– Lenochka, listen, let’s give our mom something special for her anniversary, – Natalya spoke quickly, breathlessly. – I think a set of jewelry. We’ll chip in fifteen thousand each, and it will be a great gift from both of us.
Elena pressed the phone to her ear with her shoulder, continuing to stir the pie dough. The idea seemed strange to her – she and Natalia had never had a particularly warm relationship.
– Jewelry? Are you sure? Nadezhda Petrovna doesn’t seem to wear them very often, – Elena stopped, wiping her hands with a towel.
– What are you saying! She loves this kind of thing, she’s just too shy to say it. Come on, Lena, it’s Nikolai’s mom! – Natalia’s voice was so convincing that Elena gave in.
– Okay, I agree. When will we buy?
– You know, I have things to do now. Buy it yourself, and I’ll give you the money later, – Natalia quickly answered and hung up.
Elena sighed. She worked as an accountant in a small company and was used to counting money. It was too much to give away thirty thousand for a gift at once, but for the sake of good relations with her mother-in-law she decided to do it. In the end, fifteen thousand would come back.
Nadezhda Petrovna was pleased with the gift. Elena still remembered how her mother-in-law’s eyes shone when she tried on the silver set with amber.
“You are so great, girls!” Nadezhda Petrovna rejoiced, pressing the jewelry to her chest. “Real daughters!”
Natalya then only nodded modestly, as if it was entirely her merit.
A month passed. The money from Natalia still hadn’t arrived. Elena delicately reminded her sister-in-law about the debt several times, but she always found reasons: either the car broke down, or the children got sick, or the bonus was delayed.
Elena just sighed. She had already gotten used to the fact that her husband’s family treated her finances as a common pot. Either her father-in-law would ask to “borrow until payday,” or her mother-in-law would hint at a new saucepan. They rarely returned it.
————————————–
Nikolai, her husband, never interfered in these money matters. His standard phrase was: “Well, this is a family, Len. Don’t be petty.”
They lived in a two-room apartment that Nikolai inherited from his grandmother. Small but cozy, it was located in the old part of the city. Elena put her heart and soul into their modest home, but she always dreamed of having her own apartment.
And now, two years after the wedding, her dream has come true – the construction of a new building has been completed, where Elena bought an apartment on a mortgage before meeting her husband. But immediately with finishing.
One evening Natalia called unexpectedly.
– Lenochka, they say your apartment is ready? – there was an unusual animation in the sister-in-law’s voice. – I’m so happy for you! Maybe we can go and see it together?
Elena was surprised by such sudden interest.
“Yes, you can,” she answered cautiously. “I was going to pick up the keys tomorrow and look at everything.”
– Excellent! – Natalia exclaimed. – I’ll pick you up at ten, okay?
The next day they were walking up the stairs of the new building together. For some reason Natalia was walking ahead, as if it was her apartment.
– Wow, what a spacious hallway! – Natalia admired, looking around the hallway. – And the kitchen is so big! And the balcony! Look at the view!
She walked around the apartment, looking into every corner, opening cupboards, checking the work of the faucet in the bathroom. Elena watched her silently, feeling strangely uneasy.
“I think you’ll settle in very well here,” Natalia said in an expert tone. “Although, of course, it’s a bit far from the center.”
“I like this area,” Elena answered quietly. “Quiet, green.”
“And what does Nikolai say?” asked Natalya, looking closely at Elena.
“He likes it too,” Elena shrugged.
Natalya nodded thoughtfully, continuing to examine the apartment. Her close attention to every detail was beginning to irritate Elena.
“We should probably go,” Elena suggested, locking one of the rooms.
“Yes, yes, of course,” Natalya answered absentmindedly, as if waking up from her thoughts. “You know, you’re lucky. Having your own apartment is such a rarity these days.”
On the way back Natalya was unusually silent. Only at the entrance to Elena’s house she suddenly asked:
– Listen, have you thought about renting out this apartment? It would be a good additional income.
Elena shook her head.
– No, Nikolai and I didn’t talk about this.
– Well, think about it, – Natalia patted Elena on the shoulder. – By the way, about that money for the gift… Maybe you should wait a little longer? I have such expenses now…
Elena nodded, but inside she had a bad feeling. Something in Natalia’s behavior was alarming.
Several months passed. The snow melted, the trees were covered with tender greenery, and the last issues with the new building were resolved. Elena had already started planning the move with Nikolai. One day, during a family dinner at the house of her mother-in-law Nadezhda Petrovna, she casually mentioned their plans.
“Kolya and I are thinking of moving to my apartment in the near future,” Elena was putting the salad on plates. “It’s more conveniently located. It’s only twenty minutes to work.”
“What about your apartment?” asked Nadezhda Petrovna, raising her eyebrows.
“We’ll rent it out,” Nikolai replied, helping himself to some potatoes. “It’s a good extra income.”
Elena noticed how Natalia and her mother-in-law exchanged glances. It was a short glance, but something strange flashed in it – as if a silent agreement.
After this conversation, Natalia changed. She began calling almost every day, coming to visit without an invitation, and all the time started talking about family values.
At the beginning of May, when Elena was unpacking her things for the move, Natalya dropped by again without warning.
“Can you imagine, my mother dreams of a dacha so much,” she began, settling down on the sofa with a cup of tea. “She says she wants all the grandchildren to gather together in the summer, in the fresh air.”
“Yes?” Elena responded absentmindedly, sorting through the books. “I’ve never heard her say that before.”
“She’s embarrassed to speak directly,” Natalya traced the edge of the cup with her finger. “But she admitted to me that she always dreamed of a big family house outside the city.”
Elena shrugged. The dacha theme didn’t interest her. She hated mosquitoes, dirt under her nails and digging in the ground. She had lived in the city since childhood and didn’t understand the charm of country life.
“Let him dream,” Elena answered laconically.
– No, you don’t understand, – Natalya put the cup on the table and leaned forward. – This will be for the whole family! For us, for the children, for future generations!
– Natasha, I’m sincerely happy for Mom, but this idea doesn’t inspire me, – Elena continued to collect books. – You can buy a dacha if you want.
Natalia bit her lip.
— We don’t have that kind of money.
The topic of the dacha came up more and more often. By mid-May, Natalia had become simply unbearable. She made appointments, showed Elena photographs of some plots and houses.
One evening, when they were sitting in the kitchen, Natalia laid out glossy brochures on the table.
– Look how beautiful it is! – Her eyes were shining. – Two floors, its own bathhouse, vegetable garden, gazebo!
Elena silently leafed through the brochures, not understanding why they were showing her all this.
– And now the most important thing, – Natalia lowered her voice to a whisper. – We can sell the apartment! And then we’ll buy a summer house for the whole family.
“What apartment?” Elena asked, confused, although she already knew the answer inside.
– Well, yours, in a new building, – Natalya answered as if nothing had happened. – You and Kolya will live in the old apartment. Why do you need two?
Elena froze, not believing her ears.
– Natasha, are you serious right now?
– Absolutely! – the sister-in-law smiled. – Mom will be happy, we will all get together in the summer.
Elena took a deep breath, trying to calm herself.
– Natasha, this is my apartment. I bought it with my own money. Nikolay and I are planning to live there.
“But you decided to stay in the old apartment!” Natalya was indignant.
– No, you misunderstood me. We are moving to a new apartment and will rent out the old one.
Natalia pressed her lips into a thin line.
– Lena, you don’t understand. Mom is already set on the dacha. I promised her.
– What did you promise her? – Elena straightened up. – That I would sell my apartment and give the money for the dacha?
Natalia lowered her eyes.
— Not exactly like that… But in general, yes.
“And who will this dacha be registered to?” Elena asked directly.
Natalya became confused and began to tug at the edge of the tablecloth.
“Well, since this is a family acquisition… it makes sense to register it in my name,” she muttered. “I’ll do everything sensibly, everything will be fair.”
Elena couldn’t help but burst out laughing.
– So I have to sell the apartment, give you the money, and you buy a summer house and register it in your name? – Elena shook her head. – Do I understand correctly?
– What’s wrong with that? – Natalia raised her voice. – You’re part of the family! We should all help each other!
– Natasha, you didn’t even return fifteen thousand for the gift to your mother, and now you’re talking about millions?
– You’re still counting! – Natalya screamed, jumping up from her chair. – You’re greedy! You don’t feel sorry for anything for your family! That’s what a real wife and daughter-in-law would do!
“A real wife cares first and foremost about her family – her husband and future children,” Elena answered firmly. “And I’m not going to give up my apartment for a dacha that will be registered in your name.”
– This is just pettiness! – Natalia grabbed her bag. – I’ll tell Mom everything!
When Nikolai returned from work in the evening, Elena told him about her sister’s visit.
– Kolya, do you know that your sister expects me to sell my apartment for a summer house?
Nikolai frowned.
– It can’t be. Why would she need this?
“Ask her yourself,” Elena held out the phone. “Call her right now.”
The conversation did not last long. Elena heard her husband’s voice becoming harsher.
“Natasha, are you out of your mind?” he finally said. “This is our apartment, and we’re going to live in it. No summer houses. And stop messing with Mom’s head.
After this call, the topic of the dacha was no longer raised. At family gatherings, Natalya sat quietly, like a mouse offended by the grain. She avoided looking Elena in the eye and communicated with her only when necessary.
Elena didn’t care. The main thing was that she protected her property and showed that such tricks wouldn’t work with her.
“You know,” Nikolai said once, “I always thought that Natasha was just frivolous. But it turned out that she was calculating.”
“You know people when it comes to money,” Elena noted philosophically.
