09/06/2025
"You've spent all your money on your son, and now you want to come live in my apartment?" — I asked my mother-in-law, who appeared at the door with her suitcases.
The keys jingled in the lock. Margarita opened the apartment door. Voices came from the kitchen, and a familiar smell of borscht filled the hallway. Her heart began to beat faster, and her teeth involuntarily clenched. Again. Viktoria Pavlovna had shown up at her house unannounced.
“Olezhenka, what kind of plov is she cooking for you? That’s not food, it’s a mockery!” her mother-in-law’s sharp voice echoed from the kitchen. “I brought you homemade chicken. From Aunt Zina at the dacha, not that chemical crap from the supermarket.”
Margarita slowly took off her coat and hung it up carefully. Trying not to make the floor creak, she approached the kitchen door. Oleg was sitting at the table, his expression utterly happy, while Viktoria Pavlovna bustled around the stove as if she were in her home.
"Mom, why are you doing this? Rita said she'd cook," Oleg said with his mouth full, swallowing another spoonful of soup.
"What can she cook?" Viktoria Pavlovna snorted, continuing to chop vegetables. "I've seen how she makes dumplings. Are those really dumplings? They look like children's dumplings!"
Margarita clenched her fists so tightly that her nails dug into her palms. Unable to contain herself any longer, she entered the kitchen.
Trying to maintain a neutral tone, she said:
"Good evening. I didn't know we had guests."
Viktoria Pavlovna started and turned away. A flash of displeasure crossed her face, soon replaced by a fake smile.
"Rita, dear! I just thought I'd prepare a decent meal for you. Olezhenka is coming home from work hungry, and you don't have time," the mother-in-law said in a sweet voice full of venom.
Oleg He got up from the table, kissed his wife on the cheek, and, contentedly rubbing his stomach, said:
"Mom made the borscht. Do you want some?"
"No, thanks, I'm not hungry," Margarita replied, moving away from him. "We said I'd cook tonight."
"But Mom's already done everything," Oleg shrugged. "Why stress yourself out now?"
Viktoria Pavlovna smiled triumphantly and returned to the stove.
"Oleg, can we talk for a moment?" Margarita said, gesturing toward the living room.
In the living room, Margarita decisively closed the door and turned abruptly to her husband.
"How much longer is this story going to go on?" he asked, crossing his arms. "Your mother shows up uninvited, takes control of my kitchen, and I'm tired."
"What's so terrible about it?" Oleg shrugged, confused. "Mom takes care of us. She brought the groceries, She cooked. Others would be happy!
"It's humiliating to me," Margarita pressed her fingers to her temples. "She acts as if I'm incapable. She's always criticizing. And you don't even notice!"
"You're exaggerating," Oleg said with a wave of his hand. "Mom's used to taking care of others. She does it for my own good."
"And what am I in this apartment?" Margarita's voice trembled. "I remind you, this apartment used to belong to my grandmother. And your mother acts as if it were hers!"
"Don't start," Oleg snorted. "I'm tired of work, I just want to eat in peace. Can't you just be happy that someone is taking care of us?"
Just at that moment, the door opened without knocking, and Viktoria Pavlovna appeared on the threshold, a towel in her hand.
"Guys, what are you talking about in low voices?" she asked in an overly cheerful tone. "Rita, don't just stand there, come here." Let's eat. Olezhenka, I made you some kompot, the one you like so much.
Oleg smiled radiantly and, throwing a warning look at his wife, returned to the kitchen.
"Thanks, Mom, you're the best!"
Margarita was left alone, watching the two of them—her husband and mother-in-law—walk away. The Sunday meals, the ironed shirts, the new clothes—were only the facade of a strange relationship. Behind them lay Oleg's complete dependence on maternal care.
"Rita!" came the mother-in-law's voice. "I see you're out of salt! Tomorrow I'll bring you more, along with the sunflower oil. The kind you buy is full of chemical filth!"
Margarita gritted her teeth. At thirty-five, her husband was still a "suckling pig." And she, without realizing it, had become the intruder in a family triangle that didn't belong to her.
A week later, Margarita walked slowly home. It had been a hard day at Work. She just wanted to rest and not think about anything.
As she approached her building, she noticed a shiny black BMW shining proudly in the sun. Next to the car stood Oleg, excited like a child, gesticulating as if explaining something to an invisible friend. Viktoria Pavlovna fluttered around him like a mother hen with her most precious chick. Margarita paused for a moment, watching the scene from afar.
"Rita!" Oleg, seeing his wife, ran toward her.