Are you serious? Is that all you’re capable of?» Andrey greeted Olga in the hallway, waving a sheet of paper. «I found the perfect car, and you won’t even discuss it?»
Olga carefully placed her bag on the floor, shaking the raindrops off her coat. Andrey’s eyes burned with an unusual fire, which immediately put her on alert.
«What do you mean by ‘perfect car’?» she barely held back the fatigue in her voice. «You didn’t say you were planning to buy something. We don’t have the money for this.»
«Your excuses, Olya, don’t work anymore,» Andrey stepped closer, shoving the paper under her nose. «Look, only 800 thousand. With a loan, we can easily cover it in three years.»
«A loan?» Olga rolled her eyes. «We can barely handle the utility bills, and here you are with your car! Do you want to tighten the noose around our neck again?»
«Olya, you’re humiliating me,» her husband’s voice turned low, hoarse. «I can’t be without a car. It’s a matter of honor. Without it, I am nobody. A man must have a car.»
«You’re a man?» Olga smirked, unable to hold back her sarcasm any longer. «Do you know what a man is supposed to do? Support his family, not indulge in unattainable dreams. You haven’t worked for a year!»
«It’s temporary!» Andrey shouted, abruptly dropping his arms. «Everyone has tough times. And you—you don’t even try to support me! Every day I hear how your mother praises you on the phone, and me? To her, I’m a failure! Do you understand how that feels?»
Tatyana, Andrey’s mother, emerged from the kitchen. She slipped into the room as if she hadn’t just been eavesdropping.
«You have a husband. You need to be softer,» her voice was icy, but her vocal cords trembled, betraying hidden anger. «If he asks for help, you’re obliged to support him, not nag him.»
«Support?» Olga turned to her mother-in-law. «I’ve been supporting him for all fifteen years of our marriage! I take off, I wash, I pay the bills. I’m a person, not a bank, Tatyana Ivanovna!»
«You wouldn’t become a bank,» Tatyana sneered back. «For that, you need money, not your whims. A car is an investment in the family.»
Olga felt her hands involuntarily clench into fists. Her mother-in-law always found a way to jab her. She turned to Andrey.
«I’m not going to discuss this. If you want a car, earn it. Not with a loan, but with your own work.»
«Work?!» he crumpled the paper in his hand. «I… I’ll go and buy it. Whether you want it or not. And you…»
«What about me?» Olga stepped toward him. «Sacrifice myself, as always? Enough. I won’t let you control my life anymore.»
«You’ll remember this, Olga,» Andrey sharply exited the apartment, slamming the door. Tatyana stood still, hands on her hips.
«There, you’ve caused a scandal,» she dryly threw in. «Is that how you should treat your husband? He’s trying for the family, and you…»
«For the family?» Olga shook her head. «Then let the family try for me too.»
She turned, leaving her mother-in-law and her reproaches behind. Dropping her coat over the back of a chair, Olga sat at the kitchen table, for the first time in a long while feeling the fatigue envelop her. Her head hummed quietly, as if to the relentless reproaches and attacks.
Unexpectedly, a small envelope fell from her bag. It was an advertisement for a course for budding entrepreneurs, accidentally picked up in the morning. The words «new life» on the bright cover made her ponder. She picked up the envelope, slowly examining the colorful letters.
«Maybe it’s a sign?» Olga thought, feeling a glimmer of something new for the first time in a long while, far from the usual routine.
— «Svet, what should I do? He’s lost his mind!» Olga rested her head in her hands, not noticing her coffee growing cold. «He needs that car like he needs air. A year without work, and I’ve been pulling all the weight.»
— «You’ve been pulling, and you’ll keep pulling until you say ‘enough’,» Svetlana slammed her cup down so hard that tea splashed out. «You know how things are set up between you. Andrei got used to you solving everything. And him? He’s comfortable.»
— «You don’t understand, he’s lost himself. For him, that car isn’t just a whim. He wants to feel like a man.»
— «A man?» Svetlana scoffed sarcastically. «A man provides for his family, not demands from it. These are his problems, Olga. Not yours.»
Olga looked at her friend. Svetlana always knew how to speak bluntly and mercilessly. Olga saw in her that confidence she herself so lacked.
— «Svet, but what if I refuse? You can’t imagine what will start. Tatyana will claw at my throat. That whole chorus of accusations will start again. You know how she can press.»
— «Just ignore her! She’s an adult, let her look after her own son, not your life.» Svetlana leaned in closer. «You know what? You’ve always lived for others. For the kids, for him, for this… ‘family idyll.’ Now think: who are you living for?»
— «Well, the kids…» Olga reached for the sugar, not looking at her friend.
— «And what about the kids? They’ll grow up, leave. And you? Where are your dreams? Remember how you told me ten years ago that you wanted your own business? A little shop or an online store?»
— «Yeah, I did.» Olga smirked. «Wanted to. Then came the mortgage, the kids, Andrei… And that’s it. Forgot about it.»
Svetlana didn’t rush to argue. She watched Olga, allowing her words to settle. A minute later, Olga spoke again.
— «You know, maybe I am really wrong. Everyone thinks I’m selfish, but I’m really… I’m tired. You’re right, I always deny myself. Just don’t know how to change it. How do you do it, Svet?»
Svetlana smiled:
— «I just know my worth. Do you know your worth, Olga?»
Olga pondered. This question hit harder than anything she had heard in recent days. Her thoughts returned to a little envelope with the bright words: «Start now.» She remembered how several years ago she dreamt about her business, but fear of family responsibility shoved her dream into a corner.
— «Svet, what if I try? What if I do something for myself?»
— «If you try, then you’ll finally know what it means to live, not just survive.» Svetlana nodded, encouraging her with her gaze. «But it’s your choice, Olya. No one will make it for you.»
These words echoed in her head long after she returned home. Andrei didn’t come; in his place lay a crumpled newspaper with a picture of a car. Olga put it in a drawer, for the first time feeling that she wanted to move forward, not stand still.
Andrey burst into the apartment, throwing his jacket on the sofa.
«All set, Olga. I’ve made a deal with the seller! The car is almost ours, we just need to sign the contract,» his voice trembled with excitement.
Olga slowly turned from the stove, trying to keep her composure.
«With the seller? You didn’t even ask for my opinion?» she clenched the edge of the table to hide the tremor in her hands.
«Your opinion?» Andrey snorted. «I listen to your excuses every day. Enough! I’m tired of being a pawn in your games. I need a car. It’s decided.»
«Decided?» Olga felt anger boiling inside her. «And who will pay the loan, Andrey? Me? Or will you find a job?»
«You always manage everything, so you’ll manage this too,» he retorted sharply, but his gaze avoided hers.
The silence was broken by a phone ringing. Olga instinctively reached for hers, but Andrey stopped her with a gesture:
«It’s mine. Don’t interfere.»
The conversation was short, but Olga heard enough: «Yes, of course. We’ll head out fishing as soon as it’s all set up. Let Olga be happy that she has a husband behind the wheel.»
She froze. The car wasn’t needed for work. For fishing. For image. Her patience snapped.
«Fishing?» her voice broke into a sneer. «So, it’s all for fishing? Not for work? Not for the family?»
Andrey turned around, his face pale.
«You were eavesdropping?» he snapped back.
«Eavesdropping? No, Andrey. I heard. I heard how you again want to spend our money on your whim, to feel like a ‘man.’ And me? I should slave away so you can show off in front of your friends?»
«You don’t understand!» his voice rose an octave. «This is my chance to redeem myself. You want me to go back to that factory and work for pennies?»
«Yes, I do! Because that’s work. Because it’s better than leeching off my salary. Enough, Andrey. I’m no longer your ‘support.’ If you want a car—earn it.»
«You dare tell me what to do?!» he stepped toward her, but Olga raised her hand, stopping him.
«Yes, I dare,» her voice was icy. «Because I will no longer allow you—and your mother—to use me. I’m tired. And if you think threats will make me sign that loan, you’re mistaken.»
«Then I’m leaving,» Andrey glanced at the door, but paused as if expecting her plea.
Olga was silent.
«Did you hear that, Olga? I’m leaving!» he slammed the door louder, but her face remained impassive.
In the next room, a newspaper rustled. Tatiana appeared in the doorway, her face contorted with anger.
«What are you doing? You’re destroying the family!» she lunged at Olga. «How could you do this to your husband? You’re supposed to yield to him!»
Olga looked up and calmly stated:
«I’m not obliged. You both got used to me solving all your problems. It ends here.»
Tatiana slammed the door behind her, leaving Olga in an apartment that suddenly became eerily quiet. Olga sat on the sofa, feeling a newfound confidence building within her.
Her gaze fell on an envelope with course details. A decision was already forming in her mind.
Olga sat at the computer, her fingers trembling slightly as she typed the course address. Colorful banners flashed before her eyes: «Take the first step towards your dream.» She clicked «Register,» investing all her accumulated years of fatigue and suppressed dissatisfaction into the action.
A week later, the first course material lay in her mailbox. Olga couldn’t believe she had dared. She opened the notebook to start planning. However, the calm was short-lived.
«Seriously? You’ve decided to become a businesswoman now?» Andrey stood in the doorway, staring at the papers on the table. His voice was full of venom.
«Yes, Andrey. I’ve decided,» her voice was quiet but firm. She didn’t look away, staring straight into his eyes.
«What’s this nonsense? We don’t have money for your whims!» he stepped to the table, grabbing the envelope with the courses. «You’d better have spent it on the car, at least that would have been useful!»
Olga stood up, taking the envelope from him.
«This is my money. I worked to earn it. And I’ll invest it in what’s important to me.»
«For you?» his laugh was bitter and loud. «And what’s important for us? For the family? Do you think about anyone but yourself?»
«I think, Andrey. All this time, I’ve only thought about you. About your mother. About everyone except myself. But it’s over.»
«Over?» he threw his jacket on the table. «You’re nothing without me. You’ll regret this.»
«Perhaps,» she nodded, maintaining her composure. «But I’m ready to take the risk.»
«Then live alone!» he grabbed his things and rushed to the door, slamming it loudly behind him.
Her heart clenched, but instead of the usual anxiety, a feeling of lightness came. She didn’t chase after him. She didn’t cry. She returned to the notebook, filling the first page with a plan: «Online store. Start with small investments. Plan the advertising.»
Two months passed. Olga stood in a new space—small but cozy. Her products were neatly arranged on the shelves. Svetlana, her friend, entered, looking around.
«So, Miss Entrepreneur?» Svetlana smiled, placing a box of flowers on the counter. «Success feels in the air.»
«It’s still early to talk about big successes,» Olga smiled back. «But you know, Svet, I finally feel like I’m doing something for myself.»
Suddenly, the door opened, and Andrey appeared. He looked lost, even a bit subdued.
«Olga…» he began, looking around the room. «Did you do all this yourself?»
«Yes, myself,» she looked at him with a light smile. «What do you want, Andrey?»
«To come back. I realized I was wrong. All this time I was just scared… scared that without a car, I mean nothing. But now I see that you… you’ve become so strong. Maybe we can start over?»
She looked at him, evaluating. Then she slowly shook her head.
«No, Andrey. My life is only enough for me. Good luck to you.»
Andrey lowered his shoulders and exited. Svetlana placed her hand on her shoulder.
«Are you sure you did the right thing?»
«Absolutely.» Olga smiled. «It wasn’t weakness. It was freedom.»
She looked around her little kingdom and for the first time in many years felt that she held her life in her own hands.
Six months passed. Olga sat at her desk in a cozy office, reviewing reports. Her business was growing faster than she expected: orders were increasing, customers were leaving thankful reviews. She felt confident, strong, and free.
A knock came at the door. Olga looked up and smiled. It was Svetlana, her trusted advisor and friend.
«You’re simply glowing,» said Svetlana, entering with a box. «Here, this is for you. A small gift from me.»
Olga opened the box and saw inside a diary with gold embossing on the cover: «The Life You Chose.» She smiled, hugging her friend.
«Svet, you have no idea how grateful I am to you for everything. You were there when I needed to take this step.»
«You did it yourself, Olga. I just reminded you that you could,» Svetlana gently pushed her towards the window. «Look. See?»
In the parking lot stood a brand-new car, and next to it—the car dealership manager, waiting for her.
«Svet, are you kidding?» Olga turned around in surprise.
«It’s your car. Ordered and paid for with your money. Business is booming, you deserved this gift for yourself. Now you can go wherever you want, whenever you want.»
Olga felt a lump rise in her throat. This was more than just a car. It was a symbol of her new life, freedom, and achievements.
As she sat confidently behind the wheel, the past seemed to recede. Andrey no longer called. His shadow had left her life, giving way to light and opportunities. She knew her decision to stay true to herself was right.
At the traffic light, she saw her reflection in the rearview mirror: a confident, calm woman, no longer afraid to choose herself.
Olga pressed the gas, leaving behind not just the road but also the life in which she lived for others.
