“It’s Not Up for Discussion. You’re Going to the Country House on Saturday,” My Mother-in-Law Declared. I Didn’t Argue—I Simply Put an End to the Matter
Friday evening crept into the apartment together with the damp chill coming through the open window vent. Anna sat on the edge of the sofa, holding her one-year-old son close to her chest. The little boy was breathing heavily, his cheeks were burning, and half an hour earlier the thermometer had shown 38.6°C.
The room was quiet. Only the lamp on the coffee table flickered softly. Anna stared blankly ahead, absentmindedly stroking the child’s damp hair at the back of his head.
The sound of a key turning in the lock made her flinch.
The door swung open without waiting for an invitation. Her mother-in-law, Larisa Vasilyevna, stepped over the threshold with the determination of a parade commander. Behind her stood Sergey, shifting awkwardly and guiltily avoiding his wife’s eyes.
“Start packing,” Larisa Vasilyevna announced from the doorway, throwing her handbag onto the cabinet. “We leave tomorrow at seven in the morning. We’re having barbecue, my sisters are coming from Ryazan. The meat needs marinating, the floors need washing, and the gazebo needs touching up with paint. Seryozha has already canceled his fishing trip for the sake of the family. It’s not up for discussion.”
Anna raised her red, exhausted eyes toward her.
Her lips were dry, and speaking was difficult, but she still said quietly:
“Larisa Vasilyevna, Yegor has a fever. He needs to stay in bed right now. I can’t take him bouncing along the highway.”
Her mother-in-law did not even look at the child. She walked into the kitchen, poured herself a glass of water from the pitcher, took a sip, and grimaced.
“It’s just a common cold. You’ve tormented him with drafts, and this is the result. Fresh air will cure him in no time. And stop making excuses. The entire family is going to be there, and once again you’ll be hiding behind a sick child. What kind of mother are you, anyway? Do you want people saying that Seryozha’s wife is antisocial?”
Sergey cleared his throat in the hallway as he took off his shoes.
“Mom, maybe she’s right. If he’s sick… maybe we should stay home?”
“What?” Larisa Vasilyevna turned her entire body toward him. “Have you forgotten that Uncle Kolya promised to help with extending the veranda? Don’t you care about our house at all? Anechka is used to dumping everything on other people. No. We’re all going tomorrow.”
Anna slowly laid her son down on a pillow and stood up.
Her voice sounded unexpectedly calm.
“All right, Larisa Vasilyevna. I understand. Give me your keys. I’ll stop by and feed your cat, since I’m staying in the city anyway.”
Her mother-in-law froze for a moment.
She had clearly expected tears or objections. But she quickly regained her composure, pulled a set of keys from her handbag, and tossed them onto the dresser.
“Here. The cat food is in the refrigerator. And don’t forget to water the geraniums. Use the settled water in the bucket. I’ll check when I get back.”
Sergey shifted from one foot to the other.
“And you… you’re definitely not going?” he asked his wife uncertainly.
Anna smiled faintly with only the corners of her lips. She was holding her phone, and on its screen was the floor plan of an apartment, though only a very attentive person would have noticed.
“Don’t worry, Seryozha. I’ll take care of everything. You go with your mother and help her. I’ll stay with Yegor.”
When the door closed behind them, Anna picked up her mother-in-law’s keys, turned them over in her hand, and placed them in the hallway drawer.
Then she opened a messaging app on her phone and quickly typed:
“Tomorrow at nine. We’re collecting the keys from the developer. I’ll be there.”
Saturday morning was hectic.
Larisa Vasilyevna insisted that everything be loaded strictly according to her list. Sergey ran back and forth carrying bags and installing the child safety seat, but his mother decisively claimed the front passenger seat.
“Yegor is little. He’ll be perfectly fine in the back,” she said sharply as she fastened her seat belt. “I need to see the road. I get sick when I sit in the back.”
Anna silently placed her son in the car seat, tucked a blanket around him, and sat beside him.
During the entire drive, Larisa Vasilyevna criticized her son’s driving, loudly complained about the dirty car windows, and repeated several times that her daughter-in-law could at least have done her hair before meeting the relatives.
When they reached the country house, the property was already buzzing with activity.
Laughter and the clatter of dishes filled the air, while smoke from the barbecue grill rose above the pine trees. Larisa Vasilyevna jumped out first and immediately rushed to hug several women wearing colorful scarves.
Sergey began unloading the luggage.
Anna picked up her son and headed toward the house.
“Where are you going?” her mother-in-law called after her. “Carry the things inside first. You can sit around afterward.”
“I need to change Yegor’s clothes and give him something to drink,” Anna replied without turning around.
She entered the veranda, where people were already setting the table. She looked around, found the handbag she had thoughtfully brought with her, and removed a small folder.
Then she asked an elderly neighbor to watch the baby for five minutes and returned to the table.
Her expression was serious.
“Larisa Vasilyevna, may I speak with you for a moment? And Seryozha, please come over too.”
The relatives fell silent, sensing that something unusual was happening.
Her mother-in-law frowned but approached.
Anna placed an open passport and a set of keys with a small house-shaped keychain on the table in front of her.
“What is this?” Larisa Vasilyevna asked, lifting the document disdainfully between two fingers.
“This, Mom, is my new address,” Sergey suddenly said, his voice trembling. “Or rather, ours. We bought a house. Our own place. In a development outside the city. A townhouse.”
A ringing silence fell over everyone.
Even the birds seemed to stop singing.
The sisters from Ryazan froze with barbecue skewers in their hands.
Larisa Vasilyevna slowly moved her gaze from the passport to her son, then to her daughter-in-law.
Her cheeks began turning red.
“What house? What development? Have you lost your minds? Without telling me?”
“We’re adults, Larisa Vasilyevna,” Anna replied calmly. “We have our own family. Yegor needs a place of his own. Somewhere without drafts and without orders.”
Her mother-in-law threw the passport aside.
“Seryozha!” she shrieked. “You let this… this upstart pull something like this? You betrayed our country house? The house where you grew up?”
“I grew up in an apartment, Mom,” Sergey said quietly. “And by the way, Anya and I helped build this country house too. With our money.”
“With your money?” Larisa Vasilyevna sneered contemptuously. “You two were always counting every penny. I bet you’re buried in debt now. I warned you! Now you’ll be sitting penniless in your little shack.”
Anna opened her handbag and pulled out another set of keys—the very same ones her mother-in-law had thrown onto the dresser the previous evening.
She placed them on top of the passport.
“I’m returning your keys. The locks in the apartment where Sergey and I used to live have already been changed, so your old keys won’t work anymore. We moved out last night. The movers worked quickly.”
The aunts began whispering among themselves.
Larisa Vasilyevna opened her mouth but could not find any words.
Then she lunged toward her son and grabbed the sleeve of his jacket.
“Seryozhenka, come to your senses! She’s manipulated you! She planned all of this deliberately! You can’t manage without me. You don’t know how to do anything!”
Sergey gently pulled his arm free.
“Mom, I can do it myself. From now on, we’ll manage on our own.”
Anna turned and headed toward the gate, holding the baby securely.
Sergey hesitated for one second, looked at his mother, then at the stunned relatives, and followed his wife.
Shouts mixed with sobbing followed them, but then the gate slammed shut, cutting off everything they no longer needed.
Two weeks passed.
The new townhouse smelled of fresh paint and wood.
Wearing an old T-shirt and paint-stained jeans, Sergey was applying the final coat of white enamel to the living room wall.
Anna was unpacking boxes of dishes.
Yegor crawled happily across a play mat, babbling cheerfully.
Outside the window, the sun shone with unusual warmth for autumn.
Sergey’s phone rang, displaying an unfamiliar number.
He put the call on speaker.
“Sergey Alexandrovich? This is the Garant notary office. We’re contacting you regarding a land plot. Are you aware that Larisa Vasilyevna Gromova has transferred ownership of her country house as a gift to Zinaida Petrovna Kovalyova? The documents have already been officially registered…”
The continuation is just below in the first comment.
Friday evening crept into the apartment along with the cold dampness coming through the open window. Anna sat on the edge of the sofa, holding her one-year-old son close to her. The boy was breathing heavily, his cheeks were burning, and half an hour earlier the thermometer had shown 38.6 degrees Celsius. The room was quiet, with only the lamp on the coffee table flickering softly. Anna stared blankly at one spot and mechanically stroked the child’s damp hair at the back of his head.
The sound of a key turning in the lock made her flinch. The door swung open without waiting for an invitation. Her mother-in-law, Larisa Vasilyevna, stepped across the threshold with the determination of a parade commander. Behind her stood Sergey, shifting awkwardly and guiltily avoiding Anna’s eyes.
«Start packing,» Larisa Vasilyevna announced from the doorway, throwing her handbag onto the cabinet. «We’re leaving tomorrow at seven in the morning. Barbecue, my sisters from Ryazan are coming. We need to make the marinade, wash the floors, and repaint the gazebo. Seryozha has already canceled his fishing trip for the sake of the family. This is not up for discussion.»
Anna raised her inflamed eyes toward her. Her lips were dry, and it was difficult to speak, but she still said quietly:
«Larisa Vasilyevna, Yegor has a fever. Right now, he should only be lying in bed. He can’t spend hours being shaken around on the highway.»
Her mother-in-law did not even look at the child. She walked into the kitchen, poured herself a glass of water from the pitcher, took a sip, and grimaced.
«It’s an ordinary cold. You’ve made him sick with all your drafts, and this is the result. Some fresh air will cure him in no time. And stop inventing excuses. The entire family will be there, while you’ll once again hide behind some illness. Are you even a mother or what? Do you want people to say that Seryozha’s wife is antisocial?»
Sergey cleared his throat in the hallway as he took off his shoes.
«Mom, maybe she’s right. If he’s sick… perhaps we should stay home?»
«What?» Larisa Vasilyevna turned her entire body toward him. «Have you forgotten that Uncle Kolya promised to help extend the veranda? Do you not care about our house? Anechka is used to shifting everything onto other people. No. Tomorrow, we’re all going.»
Anna slowly laid her son on the pillow and stood up. Her voice sounded unexpectedly calm.
«Fine, Larisa Vasilyevna. I understand. Give me your keys. I’ll stop by and feed your cat since I’ll be staying in the city anyway.»
For a second, her mother-in-law looked stunned. She had clearly expected tears or protests. But she quickly regained her composure, pulled out a key ring from her purse, and tossed it onto the chest of drawers.
«Here. The food is in the refrigerator. And don’t forget to water the geraniums. Use the settled water from the bucket. I’ll check when I get back.»
Sergey shifted from one foot to the other.
«And you… you’re really not coming?» he asked his wife uncertainly.
Anna smiled only with the corners of her lips. She was holding her phone, and on the screen was the floor plan of an apartment, though only a very attentive observer would have noticed it.
«Don’t worry, Seryozha. I’ll take care of everything. You go with your mother and help her. I’ll stay with Yegor.»
When the door closed behind them, Anna picked up her mother-in-law’s keys, turned them over in her hand, and put them into a drawer in the hallway. Then she opened a messenger app on her phone and quickly typed:
«Tomorrow at nine. We’re collecting the keys from the developer. I’ll be there.»
Saturday morning was hectic. Larisa Vasilyevna insisted that everything be loaded strictly according to her list. Sergey ran back and forth carrying bags and installing the child seat, but his mother firmly claimed the front passenger seat.
«Yegorka is small. He’ll be perfectly fine in the back,» she snapped as she fastened her seat belt. «I need to see the road. I feel sick when I sit in the back.»
Anna silently placed her son in the child seat, tucked a blanket around him, and sat beside him. Throughout the journey, Larisa Vasilyevna criticized her son’s driving, loudly complained about the dirty car windows, and repeated several times that her daughter-in-law could at least have combed her hair before meeting the relatives.
When they arrived at the country house, people were already bustling around the property. Laughter and the clatter of dishes could be heard, while smoke from the barbecue grill rose above the pine trees. Larisa Vasilyevna jumped out first and immediately rushed to embrace several women wearing colorful headscarves. Sergey began unloading the luggage. Anna picked up her son and headed toward the house.
«Where are you going?» her mother-in-law called after her. «Bring the bags inside first, and then you can sit around.»
«I need to change Yegor and give him something to drink,» Anna replied without turning around.
She entered the veranda, where people were already setting the table. She looked around, found the handbag she had deliberately brought with her, and took out a small folder. Then she asked an elderly neighbor to watch the baby for five minutes and returned to the table. Her face was serious.
«Larisa Vasilyevna, may I speak to you for a moment? And Seryozha, please come over too.»
The relatives fell silent, sensing that something unusual was happening. Her mother-in-law frowned but approached. Anna placed an open passport and a set of keys with a small house-shaped keychain on the table in front of her.
«What’s this?» Larisa Vasilyevna asked, lifting the document disdainfully with two fingers.
«This, Mom, is my new address,» Sergey suddenly said, his voice trembling. «Or rather, ours. We bought a house. Our own house. In a settlement outside the city. A townhouse.»
A ringing silence fell over everyone. Even the birds seemed to stop singing. The sisters from Ryazan froze with skewers in their hands. Larisa Vasilyevna slowly moved her gaze from the passport to her son, and then to her daughter-in-law. Her cheeks began to flush.
«What house? What settlement? Have you lost your minds? Without asking me?»
«We’re adults, Larisa Vasilyevna,» Anna replied calmly. «We have our own family. Yegor needs a place of his own. Without drafts and without commands.»
Her mother-in-law threw the passport aside.
«Seryozha!» she shrieked. «You let this… this upstart pull something like this? You’ve betrayed our country house? The house where you grew up?»
«I grew up in an apartment, Mom,» Sergey said quietly. «And by the way, Anya and I built this country house together. With our money.»
«Your money?» Larisa Vasilyevna twisted her mouth contemptuously. «You were always counting pennies. I bet you’re up to your ears in debt. I warned you! Now you’ll be sitting penniless in your little hole.»
Anna opened her handbag and pulled out another set of keys, the same ones her mother-in-law had thrown onto the chest of drawers the previous evening. She placed them on top of the passport.
«I’m returning your keys. The lock in Sergey’s and my old apartment has been changed, so your keys won’t work anymore. We moved out last night. The movers worked quickly.»
The aunts began whispering. Larisa Vasilyevna opened her mouth but could not find any words. Then she rushed toward her son and grabbed the sleeve of his jacket.
«Seryozhenka, come to your senses! She has twisted you around her little finger! She planned all of this! You can’t manage without me. You don’t know how to do anything!»
Sergey carefully freed his arm.
«Mom, I can manage. From now on, we’ll handle things ourselves.»
Anna turned and walked toward the gate, holding the baby. Sergey hesitated for a second, looked at his mother and the stunned relatives, and then followed his wife. Shouts mixed with sobbing followed them, but the gate slammed shut, cutting off everything they no longer needed.
Two weeks passed.
The new townhouse smelled of paint and fresh wood. Wearing an old T-shirt and paint-stained jeans, Sergey was applying the final coat of white enamel to the living room wall. Anna was unpacking boxes of dishes. Yegorka crawled across a rug and babbled happily. Outside the window, the autumn sun shone with unusual warmth.
Sergey’s phone rang, displaying an unfamiliar number. He put it on speaker.
«Sergey Alexandrovich? This is the Garant notary office. We’re calling regarding a plot of land. Are you aware that Larisa Vasilyevna Gromova transferred ownership of her country house as a gift to Zinaida Petrovna Kovalyova? The documents have already been registered.»
Sergey froze. The paintbrush fell from his hand, leaving a white blotch on the floor. He stared blankly at Anna.
«When?» she asked hoarsely in place of her husband.
«Three days ago. The transaction was notarized, and ownership has been officially registered.»
Anna wiped her hands on her jeans and sat on a stool. Then she picked up the tablet, opened the banking app, and held it in front of Sergey’s face. Red numbers glowed on the screen: outstanding loan balance — 1.2 million rubles.
«Seryozha, we’re paying for a country house that now belongs to Aunt Zina.»
He slowly dialed his mother’s number. The ringing seemed endless. Finally, Larisa Vasilyevna answered, a lazy smirk audible in her voice.
«Well? Have you decided to apologize?»
«Mom, did you give the country house to Aunt Zina?» Sergey’s voice was hoarse.
«I did. So what? It’s my property. I wanted to give it away, so I did. You’ve bought yourself a separate house now, so you don’t need our country house anymore. And Zinochka deserved it. She’s my own flesh and blood.»
«Mom, there’s still a loan that Anya and I took out to build that house!» Sergey almost shouted. «The loan is still in my name! We have to pay for it, but the house is gone!»
Laughter came through the phone.
«That’s your problem. I didn’t drag you into the bank. You signed the papers yourselves, so deal with it yourselves. Consider it the price you pay for independence, my son. This is not up for discussion.»
His mother hung up.
Anna silently poured herself a glass of water and drank it in one gulp. Sergey sat with his head in his hands.
«She hates us,» he whispered. «She just wants to destroy us.»
Anna said nothing, but her eyes became cold and focused.
A month later, Anna sat in a small café on the outskirts of Ryazan. Across from her, a woman of about forty-five nervously twisted a napkin between her fingers. It was Olga, the wife of Aunt Zina’s brother. Anna had come under the pretext of being interested in old country houses and had easily gotten the relative talking.
«Zinaida Petrovna is over the moon now,» Olga said as she stirred her tea. «Larisa gave her such a gift! The house is beautiful. I’ve seen it myself. Zina says that as soon as she sells her old house in Ryazan, she’s moving there immediately. She’s already told the tenants to move out.»
«Is her house in Ryazan expensive?» Anna asked, pretending merely to keep the conversation going.
«Who would buy that wreck? Though the land is in a good location. But she says some man is already interested and is offering almost five million.»
Anna’s eyes lit up.
She knew something that Olga did not know, and certainly Aunt Zina did not know. In six months, the city administration would approve a new transportation interchange project, and the value of land beneath the old houses in that district would skyrocket. Anna had learned this from an acquaintance who worked as a planner at the architectural bureau where she had been employed before maternity leave. The information was restricted, but hardly secret among professionals.
She returned home and called an old friend, a real estate agent named Dmitry.
«Dima, I have a job for you. We need to buy a house in Ryazan. Immediately. You’ll act as the buyer, and everything will be official. I’ll simply bring the parties together. For speed and confidentiality, you’ll get double commission.»
«Who needs it so urgently?» he asked in surprise.
«A surprise for a relative. She wants to sell. You want to buy. I’m just the good fairy.»
Only three days later, Dmitry inspected Aunt Zina’s house and made her an offer she could not refuse: five million in cash, a quick transaction, no bargaining.
Aunt Zina, intoxicated by the prospect of easy money, agreed immediately. Of course, she had no idea that the plot would soon be worth twice as much.
On Thursday, Zinaida Petrovna collected the money from a safe-deposit box. Delighted, she immediately called her sister.
«Larisa! I sold my dump! Tomorrow I’ll come to see you, and we’ll celebrate! And I’ll have a present for you too, as thanks for your kindness!»
Larisa Vasilyevna was triumphant. Her beloved sister would now be living nearby, and she would have money as well. She prepared a lavish table and invited the same relatives from Ryazan.
At exactly noon on Friday, just as Zinaida Petrovna ceremoniously placed a bundle of banknotes on the table in front of her sister — one million rubles as a gift — the doorbell rang at the country house.
Larisa Vasilyevna opened the door and froze.
Anna stood on the threshold wearing a strict business suit and holding a leather folder. Behind her stood two men in formal suits and a woman carrying identification.
«Good afternoon, Larisa Vasilyevna. Zinaida Petrovna,» Anna said in a metallic voice. «Allow me to introduce the legal representatives of the Paritet debt collection agency. They need to speak with you.»
«What debt collectors?» her mother-in-law shrieked. «What kind of circus have you arranged?»
One of the men stepped forward and spoke clearly.
«Larisa Vasilyevna, your son, Sergey Gromov, is a debtor under a loan agreement in the amount of 1.2 million rubles. The loan was issued specifically for the construction of a residential house on this plot of land. Since you transferred the house and land free of charge to a third party, Zinaida Petrovna, while the loan obligations remain unpaid, the agency, having purchased the debt from the bank, intends to recover the outstanding amount from property transferred through this chain of transactions.»
Aunt Zina turned pale and clutched her sister.
«Larisa, what is he talking about? What loan? You told me the house was debt-free!»
Anna opened the folder and showed them copies of the documents.
«Zinaida Petrovna, your sister knew about the debt. The case documents contain her written consent to the construction, together with an obligation to transfer the house into her son’s name once the work was completed. That never happened. You accepted encumbered property as a gift. Now you have two options: either you voluntarily repay the debt, which has increased to one and a half million rubles including penalties, or we seize your million rubles and then the country house itself.»
«Seize it?» her mother-in-law screamed. «You wouldn’t dare! It’s a gift!»
«The money was transferred publicly, in front of witnesses,» Anna continued calmly. «Is it jointly acquired marital property? Or are you, Zinaida Petrovna, prepared to confirm that Larisa Vasilyevna now owes you that amount? Either way, the source of the funds is questionable, and the gift transaction may be deemed fictitious and intended to evade financial obligations.»
Aunt Zina, who had already sold her house and evicted her tenants, clutched at her heart.
«Larisa, you set me up!» she screamed. «Now I’ll have nowhere to live if they take the country house away! Why did you transfer your filthy problems to me?»
The mother-in-law darted frantically between her sister and her daughter-in-law. The relatives whispered in horror, not knowing where to turn.
«What do you want?» Larisa Vasilyevna gasped, glaring at Anna with hatred.
«I want justice. Without court and without scandal. Right now, you and Zinaida Petrovna will go to a notary and terminate the gift agreement. The country house will be returned to you. After that, you’ll transfer it as a gift to Sergey Alexandrovich Gromov. We’ll restructure the loan using the country house as collateral and settle the debt. Zinaida Petrovna keeps her money and peacefully looks for another place to live. Everyone walks away free. That’s my only offer.»
Aunt Zina grabbed her sister in a death grip.
«Agree, you fool! Or I’ll report you to the police for fraud!»
Larisa Vasilyevna, defeated and crushed, could only nod. Tears streamed down her cheeks, smearing her mascara.
The notary’s office was quiet and smelled of paper. Anna sat by the window, calmly watching what was happening. Her mother-in-law signed the documents with a trembling hand. First, the agreement terminating the previous gift transfer. Then a new deed transferring the property to her son.
Sergey stood beside her, pale and straight-backed.
When it was all over, Larisa Vasilyevna turned toward Anna and hissed:
«You destroyed our family. Is that what you wanted?»
Anna stood up, adjusted the collar of her suit, and leaned close to her mother-in-law’s ear.
«No, Larisa Vasilyevna. You ordered me to go to the country house. So I came. And thank you — now my husband has two houses. And you’re free. This is not up for discussion.»
Sergey picked up the keys to the country house from the table, looked at his mother, and put them back down.
«Mom, keep them. We’ll sell the property. There’s too much dirt attached to it.»
He turned around and left after his wife.
Three months passed.
Anna and Sergey’s new house had finally become a real home. Yegorka took his first steps across the green lawn while holding his mother’s hand. Sergey spent the morning tinkering with something in the garage. Sitting on the terrace and sipping coffee, Anna opened her laptop.
A project order was waiting for her — the design of a country club, the same one the architectural bureau had won for the site of the old country house that she and her husband had bought in installments.
Meanwhile, Larisa Vasilyevna sat alone in her apartment, looking through old photographs. She had not seen her grandson. Her son called rarely, briefly asked about her health, and quickly hung up.
Then, that very morning, a courier brought an enormous fruit basket and an envelope to the townhouse. Sergey opened it and read aloud:
«Dear Seryozhenka! Forgive your old mother. I was wrong. I want to see my grandson. I sold my jewelry and am transferring the money to you to help repay the loan. Anya is wonderful, and I accept her as my own daughter.»
Anna took the phone, read the message, and typed a reply. Her finger hovered over the send button.
The text was brief:
«Keep the money for a caregiver. You’ll see your grandson when he starts school. If we decide to let you. This is not up for discussion.»
But instead of sending it, Anna saved the message as a draft and went outside to her husband.
«Seryozha, you know what? Let’s invite your mother over for barbecue next weekend.»
He looked up in surprise.
«Are you serious? After everything?»
«Precisely because of everything. But under our rules. On the condition that she never crosses our threshold again without knocking. If she can handle that, then perhaps we’ll have a big family after all. If she can’t… well, at least we’ll know we tried.»
Sergey put his arms around her and kissed her temple.
Anna smiled and looked at her phone once again.
The message was still there, unsent.
Just in case.
