– Run to the hospital, – the furious husband roared, – what child do you mean? I thought I didn’t allow you to get pregnant! How many times have I told you that it’s not time yet? Terminate the pregnancy, and we’ll live as before. First we’ll buy a house, and then we’ll think about children. Maybe…
Saying yes to Oleg made Elena feel happy. He was a wonderful guy, and all her friends unanimously said how lucky she was.
Handsome, rich, from a good family. And the fact that his father is the owner of a large company selling and transporting office supplies did not give Oleg any additional bonuses. Lena’s father-in-law was absolutely sure that every man should find his own way in this life.
“I don’t want my son to grow up to be a spoiled daddy’s boy, to whom everything is served on a silver platter!” Konstantin Olegovich once said to his young daughter-in-law.
– You did the right thing by letting your son prove himself. I plan to raise my children in the same way! – Lena admired her husband’s father’s foresight.
She really would like her sons to have the same entrepreneurial spirit and acumen as their father. Oleg found himself in building houses. Her husband had golden hands, and he took turnkey orders for finishing, construction and everything related to private houses. He earned very well, even good by the standards of a not very large provincial city.
Lena was proud of her husband. He had achieved everything himself, and at the time when their relationship reached the point of going to the registry office, Oleg had his own spacious two-room apartment in the city center.
– This is temporary. Of course, we will have our own house, which I will build myself for you and our future children. In the meantime, you will arrange this cozy family nest, and we will be happy if you agree to become my legal wife, – the young man told his beloved.
And he gave a massive ring, sprinkled with diamond chips of an unusual “Trinity” design. Three rims of white, red and yellow gold, sprinkled with small stones that shimmered beautifully, cunningly intertwined and simply looked luxurious on the ring finger.
– What a beauty! It’s worth three hundred thousand, maybe more, Lenka! You’ve hit the jackpot, my dear! – her childhood friend admired without hiding, – Will the wedding be lavish?
– You know, we decided to do it modestly. Only the closest ones. We still have to renovate the apartment. And in general, there are many other expenses ahead. The main thing is not the wedding, but how life turns out, – answered the smiling beautiful bride.
They celebrated it really quietly. The wedding was attended by parents and close friends, and they didn’t even book tables at a restaurant. They celebrated at home — Lena prepared delicious salads and appetizers, made her signature goose with oranges and quince. Her mother-in-law and father-in-law admired her talents as a hostess, her husband looked at her with love and tenderness. Ahead was a great future full of happy, quiet, family days.
The problems started unexpectedly. Lena did not immediately notice that her husband was trying to crush her with his authority. The requests sounded strange. Just a month after the wedding, Oleg began to insist on his wife’s dismissal. Previously, his future wife’s job suited him, but after the registration at the registry office, it suddenly began to upset him.
– Len, I don’t like the way you look. You come home half-dead in the evening. Why do you have to work hard as a hairdresser when I earn enough for our comfortable life together? – the husband said at dinner.
Lena, putting pasta with mushrooms on plates, was surprised:
– Darling, you’re imagining things! I’m not working myself to death, I’m working in a comfortable mode for myself. And I’m not planning on quitting! You know, I’m not ready to sit within four walls, I want to do something.
– But why? Go to the pool, go for a walk, clean the house and cook. That’s all that’s required of a woman.
– Listen, your dad also earns enough, but your mother still works as a teacher in a regular school.
– Oh, that’s her whim! – Oleg responded, – she bought a bunch of dresses and earrings and wants to show them off “in public”, so she works. How does her salary affect the family budget? Not at all! Her mother spends it “on pins”.
— And I want to be useful to the world, to have my own business. I like cutting people’s hair. I want to learn how to dye hair, how to do eyelash extensions. And in the near future, open my own office. Yes, that’s exactly what I want! I want a lot of things…
– As you wish! If you want, then have fun. My girl, I want you to be happy.
Lena really cared about her job. At the same time, she studied part-time at the history department, just to have a diploma and prove to herself that she could do it. She planned to buy a course on coloring and braids and improve her English. While there are no children, she needs to think about her education and work.
Lena wanted children, but later. In about five years. First of all, the young woman wanted to become financially independent and gain the respect of others. It was important for her to prove that she had succeeded as a professional. She was sure that her children would also appreciate it.
Lena came from a family of people for whom work was the basis of life. Her father was a third-generation veterinarian. Her mother was a professional cook, winner of many culinary competitions. Oleg’s mother-in-law worked as a chef in one of the largest restaurants in the city. She always told Lena:
— We don’t live just to be beautiful. We shouldn’t pour all our resources into family and children. We also live to be successful outside the home. Study and work, never rely on anyone.
Having firmly remembered these words, Lena, not sparing herself, was torn between studying, work and creating coziness. She pasted new wallpaper, which she chose herself. Her husband had enough decoration for work, and for her, creating beauty in what was now her apartment, was a joy and an amazing adventure. Lena has not yet decided to arrange the nursery, she just roughly estimated what would be there and how. But she arranged the living room, which also served as a bedroom, the kitchen, the hallway and the bathroom in a truly cozy and beautiful way.
She continued working at the hairdresser’s. The money there wasn’t very high, but at first it was enough. But her ambitions grew in direct proportion to her desires – Lena wanted to earn more and treat herself to new clothes more often. Over time, Oleg gave his wife less and less for expenses. Yes, he bought groceries, paid for utilities, but Lena saved up for training in eyelash coloring and extensions, and this turned out to be a very expensive pleasure.
Lena wanted to take courses with a specific master. The training was expensive, but after receiving a certificate, masters are gladly hired. Lena tried to speed up this process a couple of times – she asked her husband to sponsor her training.
“Olezhek, I have one request for you,” Lena began from afar, “I hope you won’t refuse me?”
“Go ahead,” Oleg nodded, “let’s see if I can help you with your troubles.”
– Why trouble? – Lena giggled.
– I just said it like that. Tell me what you need.
– Olezh, – Lena took a deep breath, – I want to finish my studies. You see, any master should regularly improve their skills. New techniques are invented all the time, people see publications on the Internet and want a fashionable coloring or haircut. Recently, a girl came and asked me to do hidden coloring for her. And I don’t know how! She went to another master and will never come back to me. And in general, I would like to combine, to move in two different directions. Maybe you will pay for my training? I will earn more, acquire clients, open my own office. And then, maybe, a salon.
– And you’ll start showing up at home even later, – Oleg summed up, – why do I need this? Lena, I don’t really see you anyway! I think that paying such a huge amount for a piece of paper with your name written on it is just stupid. What should I do with this certificate? Hang it in a frame on the wall? It’s not a diploma of higher education. No, I’m against it!
– Well, Oleg, – Lena whined, – you’re wrong! The certificate will help me get a job in an elite salon. And the income there is completely different.
“No, I said,” the man barked, “I want you to quit. I earn a good salary, you don’t have to toil and touch other people’s dirty hair with your hands.”
Lena made certain conclusions for herself. She never asked her husband for anything again. She began to economize, gave up lunches in cafes, snacks, takeaway coffee and even manicures. She carefully cut and filed her nails herself.
Oleg noticed this:
“Why did you stop doing your nails?” Lena’s husband once asked her.
“Because I’m saving for my education. You refused my request for money,” she answered calmly, washing the dishes.
– On the one hand, it’s even correct. Why do you need a salon when you can perfectly well paint your nails yourself? A lamp costs three kopecks, there are special ones for home use, right? You said so yourself.
– But this also needs to be learned.
— Have you been banned from the Internet? You have a ton of time anyway. Flexible schedule, all that stuff. In between clients, sit and watch videos.
—————————
Lena just shook her head. At first, it seemed to her that her husband’s savings were a plus. He wasn’t stingy, he saved, he stocked the fridge every week. In addition, he constantly reminded her that he was saving for a great goal, important for the whole family – a house. But sometimes it seemed to Lena that her husband was an ordinary tightwad, saving every penny.
Three years passed. Lena managed to finish her English courses and earned extra money on occasional translation orders, continued doing haircuts and coloring at the hairdresser’s, but she still definitely didn’t have enough money, no matter how much she cut her expenses.
Her husband earned more and more, and the purchase of land and construction of a house were constantly postponed. Lena was preparing to defend her diploma, and thought with longing that she was already ready for the birth of a child.
How wonderful it would be to have a son or a daughter! To hold your continuation in your arms, to enjoy motherhood. She was afraid to have a child – Lena was afraid that Oleg would also save on the child. To avoid pregnancy, Lena carefully used contraception. Squabbles and minor conflicts on financial grounds became commonplace, Lena kept silent more and more. She tried not to argue with her husband. Doubts arose about the correctness of her own choice – what if she made a mistake?
– Oleg, why don’t we start planning the family budget together? – my wife asked me one night before going to bed.
She sat in front of the mirror, applying cream to her hands and rubbing it over the backs of her hands and wrists. Under her eyes, the woman wore charming pink patches that she had bought for pennies at the local supermarket. Lena hadn’t even dreamed of spending more lately.
“No,” the husband resolutely replied.
“Why?” Lena asked. “What’s stopping you from consulting me?”
“Because finances are a serious matter,” the husband replied, glancing sideways at his wife over the phone screen, “someone has to deal with it.”
— What if it’s a child?
“He’s not the right person right now, we’re saving up for a house,” Oleg snapped.
Lena pursed her lips and turned away. She couldn’t break up because her husband dreamed of a house, of his own land, of something more. For the sake of their common good. But it was precisely because of this hypothetical “common good” that the young woman was already tired of swallowing insults and counting pennies.
She wasn’t even sure that she needed the two-story cottage that her husband wanted so much. Why such a mansion? Why an unsafe staircase that you could fall from? She wasn’t of noble blood, she was an ordinary woman who had never lived in luxury. And she wanted simple happiness: a loving husband, cheerful healthy children, a big shaggy dog that she could take to the countryside in the summer in a car, even if it was domestically produced.
Attempts to convey all this to Oleg began to end in quarrels.
– You’re looking for a problem out of thin air, Lena! You’d better take care of yourself. You’ve gotten fat.
— I need to go to the gym…
– What else? Take a rag and go squat, wiping off the dust, it will do more good, – the husband snapped.
“I don’t feel well, sorry,” the wife responded, wanting to get away from the growing conflict.
– Well, there you go! All you want to do is squeeze money out of me, and not do anything yourself. Here’s direct proof! – her husband shouted after her.
Lena came into the living room and sat down on the sofa. Her head was spinning, her mouth was salty and she felt terribly sick. Covering her mouth with her hand, she rushed to the toilet.
Oleg no longer heard or saw this, as he had already managed to knock back a cup of morning coffee, throw on his coat and leave for work. Lena also needed to go to the hairdresser. With hands shaking from weakness, she combed her hair, got dressed and also went outside.
Outside, spring splashed with bright sunbeams in puddles and streams. March finally stopped resembling winter, and rang with the voices of titmice and sparrows, showering everything around with the joy of imminent warmth. Lena hurried to the hairdresser, overcoming her nausea.
The first client was already waiting for her. A mother of many children, pleasant, plump Valechka was already completely one of them, and had been going to Lena for haircuts for at least three years. She always made an appointment in advance.
She didn’t pay attention to how pale Lena was, chattering cheerfully, and went to the chair.
“And I scolded the youngest, of course, but the older ones, can you imagine, stood up for him…” the client said about the situation with her four children.
“What a young…” and then everything started spinning: the mirror, the scissors in icy hands, the woman with dark hair who was sitting in the chair.
– My God, Lenusya, you’re white as chalk! Come on, come on, sit down, – Valentina was fussing over her, and the excited girls were standing around, some with a glass of water, some with a fan.
The particularly impressionable simply gasped, covering their mouths with their hands every now and then. Apparently, out of fear for their colleague.
– Everything is fine, something has been wrong with me for the last week. And I can’t really eat… However, the latter is even good, otherwise my husband is already reproaching me for getting fat, – Lena even tried to joke awkwardly.
Valya helped her get to the tiny room where the hairdressers had a kitchenette.
– So, here’s how it is. You’re sitting, and now I’m going to get a pregnancy test, and we’ll do it together, right? – Valya spoke to Lena as if she were a small child.
But she felt so bad that she didn’t even have the strength to object, and she simply nodded.
And half an hour later she looked with eyes wide with horror at two bright pink stripes.
– Well, that’s it! It turns out you’re expecting a baby! – Valya voiced the obvious.
Lena came home in the evening not herself. Her legs were buckling from fear and fatigue. How to tell Oleg about this? How?
My husband was very late from work, although he warned me about it in advance. He came home tired, dirty, and immediately went to the shower. Then he sat down to dinner.
“Why are you so silent?” he asked Lena.
She silently handed him the test, which showed the news in the form of a second strip.
– No-no-no, not now!
– Oleg, it’s a fact. It can’t be postponed anymore, that’s it, – Lena said tiredly.
– But you will have to. You will go to the center, or wherever you women go in such cases, and…
“No, Oleg,” the words fell like stones.
– What do you mean, no? – the man even shook his head.
The wife objected? That can’t be! For so many years Lena was a quiet, docile little grey mouse, who just needs one look and she’s already rustling obediently. And then…
– No, that means no! I won’t go to any center. I’ll pack my things and go to my parents. I’ll file the divorce papers soon. And you stay and build your own house. Just without us, – Lena said this very quietly and confidently.
Oleg looked at her as if he was seeing her for the first time. In front of him was a completely different person… He chose her largely only because of her character. Lena was submissive, Oleg valued this quality very much. Oleg was always sure that she would eventually accept all his conditions. But he miscalculated.
Lena left, gathering her things. She moved in with her mother and father, who accepted her, condemning Oleg. The most unexpected thing is that the in-laws also took the side of the pregnant daughter-in-law.
– This woman is carrying your son or daughter! And you dare to suggest such a thing to her! – the mother raged, – Are you, Lord God, to decide who will live and who will not? Is this how your father and I raised you?! The shameless one, he is saving up for a house!
Konstantin Olegovich, too, without mincing words, told his son everything he thought about his quarrel with his wife.
He personally called Lena, saying that no matter how things went with her and Oleg, the child would still have grandparents.
They kept their word. Vanya had the best grandparents in the world, but the young woman did not forgive her now ex-husband. He begged, pleaded, not knowing how to make amends. But Lena had already seen him without a mask, and did not want to tie her fate to such a man.
She focused on the quiet joy of being a mother. That was all that mattered to Lena now—her sweet little bundle with its button nose, tiny warm fingers, and deep green eyes.
While she was on maternity leave, she worked. She took orders that required knowledge of English. Freelancing became a real lifesaver and soon began to bring in a good income.
When her ex-husband shouted at her that she and the child would die of hunger, she only smiled – at that time she already had a very impressive sum in her account, which Lena could not even dream of before. Now she could not only dress herself, buy everything the baby needed, but also help mom and dad.
Her father-in-law and mother-in-law did not leave her either. Offended by their son, they opened an account in Vanya’s name, to which they regularly transferred decent amounts of foreign currency. Lena really appreciated their actions and attitude towards herself and her son. But she did not communicate with Oleg, and in the end she gave her son her own surname, without even writing it on the father’s birth certificate.
Oleg was left with nothing – no home, no family, no child. He tried to meet some woman, but she turned out to be much less patient than his first wife had once been, and sent the stingy man far away.
Lena didn’t care what was going on there or what her ex was doing. She returned to her native hairdressing salon when Vanyusha went to kindergarten. True, not for the money – now she was supported by freelancing. She became a first-class specialist in the beauty industry, and one of her haircuts now cost so much that her colleagues could only silently envy her.
