Marish, can you help Mom? She needs to wallpaper her room. She started renovating, but now she’s complaining about her back. She’s already removed the old ones, but she needs help putting up the new ones,” Eugene asked his wife as she was putting away the washed dishes in the cupboard. “You’re on vacation anyway, and I really can’t take the weekend off right now.”
Nadezhda Ivanovna was fond of her daughter-in-law. They got along well, and the young woman thought that she should not refuse to help if someone asked. The mother-in-law herself would not have called her, feeling shy. Perhaps she subtly hinted to her son that she needed help?
“Of course. I’ll call her in the morning, and we’ll arrange when I can come.”
“You better surprise her. Let’s buy a commuter train ticket right now? I can drive you to the station in the morning?”
Marina just shrugged. Why not? It was no trouble for her, and it would please her mother-in-law. Together they would quickly handle the minor repairs. It would also be a nice change of scenery and a bit of a break. Her husband bought Marina a ticket, she packed her things in a backpack, and the next morning she was on the commuter train, thinking it would be nice to stop by the store to buy something for tea. Maybe even flowers for her mother-in-law?
Nadezhda Ivanovna was indeed surprised by Marina’s visit. She hadn’t expected her son to ask his wife to help her mother, and was touched. After reviewing the work to be done, Marina concluded she would need to stay at least three days. She informed her husband that she was already there and wouldn’t be home earlier than three days later, and perhaps might even stay an extra day.
However, Nadezhda Ivanovna hadn’t planned to do everything herself. She had hired workers who were supposed to help with the wallpapering. She mainly called her son to ask for some extra money to pay them, but he misunderstood. He transferred the money, of course, but also sent his wife to help.
“And he sent you to help too. But we’ll clean up quickly after them, and you’ll be able to return home,” the mother-in-law smiled. “Thank you, Marish, for responding.”
“There’s nothing to thank me for.”
While Marina went to the store at her mother-in-law’s request to buy groceries, the workers arrived and began the job. When she returned, Marina started preparing lunch. Her mother-in-law really wanted to not only pay the workers but also feed them some delicious stewed potatoes.
“Marina? What a meeting!” – the young woman heard a familiar voice.
“Alexey?” – she was surprised, turning toward the worker wiping his hands on his overalls. – “Really, what an unexpected encounter.”
Marina had been friends with Alexey when she lived in an orphanage. He often stood up for her against others, shared his treats with her, and when he graduated, he gave her an owl carved from wood. Marina kept the gift, as well as fond memories of a friend who disappeared and gave no sign of himself afterward.
While helping the guys apply glue to the sheets, Marina talked with Alexey. The man told her that he had joined the army right after graduation, and as soon as he returned, they loaded him with work. He wanted to earn for a better life, which they always dreamed about in the orphanage.
Apparently, it didn’t turn out better, since he was doing repair work. For some reason, this thought made Marina feel bitter, sorry, because Alexey had always been such a driven guy. She wished she could help him settle in life. After all, Marina had once been in love with him. Knowing that his girlfriend had a family, Alexey didn’t say that he still had feelings for her, though it was hard to hide. He had looked for Marina when he returned, but couldn’t find her because she didn’t maintain social media pages, and no one knew where she moved after graduation and couldn’t tell him.
They managed to finish the repairs on the first day. Everyone worked smoothly, and the room even seemed larger thanks to the new light wallpaper. Marina decided to stay at her mother-in-law’s overnight, clean up, and go home in the morning since they finished everything quickly. Just then, a colleague from work called her and asked to cover for her. Extra work never hurts.
Alexey offered to drive Marina because he also needed to go to the city and buy some tools for work. It was even better than taking the commuter train, where often very drunk people roamed.
The mother-in-law glanced suspiciously at Marina, surprised that her daughter-in-law was so kindly chatting with the worker, but said nothing. Perhaps she decided to stick to her conclusions?
Marina didn’t think to call her husband to warn him that she would return home earlier. It would be a surprise. She would arrive, cook a delicious dinner, and meet him in a beautiful dress, and then… maybe they would conceive a child? Marina dreamed of a baby, and the day was just conducive to conception.
After saying goodbye to her mother-in-law, asking her to call if she needed help, Marina got into Alexey’s car and went home. Nadezhda Ivanovna only disapprovingly shook her head, even wrote down the car’s number. Did she really think her daughter-in-law would cheat on her son?
With Alexey, it was easy and simple. Marina offered to help her old friend get a better job. She wanted to somehow help the man on his path to fulfilling the dreams of childhood.
“I’ll talk to the boss, maybe he’ll offer you something worthwhile, because you’re clever, with unconventional thinking. Such people are very needed in various fields, it’s a waste to spend talent on repairs.”
Alexey laughed and nodded. He didn’t argue with Marina, because he wanted to meet her again, though now he understood that he had no chance. Having driven the woman to her building, Alexey bit his tongue, just so as not to say that he was still in love with the girl who had dazzled him back in childhood. He didn’t want to ruin the woman’s marriage and interfere in her relationship with her husband. If she was on such good terms with her mother-in-law, it meant she was happy with her husband. Alexey had to be happy for Marishka and move on, forever leaving behind the dream of one day finding her and telling her everything he had kept silent before.
Marina climbed to her floor, inserted the key into the lock, but somehow it didn’t turn. Was it Eugene’s day off? After ringing the bell, the woman waited for the man to open the door. Nothing terrible, the surprise failed. They would cook dinner together, or maybe go to a restaurant? Unlikely, as they were saving every penny because her husband wanted to buy a new car on credit and was saving for the down payment. He decided to keep the old one, saying he would use it to go fishing or to the cottage, where it was a pity to drive the new one.
The door was opened by a slender dark-skinned stranger, dressed in Marina’s favorite silk robe! The woman recoiled, glowered at the uninvited guest, and clenched her teeth. How dared she wear her clothes?
“Where is my husband, and what are you doing in my apartment? In my clothes?” – Marina asked, almost shouting. Her voice resonated, its vibrations scratching her throat.
“In your clothes?” – the stranger was surprised, wrapping the robe around her chest. – “What do you mean?”
“It means you’re going to answer my questions right now, or I can’t guarantee for myself.”
The stranger sobbed, stepping back under Marina’s pressure, letting the owner into the apartment. She looked at the woman fearfully, clenching her fists.
“I came here to visit my fiancé. Eugen said his sister, with whom he lives, went on a business trip, and we could…”
A lover, then!..
Marina expected anything. She would have believed the dumbest version, like – her husband rented the apartment by the day, but she didn’t want to believe the truth. How could this be? Her beloved husband cheated on her! Brought a lover into the apartment while Marina helped his mother with renovations.
“Pack up, and make sure your feet are not here again! I’m not Eugen’s sister, but his wife.”
“Now the former,” – Marina thought, but did not voice her thoughts. The stranger was even more frightened, rushed into the room, and began pulling on her clothes, while Marina pondered. How many of her clothes had she managed to try on? Now she didn’t want to take anything. Maybe it’s not the first lover? And each one wore her clothes? Yes, this robe hung on her like a sack! Sobbing with offense as soon as the door slammed shut behind Eugen’s lover, Marina began to pack her things, but felt a repulsion to the clothes. Taking only valuable items, documents, jewelry, and her laptop, the woman looked at two stuffed suitcases. She decided that if her husband treated her so cruelly, she would teach him a lesson and take all the savings, because now she needed to settle into life, buy new clothes, and furnish the apartment she had received from the state. They had planned to renovate it and rent it out, but never got around to it. Now there was a reason.
Wiping tears with the backs of her hands, Marina tried to calm down. She attempted to call a taxi, but all the cars were busy. What a rush hour it was? The woman did not want to stay in the apartment any longer. Surely the lover had already called Eugen, and he would rush home earlier to justify himself to his wife. Meeting him now was not something she wanted at all. Her hands itched to give him a proper thrashing.
Marina didn’t even realize she had dialed Alexey’s number. Crying, she spoke incoherently, asked him to come for her if he hadn’t driven far away yet. Alexey promised he would be there soon. Marina didn’t remember how she got out of the car and ended up in the car of her old friend. She told him what had happened and asked him to drive her to her apartment.
The bare icy walls greeted them with their threatening appearance.
“And you’re going to live here? There’s nowhere even to sleep!” – Alexey was surprised.
“Better here than with a husband.”
“No, Marin, it won’t work this way. Let’s do this, you know? I’ll take you to my place for now, you can stay with me for a while. I’m rarely home, mostly just come to sleep. My crew will do the renovations here, and then you can move in.”
“And how much will that cost? I don’t know if I have enough now for renovations and buying furniture. I’ll have to buy new things too.”
“For you, it will be free.”
Marina didn’t argue, she thought she would definitely repay Alexey later. When the man brought her to his apartment, Marina was shocked. Could one really earn so much on renovations? A huge three-room apartment, even in the city center!.. Alexey hurried to confess that he was not a laborer. He managed several crews, but if they were short-handed and had many orders, he didn’t mind stepping in himself, replacing someone and stretching his legs. Marina just nodded. She was mistaken, but now she couldn’t regret it.
Her husband began calling and begging for a chance, he said he would definitely explain everything to his wife, pleaded for her forgiveness, but Marina didn’t even want to listen. She could forgive a lot, but such betrayal – never. Infidelity is the worst thing that can be. If he cheated once, he wouldn’t stop and would definitely do it again. And why stay with such a person? He even dared to introduce her as his sister.
Marina didn’t hesitate and filed for divorce. Meeting Eugen, who was lurking near her work, she demanded he not come near her again, threatened that she would go to the police and complain about stalking. The husband even tried to demand that she return part of the savings she had taken, but realized he had no chance. Marina had saved most of it from her salary and didn’t plan to share it with the unfaithful.
Nadezhda Ivanovna started calling her daughter-in-law and asking to give her son a chance. As soon as Marina brushed her off with her refusal, the woman showed her true attitude toward her, started shouting that Marina herself had been flirting with men, yes the mother-in-law had been silent, but now she would tell her son everything. She told him, and Eugen had a perfect reason to reproach his wife and blame her for things she hadn’t actually done. However, this didn’t help him at all.
Alexey supported Marina. The renovation of her apartment was done quickly, they brought in inexpensive but good furniture, and Marina moved there. She tried to live on, leaving the betrayal behind. Her husband occasionally got drunk, stalked her, said he couldn’t live without her, but his tears no longer moved her.
Spending more time with Alexey, Marina realized that she hadn’t completely let go of her past feelings. After an unsuccessful marriage, she wasn’t eager to dive into new relationships, but Alexey’s support helped her move forward. After six months, the man confessed his feelings, asked her for a chance, and Marina agreed. Now they started dating, like fiancé and bride. A couple of months later, Marina learned about her pregnancy, and they filed an application at the registry office. Eugen’s life didn’t turn out so well, as the man went all out, started changing women like gloves, and soon ended up in expensive treatment with a whole bouquet of diseases. He could now only dream about a new car. As well as about a caring wife, which Marina had been.
