loved her too.
His parents promised they would not abandon either their former daughter-in-law or their granddaughters. And they kept that promise. At least until now. Her former mother-in-law gave Oksana small sums of money for clothes and other things the children needed, and that help mattered now more than ever.
Naturally, she had filed for child support. But just as the divorced woman had expected, not a single ruble had come from her former husband yet. Dmitry was living far from home, and she had no idea how to force him to pay support for the children from another country.
Dmitry’s parents arrived at nine in the morning, leaving Oksana and the girls no chance to lounge in bed. They had to get up to welcome the early visitors.
“Where are my granddaughters? Where are my beautiful girls? And what did Grandpa and I bring them?” Lidiya Nikolaevna said warmly when she saw Olya and Katya. “Come here and hug us, my little darlings!”
The girls ran happily toward their grandparents. They truly were glad to see them, because Lidiya Nikolaevna and Pyotr Lvovich always brought gifts. They spoiled their granddaughters shamelessly.
Oksana did not share the children’s joy, though for the sake of politeness she forced a restrained smile. She understood that sooner or later the bond between her and Dmitry’s parents would weaken and disappear. And she had no idea how her daughters would behave once they grew up and learned about their father’s betrayal.
“Come on, let me make you some tea,” she invited the guests into the kitchen. “I haven’t cooked anything yet — we were still asleep. So I can only offer tea, nothing else.”
“No, Oksanochka, don’t trouble yourself. My husband and I get up early, and we’ve already had breakfast. It’s a wonderful habit, you know — waking with the sun, doing a little exercise, taking a refreshing shower, then enjoying a hearty and healthy breakfast. So we’re quite full,” her former mother-in-law declined.
“Well, that’s good,” the younger woman said, not even trying to hide her relief. It meant less fuss for her.
“We’ll spend a little time with the girls, but we also need to talk to you. We have something serious to discuss,” Lidiya Nikolaevna said, her smile disappearing as she glanced at her husband.
“Yes,” he confirmed with a firm nod.
What was this supposed to mean? Oksana wondered, though she kept her face calm.
Never once before had her former in-laws tried to have any “serious conversation” with her. On the contrary, they had always acted as if nothing had changed, as though she and the children were still living with their son. They rarely mentioned Dmitry in front of her and never shared details about his life abroad or his new lover. For that, she had been genuinely grateful.
But if Oksana had only known what was about to be said, she would have thrown both her former mother-in-law and father-in-law out without even letting them take their shoes off in the hallway.
About twenty minutes later, after spending their fill of time with the girls, Lidiya Nikolaevna approached her former daughter-in-law.
“Oksana, where can we talk? I’d rather the girls not hear this conversation.”
“Let’s go to the kitchen. The girls will be in the living room watching TV anyway — their favorite cartoons are about to start.”
The guests and the hostess settled into the small, cozy kitchen. Oksana did pour them tea after all and set a small bowl of strawberry jam on the table. Sitting at a completely bare table felt awkward.
“Tell us, Oksana, if you would be so kind, how are things in your personal life? Have you found someone?” Lidiya Nikolaevna began with a serious, focused expression.
“Excuse me… Don’t you think that’s not really something I should be discussing with you?” the young woman said, clearly thrown off. “Why are you asking me that?”
“Don’t be offended, Oksanochka. We’re not asking for no reason,” her former mother-in-law said, glancing at her husband. “Pyotr and I need to understand whether you plan to marry again. Because if you do, then everything changes.”
“What exactly changes? Why does my personal life have anything to do with you? Why are you so interested in it?” Oksana reacted too sharply, too emotionally to the question.
She was barely holding herself back from saying everything she thought about their traitorous son. Inside, resentment toward Dmitry surged up again — the man who had abandoned both her and his children.
“You have to understand, your father-in-law and I are only worried about our granddaughters. We’re thinking about what is best for them. Dima is their father, but he isn’t here, and he cannot protect their interests — or them…”
“Protect them from whom?” Oksana cut in. “What are you even talking about?”
“We don’t know how your future chosen man might treat the girls. There’s no telling whether they will accept him, or whether he will accept them,” Lidiya Nikolaevna continued. “It’s actually very common when children refuse to accept their mother’s new husband into the family. There are hysterics, children running away from home…”
“There is no new man! None! Who exactly are you talking about? Unlike your son, I’m not capable of replacing someone that quickly. I’m not built that way emotionally, you know!” Oksana shot back, unable to hide the hurt in her voice.
“Why are you getting so worked up and making a scandal out of this? We’re not the ones who made Dmitry behave the way he did. Pyotr Lvovich and I are victims too, in a way. Who knows when we’ll get to hug our own son again?”
“All right, don’t start talking about him. What exactly do you want from me? I still don’t understand,” Oksana interrupted.
“This apartment you’re living in with the children now was purchased during your marriage. Both your parents and we helped pay for it. Dmitry behaved nobly, you must admit that, Oksanochka. He didn’t divide it with you because he was thinking only of his daughters, so they would not suffer. So that in the end this home would pass to them. Well, perhaps we needn’t look that far ahead…”
“I still don’t understand where you’re going with this, Lidiya Nikolaevna,” Oksana said, not especially politely.
“If you marry again, anything could happen to this apartment. Of course, we understand that legally your new husband would not have a claim to it. But…” At that, Lidiya Nikolaevna lifted her finger in the air for emphasis. “When a person is in love, they become blind. They stop understanding what they’re doing.”
“All right, this is getting interesting. Go on,” Oksana said with a cold, dangerous smile.
“And you might fall for his tricks. You might end up selling this apartment and then buying a new one, and then adding your new husband as one of the owners.”
“Oh, good Lord. What nonsense are you talking, Lidiya Nikolaevna? I never expected this from you. Our laws protect children’s rights, first of all, and second, property that belonged to me before remarriage would never automatically become my husband’s,” Oksana answered firmly.
“You’re right, of course. But lately, sadly, there are more and more cases of fraud and deception. Marriage swindlers have become especially common, and they’re so clever now that even experienced women fall into their traps,” Pyotr Lvovich finally broke in. “You have no idea, Oksana, what those smooth operators are capable of.”
“Did you actually research this issue in detail on purpose?” she asked in disbelief.
“Don’t laugh. This is not a joke. Do you want your children left without a roof over their heads?” Lidiya Nikolaevna declared dramatically.
“No, I do not. And that isn’t going to happen.”
“Well then. My husband and I are offering you a very reliable way to preserve this apartment for your daughters and our granddaughters.”
“And what way is that?” Oksana asked, suddenly very curious just how far her former in-laws had taken this fantasy.
“Since I’ve already left the apartment we live in to my eldest grandson — our daughter’s son — and Pyotr Lvovich owns no property of his own, we propose that you transfer this apartment to him as a gift,” her former mother-in-law said confidently.
“I’m sorry — what? What exactly are you proposing?” Oksana even shook her head slightly, as if trying to clear it. “Say that again.”
“It’s perfectly simple. You sign this apartment over to your daughters’ grandfather, and later Pyotr Lvovich will write a will leaving it to them. That will only take effect once our granddaughters are adults. That way no one will ever be able to deprive them of their rightful home. Clever idea, isn’t it?”
“Have you lost your minds, suggesting something like that to me? I’m not doing it. Signing this apartment over to your husband is absurd!” Oksana shouted. “How did you even come up with this? Tomorrow you’ll forget all about us. Especially if I do get married someday. To make a suggestion like that, you’d either have to have no brains at all — or think I’m a complete idiot. If you want to keep seeing my children and your granddaughters, then never bring this up to me again.”
“Oksana, lower your voice. What kind of tone is that?” her former mother-in-law snapped. “Do you really think Pyotr and I would deceive you? You’re insulting us.”
“Your son already showed me exactly how people like you treat others and whether you can be trusted. And as they say, the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree. That’s the end of the discussion. I’m not transferring this apartment to anyone. And for the record, I don’t want to marry again either. One betrayal was more than enough.”
“You should think before refusing, Oksana. You’re reacting emotionally right now, but it isn’t a bad option,” her former father-in-law decided to back up his wife.
“Oh really? And why do you need my apartment in your old age, Pyotr Lvovich? Planning to leave your wife, are you? I always thought you were a wise man. And a decent one, unlike your son. But apparently I was wrong,” Oksana said bitterly, now thoroughly fed up with the strange and pointless conversation.
That time, her former in-laws left empty-handed. But more than once afterward they tried to raise the same useless subject. And every single time, it ended the same way.
To their credit, they eventually had enough sense to stop pressuring her and continued, for a while, to see their granddaughters as before. Still, those visits became less and less frequent. And then, about two years later, they forgot about the girls entirely, just as Oksana had expected. After that, they called only once a year — on the children’s birthdays.
In his new marriage, Dmitry had two more children. His parents shifted all their attention to the new grandchildren, deciding that Oksana’s daughters were no longer worth the effort. They eventually went abroad to visit their son and were deeply surprised by the kind of life he had built there.