– Artyom, have you seen the TV remote? – Lera threw her bag on the sofa and walked into the bedroom, taking off her shoes as she went. – I have a new episode today…
The words caught in her throat. Where the brand new 50-inch TV had been hanging that morning, there was now a gaping emptiness. The white wall with its clear marks from the fasteners looked like a silent reproach.
“Artyom?” she called louder, walking around the apartment. Her husband didn’t answer.
Lera took out her phone and dialed her husband’s number. Three beeps, and she heard his voice:
– Hello, dear. Are you home already?
– Where is the TV? – Lera didn’t waste time on greetings.
There was a short pause on the other end of the line.
– Ah, that… I wanted to tell you when I come.
“Speak now,” Lera returned to the bedroom, looking at the empty wall.
– Mom’s TV is completely broken. There’s no point in fixing it, and she doesn’t have money for a new one right now, – Artem’s voice sounded serene, as if he was talking about rearranging the furniture. – I just brought her ours. She was so happy!
– Ours? – Lera felt anger boiling inside. – The TV I saved up for six months? The one I bought two weeks ago?
“Well, yes,” Artyom’s voice was slightly confused. “What difference does it make whose it is? We’re family.”
– Do you even understand that I spent six months saving every spare penny to buy this particular TV? – Lera tried to speak calmly, but her voice trembled treacherously. – You didn’t even ask me!
– Lera, it’s just a TV, – now there was irritation in Artyom’s tone. – Mom needs it more. She’s alone all day, TV is her only entertainment.
“So, I worked overtime for your mom’s TV?” Lera squeezed the phone so hard that her knuckles turned white. “Are you serious?”
“Listen, let’s discuss this when I get home,” Artem clearly wanted to end the unpleasant conversation. “I’ll be there in an hour.”
Lera hung up without saying goodbye. She slowly sat down on the edge of the bed, trying to comprehend the situation. It was her TV. She had chosen the model, compared prices, read reviews. She had saved up for it, denying herself small pleasures. And Artyom had simply given it to his mother without even consulting her.
When the front door slammed an hour later, Lera was still sitting in the bedroom, staring at the empty wall. She heard her husband taking off his shoes in the hallway, walking into the kitchen and opening the refrigerator.
– Ler, where are you? – his voice sounded closer.
Artyom appeared in the doorway, tall, with dark hair, wearing a work shirt with the sleeves rolled up. He leaned against the doorframe, looking at his wife with a slight smile, as if he didn’t understand the reason for her upset.
“You really don’t see a problem with what you did?” Lera asked quietly.
– Look, I understand that I should have warned you, – Artem entered the room and sat down next to her. – But Mom called this morning in tears. Her TV doesn’t work at all, and she’s used to the big screen because of her eyesight. What should I have done?
— Buy her a new one? Fix the old one? Take our shared one from the living room? — Lera listed the options, feeling the anger rising inside her again. — But no, you took mine. The one I just bought.
– Wait, – Artem wrinkled his forehead. – Since when do we have “yours” and “mine” in our house? We are a family.
“Family is when decisions are made together,” Lera snapped. “And not when you are the only one in control of my things.”
“You’re being too dramatic,” Artem stood up, putting his hands in his pockets. “I just helped my mother. She’s lonely, she needs support.”
– And don’t I need support? – Lera also stood up, looking her husband in the eyes. – I work no less than you, but for some reason my desires and my things always end up in last place.
Artyom shrugged:
– It’s just a TV. Let’s buy a new one.
“It’s not about the TV,” Lera shook her head. “It’s about respect. The fact that you don’t think it’s necessary to consult me when it comes to my things.”
“I understand,” Artem sighed with feigned patience. “You’re angry. Fine, I’ll take that into account for the future.”
Lera looked closely at her husband:
– By the way, where did the new toaster go? The one I bought last month?
Something like guilt flashed across Artyom’s face:
– What toaster?
– The same one that you said broke and you threw it away.
Artyom looked away:
– Ah, that one… He really did break.
– Really? – Lera crossed her arms over her chest. – Or did he move in with your mom too?
Artyom hesitated. This was enough for Lera to understand that her guess was correct.
“So your mom has the toaster too,” she said, not as a question, but as a statement. “What else did you give her, Artyom?”
“Oh, come on,” he tried to wave it off. “It’s just kitchen appliances. Mom’s old toaster was completely broken, and ours was just sitting there doing nothing.”
– Without use? – Lera raised her eyebrows. – I used it every morning!
“You can just fry the bread in a frying pan,” Artem shrugged.
Lera felt a cold rage growing inside her. She walked to the closet and opened the door:
— And the silver earrings that were “lost” last month? And the bracelet that I “forgot in the gym”? Are they also with Zinaida Petrovna?
Artyom turned pale.
– Where are you from…
“So it’s true,” Lera slowly sat down on the edge of the bed. “You steal my things and give them to your mother.”
“Don’t talk nonsense!” Artem flared up. “It’s not stealing. I’m just… Sharing with my mother what we have.”
– Sharing? – Lera smiled bitterly. – I wonder why you only share my things? Why didn’t you give me your watch that I gave you for your anniversary? Or your laptop?
Artyom looked at her defiantly:
– Because these are things I need. I can’t work without them.
– So, does that mean I can do without everything that is dear to me? – Lera stood up and came up close to him. – What right do you have to decide what I need and what I don’t?
“Stop making a mountain out of a molehill,” Artem took a step back. “Mom needs these things more. She’s an old person, it’s hard for her.”
“I understand that you want to help your mother,” Lera tried to speak calmly. “But why at my expense? Why didn’t you ask me? Why didn’t you consult?”
Artyom threw up his hands:
– I knew you would be against it.
– And this is an excuse? – Lera was amazed. – You understood that I would not agree, so you decided to act behind my back?
“You don’t understand…” Artem began.
“Oh, I understand perfectly,” interrupted Lera. “You’ve become a courier for your mother, managing property that you didn’t buy yourself.
She walked over to the dresser and pulled out the top drawer:
– Where is my perfume? The one you gave me for my birthday?
Artyom looked away:
— My mother had an anniversary last week… I didn’t have time to buy her a present and…
– And you decided to give her my perfume? – Lera couldn’t believe her ears. – The same one you chose for me? The one that, according to you, “smells as wonderful as you”?
– Lera, it’s just perfume, – Artyom tried to touch her shoulder, but she pulled away. You haven’t even opened it yet.
– No, Artyom, – Lera’s voice rang with suppressed emotions. – It’s not just perfume. It’s your attitude towards me, towards our family, towards our common future. You deceive me, steal my things and give them to your mother, without even considering it necessary to say anything about it.
“I didn’t steal!” Artem protested. “I just…”
– What simple? – Lera crossed her arms over her chest. – You just decided that your mother has more rights to my things than I do? You just decided that you can dispose of everything in this house without consulting me?
Artyom clenched his fists:
– You talk like I’m some kind of criminal. I’m helping my mother, what’s wrong with that?
“The bad thing is that you’re helping her at my expense,” Lera replied. “And you don’t even have the courage to admit it.”
She walked over to the closet and began methodically checking her things.
— Where is the leather belt with the silver buckle? And the bed linen set we bought last month?
With each question, Artem’s face grew longer and longer. He clearly didn’t expect his wife to notice the disappearance of so many things.
“Don’t you think you’re too fixated on material things?” he finally managed to say.
“Don’t you think you’re too fixated on satisfying your mother’s whims at my expense?” Lera retorted. “Zinaida Petrovna has a good situation – she has a personal supplier of other people’s things.
– Don’t you dare talk about my mother like that! – Artem raised his voice.
– Did you buy this TV just to give it to your mother? No! So why the hell are you disposing of my things?
Artyom stared at her with undisguised surprise:
— Do you really think that things are more important than people? That your TV is more important than my mother’s well-being?
“I believe that honesty and respect are the most important things,” Lera answered quietly. “And you betrayed both.”
Lera met the next morning with a firm decision: she would talk to Zinaida Petrovna in person. The night passed in tense silence – Artyom demonstratively went to sleep on the sofa in the living room, and Lera tossed and turned in bed until late, going over everything that had happened in her head.
After waiting for her husband to leave for work, Lera called a taxi and went to the Sokolniki district, where her mother-in-law lived in a small two-room apartment. The trip took almost an hour due to traffic jams, and Lera used this time to organize her thoughts. She was not going to make a scene – she just wanted to clarify the situation once and for all.
Zinaida Petrovna opened the door after the third ring. The plump woman with her hair dyed red and gathered in a careless bun raised her eyebrows in surprise at the sight of her daughter-in-law.
– Lera? Did something happen?
– Hello, Zinaida Petrovna, – Lera tried to keep her voice even. – Can I come in? We need to talk.
The mother-in-law stepped aside, letting her into the apartment. Lera immediately noticed a familiar TV on the wall in the living room. Next to it, on the nightstand, stood her toaster, and on the old dressing table she noticed her perfume.
“I see you’ve already gotten used to the new technology,” Lera nodded towards the TV.
– Oh, this, – Zinaida Petrovna waved her hand. – Artyomka brought it yesterday. He said that you rarely watch it anyway and decided to swap. My old one is completely broken.
“An interesting version,” Lera smiled with the corner of her lips. “But I only found out about this ‘replacement’ yesterday evening, when I came home and found an empty wall.”
Zinaida Petrovna frowned:
– What do you mean by this?
“Only that Artyom didn’t ask my permission before taking my TV,” Lera answered calmly. “As, incidentally, with all my other things that I see in your apartment.”
She waved her hand around the room—in addition to the items she had already noticed, there were her decorative pillows, the hand-embroidered bedspread her aunt had given her, and even the wall clock from their bedroom.
– Have you come to make a claim against me? – Zinaida Petrovna crossed her arms over her chest.
“I came to clarify the situation,” Lera tried to remain calm. “And to understand why you think it’s normal to accept things from your son that don’t belong to him.”
– Listen to me, girl, – Zinaida Petrovna came closer. – My son has the right to dispose of what is in his house.
“In our house,” Lera corrected. “And most of these things were bought with my money.”
“What difference does it make whose money it is?” snorted the mother-in-law. “You’re family. Everything is shared.”
– That’s why decisions should be made together, – Lera approached the TV. – I saved up for this TV for several months. I denied myself a lot. And Artyom knew about it.
– So what? – Zinaida Petrovna pursed her lips. – So what, a TV. Buy a new one.
“It’s not about the TV,” Lera rubbed her temples. “It’s about respect. About the attitude towards another person, towards his work, towards his desires.”
– Ah, respect! – Zinaida Petrovna threw up her hands. – Where is your respect for your husband’s mother? I am alone, I am sixty-five years old. Can’t you share?
“I can and am ready to help you,” Lera looked her straight in the eyes. “But of my own free will, and not when my things disappear without my knowledge. That’s called stealing, Zinaida Petrovna.”
– How dare you! – The mother-in-law’s face turned red. – To accuse my Artyomka of stealing? He’s a golden man! He takes care of his mother, as any normal son should!
“Caring for you shouldn’t be expressed in stealing his wife’s things,” Lera said firmly.
“You’re an egoist,” Zinaida Petrovna said. “A greedy egoist. I always told Artyom that he deserved a better wife.”
“Maybe,” Lera nodded at the TV. “But I’ll take my things.”
– Don’t even think about it! – Zinaida Petrovna stood between her and the TV. – Artyom gave it to me. It’s mine!
– Artyom had no right to give it to me, – Lera took out her phone. – Should I bring you the receipt for the purchase? The TV was purchased in my name, with my bank card.
Zinaida Petrovna turned purple:
– I’ll call Artyom right now!
“Call him,” Lera answered calmly. “I’m also interested in what he’ll say.”
The mother-in-law grabbed her mobile and dialed her son’s number. Lera heard her emotionally describing the situation, calling her daughter-in-law “greedy” and “heartless”. The conversation lasted about five minutes, after which Zinaida Petrovna put the phone down with a victorious look.
– Artem said that the TV stays here. And that you’ll talk more at home.
Lera returned home around three o’clock in the afternoon. The empty apartment greeted her with silence, which, however, did not last long. Not even half an hour had passed when the front door slammed – Artyom had arrived earlier than usual. His face was distorted with anger.
“Did you go to my mother?” he said from the doorway, without even taking off his jacket.
“Yes,” Lera stood in the middle of the living room, crossing her arms over her chest. “I decided to see how my things are doing in the new place.”
– Why did you make this circus? – Artem threw the keys on the nightstand. – Mom is upset to tears!
– And haven’t you thought about how upset I am? – Lera looked him straight in the eyes. – When I discovered that my things were disappearing one after another?
– You’re talking about things again, – Artem waved his hand irritably. – All you can think about is your junk!
– Not about junk, but about our life, – Lera came closer. – About the fact that you deceive me. Steal my things. Put your mother’s wishes above our family.
“My mother is part of my family,” Artem snapped. “And I will help her, whether you like it or not.”
– Just like that? – Lera shook her head. – Help as much as you want, but not at my expense. I demand my things back.
“I won’t return anything,” Artyom went into the kitchen and took a bottle of water out of the fridge. “Mom’s used to the TV. And she needs the rest of the things more than we do.”
“Artyom,” Lera said quietly but decisively. “I don’t care whether your mother got used to it or not. These are my things, and I want them back.”
“You should apologize to her,” Artem put the bottle on the table. “You insulted her.”
– Me? – Lera even laughed at the absurdity of the situation. – She called me a greedy egoist just because I want my own back! And after that, I should apologize?
– Yes, you, – Artem stubbornly stuck out his chin. – Mom is an old person, she needs respect. Or do you not respect my family at all?
– And did you buy this TV just to give it to your mother? No! So why the hell are you disposing of my things then? – Lera felt like she was repeating herself, but she couldn’t help herself. – When it comes to your mother, you turn into a different person. You stop being my husband and become only her son.
– What’s wrong with that? – Artem crossed his arms over his chest. – I love my mother and will always take care of her.
– At my expense? At our family’s expense? – Lera shook her head. – Don’t you see the difference between caring and stealing?
“You’re unbearable,” Artem headed to the bedroom. “I won’t discuss this. Either you apologize to Mom and forget about it, or…”
– Or what? – Lera followed him.
Artyom opened the closet and took out a sports bag:
– Either I have to choose. And I will choose my mother.
– Seriously? – Lera watched him throw T-shirts and jeans into the bag. – You’re leaving me because of the TV?
“Not because of the TV,” Artem snapped. “Because of your attitude towards my mother. You don’t respect her, you don’t take her needs into account. She raised me, and you’re stingy with things for her!”
“I don’t regret things,” Lera said quietly. “I regret that I married a man who doesn’t see the difference between generosity and theft. Between caring for his mother and betraying his wife.”
Artyom zipped up his bag and straightened up:
– I’m moving in with my mom. At least for a while, until you come to your senses.
“Don’t bother coming back,” Lera felt a strange calm. “A mama’s boy will always remain a mama’s boy. I don’t need a husband who can’t tell his wife’s apartment from a storage room with things.”
“As you say,” Artem headed for the exit, but turned around at the bedroom door: “By the way, I’m taking the gold cufflinks. The ones you gave me for our anniversary. Mom needs to pay for a new chandelier.”
Lera didn’t answer. She watched her husband walk through the living room, put on his jacket and go out, slamming the door. Only then did she slowly lower herself onto the bed and cover her face with her hands.
She sat there for a few minutes until she heard the sound of a message. It was Zinaida Petrovna: “Artyom said he was moving in with me. I always knew you weren’t worthy of my son.”
Lera deleted the message without answering. Then she went to the window – Artyom was just getting into a taxi, holding a bag in one hand and a small box in the other. The same one where Lera kept her earrings and rings.
“Even now,” she thought, watching the car drive away, “even now he can’t leave without taking something of mine for his mother.”
She turned away from the window. The apartment was quiet and empty. The TV still yawned on the wall in the bedroom, a symbol of everything that had been taken from her over the years of marriage…
