For her birthday, Alena did her hair and makeup: she wanted to look amazing. She guessed that on this special day, Roman would give her something special: she saw a velvet box in his bag when she took the lunch container out of it. And of course, she couldn’t help but look inside.
There was a ring lying there. And not a simple one, but one with a diamond (she saw this on the ring tag).
“Is this day really going to happen today?” the young woman was almost in tears with happiness. After all, she was 30, and her mother kept saying that the clock was ticking, but there was no crowd of suitors on the horizon.
She met Roman in the park. He was walking his dog and sat down on the same bench as Alyona.
The new acquaintances started talking, exchanged phone numbers, and Roman began to show signs of attention to Alena. Everything was quite good: he worked in the IT sector, he was not a star, but he had enough to live on. The only thing that bothered Alena was that he was already married.
“I got divorced a year ago. We only lived together for three months,” Roman said.
— Why did you get divorced?
— We realized that they are different.
“What didn’t you like about your ex-wife?” Alena asked cautiously.
— We are opposites. That’s why it was hard for us to get along. I like to sleep, she’s an early bird. I like fast food, she likes haute cuisine. I listen to hip-hop, she listens to classical music, and so on. However, let’s talk about you.
“I’m a night owl. And I’m also for fast food,” Alena laughed.
– Oh, so you and I are right for each other.
“Do you close the toothpaste?” she asked, laughing.
– Yes! But there is one nuance, I throw socks around.
– Great! Me too.
The couple quickly realized that they were perfect for each other and decided to move in together.
“Move in with me,” said Alena, having learned that Roma lived with his mother.
– Well, it’s somehow not very manly…
– Nothing. Then we’ll buy a place to live together… – she dreamed. – And for now we’ll live like this.
Roman didn’t think long and agreed.
The first meeting with the future mother-in-law went quite normally.
– You have a nice apartment, Alyonushka. Don’t you want to exchange it?
– For what?
– So that there are two rooms, maybe smaller, but at least two. It will be better for you and Roma if each has his own corner.
– It seems like we haven’t done anything wrong, why should we sit in the corners?
– Oh, you’re so special! – Anna Vasilievna laughed. – Is it true that we should sit in the corners?
The conversation was hushed up. Alena did not plan to sell the apartment; a one-room apartment with a spacious kitchen was enough for them.
It was in this kitchen that Alena set the table in honor of her 31st birthday.
She didn’t like cooking, but she tried for the guests. Her mother, mother-in-law and friend were supposed to come. The groom had already come from work and brought a bouquet.
At the appointed time, the guests sat down at the table, and the mother-in-law raised her glass.
— To our Alyonushka. It’s obvious that you’re trying, but you don’t have much experience yet. Here’s a gift for you: a book on housekeeping, — she held out the “folio,” which she had probably kept in the back of her closet for decades. — Very useful. I learned from it how to look after my husband. It’s about shirts, and how to properly prepare Olivier salad, and how to properly set the table…
– Oh, thank you very much. This is exactly what I wanted, – Alena pretended that she was pleased to receive this gift and put it on the table.
“So, my dear, you shouldn’t put pickles in Olivier salad…” the future mother-in-law latched onto the salad and decided to chew on this topic.
“You know, I found hundreds of recipes and chose one. It seems to have turned out well,” Alena justified herself.
“Yes, everything is delicious, Alyona,” her friend supported her.
– Well, am I saying that it’s not tasty? But it could have been tastier. Do you remember, Roma, the Olivier that Natasha made? Then on the second day of your wedding…
Roma raised his eyebrows. Memories connected with the ex-wife are not the best thing to stir up on the birthday of the future wife.
– Everything was done properly there, the vegetables were cut neatly, “on a ruler”. Of course, I’m not blaming or comparing, of course you’re not a professional cook like Natasha.
“Yes, let’s drink to the fact that our new is always better than the old,” Alena’s mother raised her glass, smoothing over the awkwardness.
That evening, the topic of ex-wives was not raised again. And then came the moment of the long-awaited gift from Roman. Roma, looking pleased, reached into his pocket… and pulled out a certificate to a beauty salon.
– Oh… – Alyona couldn’t help but sigh in disappointment. But she immediately pulled herself together and began to wait for more surprises. But she didn’t wait. The evening came to an end, the guests left, and there was still no offer. In the end, Alyona got so nervous that she asked directly.
– Who is this ring for, Roman?!
“What?” he frowned.
– Do you have another woman?
– What nonsense? Of course not.
– I saw a ring in your bag. In a velvet red box.
– Ah… – Roma hit himself on the forehead. – This…
– And who is it for?
– It’s a gift for my mom. I bought it in advance, there are discounts now… in the store. So I took it. She has an anniversary in a month and a half.
“I see…” Alena was terribly upset.
– And what… did you decide that this is for you? – Roman raised his eyebrows. – It’s Mom’s anniversary, and as a good son, I should give her a good present. Dear…
– Well, yes, of course. I’m only 31. Not 50, – Alena said quietly and went into the bedroom.
Roman guessed the reason for Alyona’s resentment. So, in order not to upset her, he said after her:
— You and I will go to a jewelry store and buy you a ring… If necessary.
– Really?! – Alena seemed not to hear the end of the phrase.
– Well, yes…
– Then let’s go. I want to go today.
It was already nine o’clock, an hour before the shopping malls closed. When they burst into the store, it was twenty to ten. The saleswoman had no hope of selling anything.
“We need a ring!” Alena shouted immediately.
Roman pointed to something similar to the one for his mother, only with cubic zirconia and much cheaper, but Alyona was in no mood for arguing.
“What size do you need?” the saleswoman asked. Roman stared at Alyona, who held out her ring finger.
– This way for me.
So Roma realized that a wedding was inevitable. However, he himself thought that the relationship would come to this sooner or later, so he did not want to upset Alena again. And he bought her the ring that just fit her ring finger, and was affordable for him.
“Mom, Romka gave me a ring!” she told her mother that same evening. Then she called her friend and showed off the ring. After a round of congratulations, she posted a photo of the ring on a social network so that they would finally leave her alone at work.
Now Alena was no longer a “stay-at-home” maid.
That was quite enough for her. She didn’t even pester Roma with questions like “When’s the wedding?” They continued living together, occasionally hosting their mother-in-law and mother-in-law.
Anna Vasilievna, seeing the ring, shook her head.
– If you want to be a good wife, you should learn to cook properly. What do you have in the fridge? Pizza?
“We came home from work late, so we didn’t have the energy to cook,” Alena justified herself.
— Natasha always had time for lunch and dinner.
– Natasha is a cook. It would be strange…
– Nevertheless, Roma had neat shirts, and what is this? – the mother-in-law pointed at the hanger.
– This is a steamer, Anna Vasilievna. I steam clothes after washing.
— You need to iron it!
– Okay, I’ll definitely listen to you. Another time.
This answer offended Anna Vasilievna. And she scolded her son:
– Buy your lady an iron. Otherwise you’ll be walking around like a homeless child. Or you can bring me laundry. I’ll iron it like a human being.
Roma gave his mother the shirts without a second thought. He didn’t want to buy an iron.
And Alena, having learned that her husband secretly gave the underwear to her mother, made a scandal.
– Give her your panties too, let her rinse them!
– What’s the problem? She’s my mother.
– She shouldn’t interfere in our daily life!
– Then do everything yourself.
– I do, but she is not happy! She has taken to using your Natasha as an example to me!
– Natasha was a good housewife, there is a lot to learn from her.
– In that case, go to Natasha! I’m not holding you back! – Alena shouted, which she immediately regretted. She didn’t want to lose Romka because of something as stupid as her husband’s shirts. And Roman didn’t want to lose Alena at all. She was a very convenient option for him: an apartment, some food, a stable “marital” service. So he immediately started apologizing.
– Alyona, I’m sorry. I think we need to get married soon. And I’ll talk to Mom.
They made peace. Everything returned to normal. Anna Vasilievna didn’t come to visit often. But she always found something to find fault with and how to compare Alyona with her former daughter-in-law. Apparently, Roma’s conversation with her didn’t help. And then Alyona had a plan. She found Natasha on the Internet and wrote her a simple letter.
“Hi. I want to learn some cool recipes from you. Can you teach me?”
——————————————————-
“Hi. Come to my bakery today. Let’s chat,” Natasha replied.
And Alena came.
She didn’t immediately reveal her cards, and Natasha pretended that she didn’t recognize her new “girlfriend” as her ex-husband’s new bride.
— I’m just starting my own cooking blog. I want to teach girls how to cook, — Natasha said. You’ll be a test subject. I won’t take any money, we’ll shoot video content and publish it on social networks. That’ll be the payment. Your help and work on the blog.
– With pleasure. I agree.
Natasha and Alena got along well.
— Why do you need cooking?
— I want to prove to my mother-in-law that I can do something… She’s really annoying, to be honest.
– Yes? And with what?
– Compares me… with… – Alena almost blurted out “with you”, but caught herself in time. – With the groom’s ex-wife.
– Really? My ex-mother-in-law compared me too.
– With whom? – Alyona gasped.
— I compared it to everyone. And to Romka’s ex-girlfriend, who always came with a cake. And to herself, because I bake fish incorrectly. And to the neighbor, who never fries in coconut oil! Anna Vasilyevna is like that. We got divorced because of her.
– And Roma said that you are different. – Alena muttered.
– Yes. But opposites attract.
– Exactly.
— Usually, the only thing that repels them is what is against them. For example, their mother-in-law.
The ladies looked at each other.
– So what to do?
— Choose. If you love him, be patient. If you don’t love him, leave before the wedding.
“I guess I need to think about it,” Alena said.
While she was thinking, Roman said that Anna Vasilievna wanted to celebrate her anniversary at home.
– Will you help your mother set the table? I told her you were taking cooking classes, she didn’t believe me.
Alena didn’t answer. She wrote to Natasha, who gave her an idea. In the evening, Alena called her mother-in-law and said that she would take on the preparation of the dinner for the holiday.
– Yes? Well, if you can do it all yourself, then I won’t object. My hands have become completely dry. And my nails are brittle. And you’re young and healthy. Cook, anyway. I’ll send you a list of dishes and the number of guests. We’ll celebrate at your place so we don’t have to carry food from house to house.
– Yeah. – Alena nodded.
That very day, he and Natasha worked hard.
“Here, take this cake in its package, and tell him you made this yourself,” said Natasha, holding out two packages.
– Thank you, Nat. You’re a wonderful friend.
They hugged.
Of course, no one invited Natasha. And yet she was in touch. Alena specially filmed several phrases of Anna Vasilyevna about how well Roma’s ex-wife cooked, unlike the current one. The mother-in-law generally behaved as if Alena was a pain in the neck, accusing her of all sins:
– Don’t pay attention, sister, it’s our Alena who hasn’t learned how to cut bread. Natasha was…
“She not only was, she is and will be,” Alyona corrected. “And I didn’t cut the bread. I bought it already sliced.”
— Spending money on stupid things! Why didn’t you buy a regular one? Too lazy to cut?
– Yes, Anna Vasilievna, laziness.
– See how she talks? Young, brazen as a tank. A snake, not a girl! – the mother-in-law spoke quietly, but Alyona heard her and understood that she did everything right.
There were Anna Vasilievna’s relatives at the table, 10 people, and everyone said that the table was set well and everything was delicious, but the birthday girl was looking for something to find fault with and even pulled a hair out of some salad!
– Well, well… Natasha would never have allowed this! – she said.
– Anya, are you still remembering your previous daughter-in-law? – asked the sister.
– Yes, it’s a pity that we got divorced.
– Mom! – Roma realized that the conversation had gone wrong. Silence reigned at the table.
– What, Mom? I’m being honest. Alena is not bad, of course, but she’s as far from Natasha as Everest. If she cooked meat, it would be soft, not like a shoe sole…
– Maybe you’ll try some cake then? I tried… – Alena brought a box with “homemade” cake.
– Well, let’s go. Let’s see… – Anna Vasilievna cut off a piece and grimaced. – You probably want my sugar to go crazy! Why so much jam?! No, I won’t eat that. Son, there’s a store-bought cake there. Bring it.
Roma obediently brought the same cake, only packed in a plastic container. And Anna Vasilievna, in the heat of irritation and passion, did not even realize that she was cutting the same cake.
– Now that’s what I understand. Moderately sweet. Here, try it, – she handed her sister a spoon. But even her sister looked at Anna Vasilyevna in surprise.
– Anya, the cakes are exactly the same…
“What do you mean?!” the birthday girl flared up.
– Well, this cake was bought at Natalia’s, your former daughter-in-law’s, confectionery shop. And this one was bought there too. And she baked both cakes. – said Alena, looking at Anna Vasilievna.
She froze.
— You don’t believe me? Here’s the sticker on the box. And on the container. Same. And yes, I took cooking classes from Natasha to make you happy. And she, to make you happy, recorded a congratulation for you, — Alena turned on her phone with a video message to her former mother-in-law from Natasha.
– Anna Vasilievna, my dear! How nice to hear such nice words about me, because before I only heard nasty things from you. But you were inconsistent, and you still are, because if you liked my cooking, why didn’t you praise it before? Or didn’t you give me your principles? Well, today I personally set the table. So you have no right to scold Alyona for the tasteless food. She didn’t cook anything here. So, happy birthday. I wish you less poison. They say it makes life shorter. – Natasha raised her glass to the video and drank it in one gulp. Then she waved her hand and hung up.
Alena clapped her hands and took off her apron. And her mother-in-law turned pale.
— Is there poison in the cake?!
– No, Natasha and I may be snakes, but we’re not that poisonous, – Alena laughed. And here’s another gift for you: – she took off the ring and gave it to the groom.
– What is this, Alena?
– Give it to Mom. She deserves two at once.
Roma clenched his teeth.
“So there won’t be a wedding?” the mother-in-law was flustered. She seemed to have already prepared herself to re-educate her son’s new wife. She really liked the way Alyona reacted to her comments, until she started fighting back.
– No. There will be no wedding, – said Alena and left. She lost her fiancé, but she got a new hobby and a new friend. They made a joint blog “Mother-in-law won’t like it”, and it flew to the top! And Anna Vasilievna stayed with Roma, the son is with his mother – that’s what a woman’s happiness means.
