The divorce with Misha was somehow ordinary. No shouting, no breaking of dishes. There was really nothing to divide. Tanya got the apartment from her parents before she got married, and she also bought the car herself. Misha took his things, books and left. Without unnecessary words, as if he was leaving not forever, but for a couple of days on a business trip.
Tanya put the document aside. Now this paper was just one of many. Once it seemed that divorce was something terrible, irreversible. But it turned out to be an ordinary document with a seal and signatures.
The dacha also remained with Tanya. She bought it before she met Misha, and registered it in her name. A small plot of six hundred square meters with a small house, an old apple tree and currant bushes. Nothing special, but a quiet, peaceful place. Misha was never particularly eager to go there, but his mother, Nina Sergeyevna, loved to go there. Every season she came with seedlings, jars, and supplies. And with her own order.
– Tanechka, how can you plant like that? Tomatoes and cucumbers next to each other! Everyone knows that they can’t be close! – Nina Sergeyevna clutched her heart, as if Tanya was committing a terrible crime.
“I’ve been planting like this for years, Nina Sergeyevna, and nothing. Everything grows,” Tanya tried to justify herself.
“Oh, the youth. They don’t know anything, they can’t do anything,” the mother-in-law sighed and began to redo everything in her own way.
Tanya spent the winter after the divorce at home. Enjoyed the silence. No one turned the TV on full blast during football matches anymore. No one threw socks around. No one asked what was for dinner, as if that was the only female responsibility.
After work, she could sit in a chair with a book and read as much as she wanted. Or just lie down and look at the ceiling. For the first time in many years, Tanya felt how nice it was to just listen to the silence. In this silence, she recognized herself again. It turns out that she likes to paint with watercolors. And also – to put together puzzles. And she also likes to dance when no one is watching.
In the spring, she felt drawn to nature. She wanted to get out of the apartment, breathe fresh air. Tanya decided to go to the dacha, just to relax. Not to dig, not to plant, not to weed. Maybe to work on the flower beds – she always loved flowers. To tidy up the house after the winter, whitewash the trees, sit on the veranda.
On Friday after work, Tanya packed the necessary things into a bag: jeans, T-shirts, a sweatshirt, rubber boots. She threw the groceries into the trunk and hit the road. She got there quickly – there were almost no traffic jams. It was already getting dark when she turned onto a familiar dirt road.
The May evening smelled of lilac and young grass. The windows of the neighboring houses glowed with warm light. Here and there, summer residents were already scurrying about on their plots, missing the land over the winter. Tanya parked by the gate and pulled her bags out of the trunk. It seemed that ahead lay silence, peace, and a few days just for herself.
Walking towards the house, Tanya noticed that the light was on in the window. Strange. Maybe she forgot to turn it off in the fall? Although no, she definitely did. Maybe the neighbors? But they don’t have keys.
Tanya carefully opened the gate and walked to the house. The yard was tidy, the beds were dug up and carefully marked with ropes. Some sprouts were already greening in the flowerbed. Tanya looked around in surprise. Someone was obviously busy in the area.
The door to the house was unlocked. Tanya carefully pushed it and froze on the threshold. Nina Sergeyevna was sitting at the table on the veranda. Wrapped in a blanket, with a cup of tea and a magazine in her hands. Her house slippers with pompoms stood by the entrance. On the table was an open jar of pickled cucumbers. As always.
Tanya stood at the door, confused. Nina Sergeyevna looked up and, seeing her former daughter-in-law, smiled as if nothing special had happened.
– Tanyusha! And I thought you were coming tomorrow, – she adjusted her glasses. – Would you like some tea? I just made it.
– Nina Sergeyevna? – was all Tanya could squeeze out. – You… how are you here?
– As usual, – the mother-in-law shrugged. – I always come in the spring. I prepared the beds, brought the seedlings. We’ll plant tomorrow.
“But we…” Tanya hesitated, not knowing how to remind him about the divorce.
“I know that you and Misha got divorced,” Nina Sergeyevna said calmly, stirring her tea. “But that doesn’t mean that the land should be empty. As always, I prepared everything. It’s usual.”
Tanya stood silently in the doorway. Something inside her tightened. Had nothing really changed? Not the divorce, not all those words that had been said, that coldness in the last months of marriage, those scandals…
“Nina Sergeyevna,” Tanya began, not knowing what she would say next. “But Misha and I are no longer…”
– Yes, I know, I know, – interrupted the mother-in-law. – But the dacha is there. And I’ve gotten used to it. And you’ve gotten used to it. And Misha has his own life now, a new family. He has no time for the garden beds.
– A new family? – Tanya winced. Of course, she guessed that Misha wouldn’t be alone for long. But for some reason these words cut unpleasantly.
– Well, yes, – nodded Nina Sergeyevna, as if they were talking about something very ordinary. – He got married a month ago. To his Irina, from the accounting department. I said he was in a hurry, but he’s a grown man.
Tanya slowly lowered her bag to the floor. For some reason, this news made it harder to breathe. She had imagined so many times how Misha would suffer, regret the divorce. And he just got married. So quickly, as if their ten years together had never happened.
– So, will you have some tea? – Nina Sergeyevna asked again, as if not noticing the state of her former daughter-in-law. – And help me unpack the bed. My back is aching, and it’s hard to do it alone.
Tanya looked at this elderly woman who sat in her house as if she had every right to do so. Who spoke about her son’s new wife so casually, as if Tanya were just an acquaintance. Who was in charge of the property as if nothing had changed.
Something inside Tanya began to boil. Something that she had been holding back for a long time, something that she had not given an outlet to. Something similar to resentment, anger and disappointment at the same time.
– Nina Sergeyevna, – Tanya’s voice sounded unusually firm. – This is my home. Not your family hotel. Misha and I got divorced, he has a new family, and you all act like nothing has changed?!
Nina Sergeevna put down her cup and looked at Tanya over her glasses.
– What has changed? The land is the same, the beds are the same. And I am the same. And you. Only Misha is gone.
“Everything has changed,” Tanya took a step forward. “Everything, you understand? And I’m no longer obligated to…”
Nina Sergeevna pursed her lips and crossed her arms over her chest.
— Not obliged to what? Take care of the land? Maintain order? Or did you think that the dacha would maintain itself?
Tanya moved away from the door and slowly walked deeper into the house. She put her bag on the floor and looked around. For the first time in a long time, she really saw how much the interior had changed. This was no longer her home. Her mother-in-law reigned there.
Everywhere there are bright tablecloths with a floral pattern, which Tanya never liked. Embroidered sofa cushions. Kitten figurines on the windowsill. Opening the refrigerator, Tanya saw rows of jars with preserves: cucumbers, tomatoes, compotes. Everything is neatly labeled in her mother-in-law’s handwriting.
“Your things are everywhere,” Tanya said, closing the refrigerator. “As if this is your home. As if you are the mistress here.”
– What’s wrong? – Nina Sergeyevna stood up and started straightening the napkins on the table. – I always came here. I can’t abandon the beds. This is my season too. I’ve already prepared the seedlings, made a planting calendar.
– But this is my house. My property.
Nina Sergeevna shrugged her shoulders, as if formalities like property rights did not concern her.
“Misha will come back,” the mother-in-law said confidently. “Well, he’ll come back. He’ll understand that he was talking over his head.”
Tanya shook her head. She couldn’t believe her ears.
– Nina Sergeevna, Misha got married. A month ago. You just said it yourself.
“It’s all temporary,” the mother-in-law waved her off as if she were an annoying fly. “So what if he signed. It won’t take long to tear up the papers. He loves you, but he’s got a difficult character. He’s just like his father.”
– He’s going to have a baby, – Tanya looked straight into her mother-in-law’s eyes. – With Irina. They’re expecting a baby. Misha himself said so when they were re-registering the car documents.
The mother-in-law hesitated for a moment, but quickly pulled herself together.
– So what? Children are good. But you could too… If you tried harder.
Tanya clenched her fists. This old song. Ten years of marriage, and all these hints: “It’s about time for you to do it already”, “The clock is ticking”, “Everyone already has grandchildren”.
– We’ve already discussed this. A thousand times. I couldn’t have children. And Misha knew it even before our wedding.
“Medicine doesn’t stand still…” the mother-in-law began, but Tanya interrupted her.
– You know that’s not the point. It wasn’t that simple. And it’s not that simple now either. This dacha is my property. I bought it before my marriage to Misha.
“But we’ve been coming here for so many years,” the mother-in-law’s voice sounded offended. “We had our family barbecues here, birthdays. So many memories! I planted rose bushes – with all my heart! My favorite ones. Burgundy ones. I even have photos of how Misha and I put up the gazebo.”
Tanya sighed. Yes, they came here as a family. Yes, they had good times. But that was all in the past. Now this was her home, and hers alone.
– You see, I am no longer your son’s wife. I am not part of your family. I do not need to be polite or patient with you to keep the peace. We are just strangers now.
Nina Sergeevna frowned.
– How are we strangers, Tanechka? We’ve been together for so many years. I’m like family to you… I shared recipes, advice…
Tanya thought about those “tips”. “Misha likes it when the eggs are not runny”, “Misha can’t stand it when socks are in different places”, “Misha’s head hurts from your perfume”.
– I am grateful to you for everything you did. Really. But now I have my own life. And you have yours.
The mother-in-law was silent, running her finger along the rim of the cup.
– What should I do now? Where should I grow seedlings? I’m used to this land. And the neighbors here are familiar.
Tanya felt irritation growing inside her. This conversation was going nowhere. At some point, Tanya simply couldn’t take it anymore:
– We’ve been divorced for a long time, he has a new family, and you’re all here as if I’m still his wife! – she said firmly and calmly. – This is my home, not your family hotel!
Nina Sergeyevna fell silent. It seemed that these words had finally reached her. Her mother-in-law put the cup on the table and pursed her lips. Silence hung in the room.
“Ingratitude, that’s what it is,” the mother-in-law finally muttered. “So many years of care… And where am I supposed to plant seedlings now? Misha has this… Irina now. And I only have the balcony.”
Tanya didn’t answer. Instead, she walked up to the front door and pointed to the gate. The gesture was more eloquent than any words.
“The keys, please,” Tanya said quietly but firmly.
Nina Sergeevna looked at her former daughter-in-law with distrust.
– Are you serious?
– Absolutely. The keys.
The mother-in-law rose heavily, took a bundle out of her pocket and put it on the table. Then she slowly began to gather her things: glasses, a magazine, a shawl.
“I thought we were human,” said Nina Sergeyevna, putting on her jacket. “I thought we had become closer over the years. But it turns out that all these heart-to-heart talks, advice, care – all in vain.
“Not in vain,” Tanya answered. “There’s just a time for everything. And our time is up.”
Nina Sergeyevna pursed her lips, picked up her bag and headed for the exit. At the gate she turned around, as if expecting Tanya to change her mind and call her back. But Tanya only looked – calmly and firmly. The mother-in-law waved her hand and left.
Tanya closed the door behind her and went back into the house. There was silence, such as there had never been with her mother-in-law. Tanya went to the table, took off the bright tablecloth with a floral pattern and folded it. Then she opened the windows, letting in the fresh spring air. She took a deep breath.
For the first time in a long time, the air in the house belonged only to her. Without foreign smells, without foreign rules, without foreign expectations. Tanya walked through the rooms, collecting her mother-in-law’s things – pillows, figurines, albums. All this could be passed on through mutual friends.
And then she took her sketchbook out of her bag. She sat down on the porch and began to sketch – an old apple tree, currant bushes, and that same bed of roses that her mother-in-law had planted. Well, maybe the roses should stay. They really are beautiful. But now they will grow differently – not as a reminder of the past, but as part of a new present.
The sun was setting below the horizon, painting the sky in soft shades of pink. Tanya put her notebook aside and simply sat, watching the sunset. Freedom is a strange thing. It is hard to accept right away. It seems that without the usual boundaries and frames, life will fall apart. But then comes the understanding – these boundaries only prevented you from breathing.
Tanya smiled and closed her eyes, exposing her face to the last rays of the sun. Tomorrow would be a new day. And the dacha would finally become what she had always seen it as – a cozy place where she could be herself. Without looking back at other people’s expectations. Without the need to conform. Just home. Her home.
