I never considered myself a simpleton. On the contrary, I had much to be proud of in this life. I managed to get out of a tiny town, move to a big city, get a good job there, and even buy a three-bedroom apartment. Then I got married, and it seemed like my happiness knew no bounds. How wrong I was then!
Hello dear readers! Today I will share with you another case from practice, which I found quite entertaining. I hope you will like it too. A client came to me and told me about an event that happened in her family.
I met Vlas a year and a half ago. The meeting took place on a river rafting trip, which we both attended for the first time. I liked the charming young man immediately. He played the guitar wonderfully and sang beautifully. We spent two weeks in the forest, on the riverbank, rafting on huge inflatable boats, and in the evenings, we sat by the fire, ate fried fish, canned chickpeas, simple soups, and drank amazingly tasty tea from tin mugs. Pine branches and fireweed flowers floated in it, reflecting the endless starry sky.
I moved from a provincial tiny town of ten thousand people to the big city. There were no jobs there for young people, except in the quarry. Young people went north to earn money, working in shifts. That fate did not appeal to me at all. I wanted to enter the big world, especially since I finished school with honors and did very well on the national exams. My parents supported me, and I enrolled in the history department. However, I ended up not working in my specialty—I got a job at a real estate agency. I quickly earned a reputation as a professional, recommended by friends and acquaintances, and I was never without orders. Our agency was one of the oldest and largest, so I was lucky to get a job there.
I worked a lot, not wanting to return to my parents. Of course, I never forgot about them and helped them with money. Soon, I was able to buy myself an apartment, which I paid off even before the due date. I was quite content with my solitude, not looking for a relationship. I always thought that family was something too complicated. Besides, I was not a beauty. Maybe men noticed me, but I simply did not pay attention and lived quietly. But Vlas was someone I liked immediately, and he looked at me with openly admiring and loving eyes. After returning from the rafting trip, we had dinner together in a small cozy restaurant, and gradually began dating. The guy seemed to me a good and reliable person.
He had also moved here from a village. His parents lived far away, but they were happy that their son had settled down in life. Vlas worked in a building materials store. They didn’t pay too much, but the guy liked his job, and for me, money wasn’t the main thing. I looked at a person’s soul, at his thoughts. It turned out that Vlas was also not in a hurry to start a family, looking for the right person. And that turned out to be me, and six months later, the guy proposed to me. I happily agreed. We decided not to celebrate the wedding too lavishly. We quietly registered at the registry office. Our parents couldn’t come, so only close friends attended the celebration. We then sat in a café and returned to my apartment, now officially as husband and wife.
I made our family nest cozy. I bought new beautiful bedding, sewed curtains for the living room and kitchen. We bought a large comfortable bed with a good mattress, changed the tiles in the bathroom. In the evenings, we cooked dinners together. Vlas loved to cook, and he did it just excellently. His Finnish roots on his mother’s side showed. My husband’s fish soup with cod and cream could have conquered even the English queen.
We had almost enough money for everything our hearts desired. The next year we planned to go on a seaside vacation. I had never been there, and I really wanted to see the endless turquoise sea expanses.
But lately, my relationship with my husband became tense. Vlas, who used to be delicate and gentle, now allowed himself, for example, to joke quite rudely and sharply about my appearance. I never considered myself a beauty; I had a very ordinary appearance. Once he really hurt me, and I asked:
«If I’m so unsatisfactory to you in appearance and too old, then why did you marry me, Vlas?»
«You are a good person, I am comfortable with you,» replied my husband, realizing that he had gone too far.
My husband was three years younger than me, and this also often became the reason for his inappropriate jokes. I was very hurt and irritated by his behavior, and I repeatedly asked him not to treat me that way. But the husband, initially apologizing, soon even stopped doing that, continuing to mock my nose, my very curly hair, or something else. What a kindergarten!
Such behavior of my husband soon brought a rift into our happiness, and I increasingly wondered why I endured such treatment. When I was alone, nothing like this happened; I lived peacefully, no one insulted or upset me. It would have been better to get a cat than to live with a person who constantly tries to devalue me! My self-confidence was also shaken. I caught myself critically examining myself in the mirror and also began to criticize my physical appearance.
And one day I returned home early. Vlas was already in the apartment, talking to someone on the phone.
«My wife is a simpleton, she trusts me unconditionally. Her apartment will be mine,» I overheard my husband’s conversation.
I froze like a mouse hearing the steps of a cat.
«Very simple, my sweet! I’ll convince her to be a guarantor for the loan I’m taking from the bank. I’ll say that I want to open my own tire repair shop. She is kind-hearted, will support, and sign everything. A notary friend of mine, a good buddy of mine, will slip her a sales contract, and voila! The apartment is mine! And we will marry because I have loved you for so long, while I live with Lena only for the money. You know how tired I am of enduring this cold herring already?»
I listened and could not believe my ears—I had lived with this person for almost a year! However, I quickly composed myself, quietly left the apartment, closed the door, and rang the bell.
«Ol, is that you?» my husband opened the door, looking at me in amazement. «Why are you ringing?»
«I forgot the keys.» I tried to smile as cheerfully as possible. «Mm, dinner smells delicious! I’m hungry as a wolf!»
«Yes, I made an effort especially for myself. Salmon with oranges!» he proclaimed proudly.
We sat down to dinner, I poured myself some orange juice, and waited for my husband to start spinning his tales. And so it happened.
«Listen, Kolyan and I have long wanted to open our own tire shop. I think I’m now ready to start my own business.»
«That’s great news. Really enough of working for someone else!» I took a big sip of juice and put a piece of salmon in my mouth.
«You’ll act as a guarantor when I take out the loan?»
«Of course, my dear, I believe in you so much!» I smiled as sincerely as I could, nodding.
My husband beamed, got up from the table, and came over to kiss me. I restrained myself from recoiling from his simple caress. After what I had learned, I wanted to push the traitor out the door, throwing his things into the stairwell. But I decided to teach my husband a lesson.
We went to the notary the very next day, not to delay. The happy husband chattered about what a clever girl he had and how lucky he was with me. I mechanically dropped smiles, nodded, and soon we entered the office of a young man in a cheap, outdated suit. He made a repulsive impression.
The day before the trip, I went to get a haircut. Rather, I told my husband that I would go to the hairdresser, but I actually went to the law enforcement officers. There, I explained everything as it was, without concealment, and they promised to help.
Now we were sitting in the notary’s office, and he, fawning, was pushing papers at me.
«Right here and here you need to sign, respected Elena Mikhaylovna!» said my husband’s accomplice.
At that moment, law enforcement burst in, detaining both. The bewildered Vlas looked at me hurt and confused.
«How could you, Lena?»
«How could you? You not only cheat, but you also try to swindle me out of my apartment. Aren’t you ashamed?»
My husband was taken away. Afterward, I cooperated with law enforcement, although it was clear already—he would go away for a long time. I filed for divorce, and since we had no common children or jointly acquired property, the process took less than a month. Already free, I recalled our life with Vlas and resolutely did not understand what I had done to deserve betrayal from a person I loved. After all, we lived well, did not quarrel. But guessing what is hidden in the depths of another person’s soul is pointless. There are such categories of inherently petty and nasty people that you do not recognize immediately. Such a rotten nature, the lowest intentions. Vlas turned out to be one of them, and I simply did not notice the warning signs for a long time.
He even had a girl on the side. Afterward, she came to me with accusations that I had locked up her unsuccessful groom in places not so distant. I did not talk to Victoria for long, slamming the door right in front of her nose. She shouted insults at me for a long time, giving the neighbors a free show. I resolutely did not care what people thought of me. I needed to sort myself out, calm down, get over the betrayal of someone I trusted. I really could not imagine that Vlas could pull off something like that. He seemed such an unpretentious, simple, bright, and warm guy. But, as they say, still waters run deep.
Left alone, I got a dog. It was the right decision. Zephyr the Labrador became my faithful friend. We walked with him in the park in the evenings and mornings, went to training. I adored him, and loneliness with Zephyr did not weigh on me. My parents fully supported my separation. Mom came to stay, brought treats, and lived with me for almost a month and a half. We talked a lot.
«I thought we would be like you and Dad. You don’t think a person harbors evil, do you?»
«I understand, daughter. But don’t think about it, there are worthy men in the world.»
«Even Zephyr would have a bride! And you will meet your person. I didn’t find your father right away either. You know, this is my second marriage.»
I knew that Mom had married very young the first time but did not live with her ex-husband even a year. But she married Dad when she was almost thirty. And she was happy, and gave birth to me and my younger brother, Vanya. Dad became the man of her life, loved Mom and us very much. And Mom became his guiding star, his soul. We always felt that our parents loved and valued each other. They never argued in front of us, never raised their voices at each other. Our home was always peaceful and orderly, although we had difficult situations in life, as in every family. And I desperately wanted the same—to be soul to soul, and, as my little brother used to say when he was a tiny baby, ‘nose to nose.’
Perhaps Mom is right, and I will still meet my happiness. But for now, Zephyr and I will live and prosper. I missed Mom very much. But still, I never thought of returning to my hometown. Stable job, familiar apartment—everything kept me here. I tried not to remember Vlas, to erase him from my life. Misunderstandings happen to everyone. Everyone can make a mistake; the main thing is to learn the lesson life presents and find the strength to move forward. Even if I never get married, I will still be happy with myself. I do not know what is in store for me, but I try to live each day with joy and dignity.»
