Here is the translation of the full story.
I ran into my ex-wife and nearly turned green with envy.
Oleg slammed the refrigerator door with such force that the contents of the shelves rattled inside. One of the decorative magnets fell heavily to the floor.
Lena stood across from him, pale, her fists clenched.
«So, feel better now?» she breathed, jerking her chin up sharply.
«You’ve just worn me out,» Oleg’s voice trembled, though he tried to keep it down. «What kind of life is this? No joy, no future.»
«So it’s my fault again?» Lena let out a laugh, but it sounded bitter. «Of course, everything isn’t like in your dreams.»
Oleg wanted to reply but just waved his hand dismissively. He opened a bottle of mineral water, took a sip straight from the neck, and set it on the table.
«Oleg, don’t shut me out,» Lena’s voice wavered. «Tell me clearly what’s wrong, just this once.»
«What do you want me to say?» he sneered. «Would you even understand? I’m fed up. It’s driving me crazy!»
They stared at each other in silence for a few seconds. Finally, Lena took a deep breath and went into the bathroom. Oleg collapsed onto the sofa. Behind the door, he could hear water running; Lena had likely turned on the tap to mask her tears. But Oleg realized he didn’t care anymore.
Oleg and Lena had married three years earlier. They lived in Lena’s apartment, inherited from her parents. Having retired, they had moved to a country house and left their home to their daughter. The apartment was spacious, but the decor was outdated and the furniture was from another era, almost Soviet.
At first, Oleg had been satisfied with it: after all, the location was ideal, almost in the city center, close to his work, and in a nice neighborhood. But after six months, the routine began to grate on him. Lena, on the other hand, felt comfortable in her family fortress, surrounded by her brown wallpaper and her grandmother’s old buffet. To Oleg, it was all too mundane.
«Lena, explain it to me,» he would say over and over again. «Doesn’t it bother you, this horrible yellow linoleum? Or this wallpaper? We could update things a little…»
«Oleg, we don’t have the budget for a major renovation,» she would answer softly. «Of course, I’d like to redo everything, but let’s wait for a bonus or save up first.»
«Wait? Your whole life is just waiting, enduring…»
Oleg still remembered the day he met Lena. She was a shy student, but her blue eyes and sincere smile had charmed him. He told his friends: «She’s a flower bud; one day she will bloom and everyone will be dazzled.» But now, he told himself: «She never bloomed; she withered right where she stood.»
Lena, for her part, did not consider herself a «gray mouse»; she lived as she saw fit. She found happiness in small things—a new tablecloth, a quiet evening with a book, a cup of mint tea, the warm light of a bedside lamp. To Oleg, all of this was just stagnation.
But despite his growing disdain, he didn’t want a divorce. He knew he would then have to move back in with his parents, with whom he had always had a difficult relationship. Worse still, his mother, Tamara Ilyinichna, always took Lena’s side.
«Son, you are wrong,» she often repeated. «Lena is a wonderful woman, a gem. You are living under her roof; at least be grateful.»
«Mom, what do you know about it?» he would grumble. «You’re stuck, just like Lena, in the last century.»
Tamara would sigh. Her son was drifting further and further away. His father, Igor Sergeyevich, more pragmatic, simply said: «Let him handle his own life, Tamara.»
But every day, Oleg came home more and more irritated: «Lena is a shadow, a gray mouse, and she trapped me with this apartment.» One evening, he exploded: «I saw a beautiful flower in you… But look what you’ve become! A frozen, icy bud…»
Lena burst into tears for the first time in months.
Then came that summer day when they finally seriously broached the subject of divorce. Oleg was looking out the window, watching the neighbors across the street arranging things on their balcony.
«Lena, I’m exhausted,» he said, still staring at the glass.
«Exhausted from what?» she asked calmly.
«From this life, from these constant arguments. You are wrapped up in your pots and pans and your doilies. Do you think I want to spend my years rotting away like this?»
Lena remained silent for a moment, then took a trash bag and walked out. Oleg heard the door slam. He hoped she would come back quickly, perhaps to explain herself. But she remained gone for half an hour. When she returned, she seemed calmer.
«You know,» she said, leaning against the wall, «maybe you really should be alone. Get out.»
«Out of the question,» he replied drily. «I am not leaving my home.»
«Oleg, this isn’t your home. It’s my parents’ apartment,» Lena gave a bitter smile. «Let’s be honest: this isn’t working. It’s time to admit it.»
He didn’t answer and locked himself in the bedroom with his computer. But a thought haunted him: «Where will I go? To my parents’?»
In the end, he was the one who filed for divorce. «I’m the one making the decision, not her,» he convinced himself. He packed his bags and moved back in with his parents, albeit reluctantly. Lena accepted the divorce without a fight.
The paperwork was processed quickly, and they officially ceased to be husband and wife.
Three years passed. Oleg was still living with his parents. He had believed that after a few months, he would rent his own apartment and meet a woman who shared his ambitions. But he was getting bogged down. His job wasn’t great, his income was barely sufficient, and his parents nagged him about his lack of prospects.
One freezing spring evening, while walking home after going out with a friend, he passed a cafe. Through the illuminated window, he saw a familiar silhouette.
Lena.
But she wasn’t the same. Upright, elegant, with a polished hairstyle, refined clothes, and a newfound confidence. In her hand, car keys—a nice car, judging by the brand.
«Incredible…» thought Oleg, approaching her almost unconsciously.
«Lena?»
She turned around, took a moment to recognize him, then smiled. A different kind of smile: confident, serene.
«Hi, Oleg,» she said softly. «It’s been a long time. How are you?»
«Good…» He adjusted his scarf, feeling awkward. «It looks like everything is going well for you.»
«You could say that. I’m living the life I always dreamed of,» she replied simply.
«Ah…» He swallowed, feeling jealousy rise. «Are you still working at the same place?»
«No, I changed. I opened my own flower shop. I was scared at first, but…» she smiled, «…someone supported me.»
«Who?»
Before she could answer, an elegant man stepped out of the cafe and put his arm around her.
«Darling, a table has opened up. Shall we go?»
Lena turned to Oleg.
«I’d like you to meet Vadim. Vadim, this is Oleg.»
Oleg looked at Vadim, then at Lena. She had finally bloomed—but not with him.
He walked away into the night, realizing he had turned green… with jealousy and bitterness.
