For a long time, Elena and Vasily’s married life passed without any major upheavals. Fortunately, the mother-in-law kept her distance from the couple, much to the delight of the young wife. Zhanna Mikhailovna possessed a rather authoritarian character, having become accustomed to commanding her son and considering him her personal assistant. However, once Vasily decided to get married, he effectively escaped his mother’s control by moving in with his wife.
The one and a half years of separation proved beneficial for everyone involved in this story. Zhanna Mikhailovna’s journey to her son’s place took about half an hour, which she did not consider a worthwhile investment of time for parental lectures. Instead, she focused on her own life – beginning an affair that ended in a loud scandal, even though it had never truly started in earnest. The family only found out about this when she turned to her older son for financial help to fund a rest at a sanatorium.
Vasily could not refuse his mother, especially when it concerned her health. Although Lena tolerated such requests, she kept a close eye on the reasonableness of the expenses. She was willing to help, but not at the expense of her own living needs or future.
Zhanna Mikhailovna understood that her daughter-in-law did not harbor any particular affection for her, so she preferred not to interfere in their family affairs. Moreover, she always had her younger son to attend to, who needed her guidance and advice.
However, the situation recently changed – the younger son decided to gain independence and move out from his mother’s home. Unfortunately, he did not own a place of his own, nor did he have a steady partner with whom to share life. Unlike his successful brother, he still needed to find his other half. He believed that having his own space would help accelerate that process.
His mother was not opposed to the idea and even found a suitable apartment option near her. But the financial aspect remained unresolved: the younger son simply lacked the funds. Although Zhanna Mikhailovna had some savings, they clearly would not be enough for either buying an apartment or even making a down payment.
The family circle did not perceive the situation as a problem. Zhanna Mikhailovna was confident that if there was a desire, solutions would be found. And she had long since outlined the path – now all that remained was to put the plan into action.
During a recent visit to her older son, Lena immediately sensed something was amiss. Her mother-in-law was showing uncharacteristic attentiveness by asking about her work. Vasya, however, was pleased with this turn of events: “See, mom isn’t at all the way you imagine her to be.” But the joy did not last long – soon a quarrel erupted between the two women. The reason was Lena’s unwillingness to yield to her mother-in-law’s demands.
“Did I ask for the impossible?” Zhanna Mikhailovna protested, pointing out the impracticality of the garage. To her, it was an obvious decision: why not sacrifice some unnecessary property for the well-being of her younger son? But the fact was, even though the garage was located far from the house, it brought practical benefits to the family – it stored necessary items, and it could serve as a long-term parking spot for the car.
Lena stood her ground: she saw no reason to give away something of value to her family. If the garage was truly superfluous, they could have sold it themselves and used the money as intended.
The conversation ended in a scandal. As she left, Zhanna Mikhailovna threatened, “Don’t expect any help from me!” Even though everyone knew very well – her help had always been selective. She had long considered her mission fulfilled, and now her son was on his own.
Despite the loud declarations, Zhanna Mikhailovna was not planning to cut off ties with her older son. Financial resources were not unlimited, and the younger son demanded constant support. She needed to maintain her influence over Vasya in case of an emergency.
From that moment on, a quiet war began. Through her son, she tried to influence her daughter-in-law. After each visit from her mother, Vasya became more fussy and critical. Either the food was not ready on time or the menu was monotonous. “Mom baked meat pancakes today,” he would provoke. “Maybe you should learn to cook something like that?”
Lena understood: behind every remark lay her mother-in-law’s influence. Yesterday’s “reheated” dish had drawn complaints, and today’s “cold” one was also unsatisfactory. Meanwhile, the true reason behind such behavior was rooted in the manipulations of her mother-in-law, who continued to interfere even while promising to stay out of their affairs.
One day, Vasya returned from a visit to his mother and, upon seeing his wife in the mirror, suddenly blurted: “What are you looking at? You’re already ugly, fat, and living off my money!” Lena was shocked. She looked closely at her husband, thinking she must have imagined it. But the expression on his face said it all – furrowed brows, a haughty look. Clearly, his mother had instilled in him the idea that he could get away with anything. However, Lena quickly put him in his place.
That evening marked the beginning of the first serious conflict in their relationship. Although Vasya was physically larger than his wife, when she began to reprimand him, he immediately shrank, lowering his head and appearing small and helpless. At first, he tried to justify himself, but soon he gave in, apologizing and explaining that he was “just tired.”
Lena reminded him who was truly supporting the family and whose apartment it was. She also emphasized that one should never insult a woman by calling her fat. Such words were unforgivable in how they hurt feelings. Vasya acknowledged his mistake, assuring Lena that he himself did not think so – it was merely his mother’s words that he had thoughtlessly repeated.
“Even if you had extra pounds, I would still love you,” he attempted to atone for his mistake.
But Lena was deeply hurt. Even if she indeed had a few extra pounds, was that a reason for such words? After all, she worked at a construction firm where she periodically received attention from clients: gifts, compliments, and even requests for personal contact. Meanwhile, her few extra pounds looked far more modest than her husband’s belly. According to the feedback from others, her face was considered rather pleasant than unattractive. He lived in her apartment, did not earn more than her, and had no savings of his own, yet he unquestioningly listened to his mother and made demands of his wife.
Since then, Vasya realized that not every maternal phrase was worth repeating. A wife might disagree, and the consequences could be unpredictable. Meanwhile, his mother continued to believe that the daughter-in-law needed to be tamed. But after her next visit to her son, something changed.
Seeing a bruise under his beloved boy’s eye, Zhanna Mikhailovna was nearly speechless. “He was going to the bathroom at night and tripped over the door,” Vasya explained, embarrassed. “Vasenka, tell me the truth!” – his mother demanded, glaring at her daughter-in-law.
Yet the son, without blinking, stuck to his version of events. Although Zhanna Mikhailovna fully understood the true cause, she could only sigh, lamenting the lack of freedom of speech in her son’s family. However, no one cared about her opinion, and Vasya had already forgiven his wife.
Gradually, the situation normalized. The mother-in-law stopped turning the son against his wife. Lena noticed that her husband now returned home satisfied, the food suited him, and there were hardly any complaints. In the end, they even managed to save some money and decided to go on a seaside vacation.
But the vacation did not start off well. Suddenly, the mother-in-law showed up unannounced. When Lena met her alone, Zhanna Mikhailovna didn’t even bother to say hello. With a domineering stride, she went straight to the room, confidently heading for the sofa.
Lena guessed that everything had been prearranged between Vasya and his mother – possibly even at the stage of choosing the hotel. That is why he had been looking for a more spacious room with a sofa. Deciding not to spoil the mood for everyone, she only asked how long the visit was supposed to last.
“None of your business!” snapped the mother-in-law. “I just arrived, and you’re already wishing for me to leave!”
Lena chose not to pursue the topic, understanding that any objection might lead to a conflict. Even when her husband returned, she remained calm, not wanting to ruin the vacation for herself or anyone else.
Vasily shrugged, saying that his mother was unpredictable in her plans – she might come or might not. However, Lena saw the truth: he had known about the impending visit in advance, but had simply chosen to remain silent. She decided not to raise the issue and stuck to her decision.
Zhanna Mikhailovna enjoyed the vacation like a queen. Her behavior was as if she had returned home, where she was supposed to be surrounded by attention and well-fed. She considered the payment for the room to be the children’s responsibility, and she took the sofa for granted. As for meals, why shouldn’t the children buy her food, since they were providing for themselves? And entertainment? Of course, that too should be paid for along with her. Vasya even abandoned the original plan to spend time at the beach, now coming up with new routes for walks with his mother every day so that she wouldn’t get bored. “Mom doesn’t like spending the whole day on the sand,” he explained.
Lena endured this for a week while the mother-in-law stayed with them. It became clear to her: Zhanna Mikhailovna had stepped back earlier to allow the family to save money for the vacation, only to then take full advantage of it.
However, no thanks were ever given for the provided vacation. On the contrary, she periodically managed to insult her daughter-in-law, claiming that she was merely sucking the life out of her son. According to her, if it weren’t for Vasya, this vacation wouldn’t even have happened. Meanwhile, she called Lena a “seal” or a “cow.” Vasya preferred to pretend that nothing was happening.
When Lena expressed her discontent, he philosophically remarked: “It’s just words, no one’s hitting you.” He believed that such jabs could be ignored, though he himself was left unscathed. Yet his wife continued to hold back, even though her patience was running thin.
The real explosion occurred toward the end of the vacation. One day, Zhanna Mikhailovna decided to go to the store. Lena hoped that she would buy groceries for everyone, but she was mistaken. The mother-in-law returned with a bottle of vodka, explaining that it was time to celebrate the imminent end of the vacation. Apparently, she meant herself, as neither her son nor her daughter-in-law drank alcohol.
After half a liter of vodka, Zhanna Mikhailovna became even more aggressive, hurling insults at Lena. In her drunken state, she began provoking her daughter-in-law, determined to make her lose her temper: “Now I’m going to show Vasya your true colors!”
Lena remained calm, replying in an even tone. Then the mother-in-law decided to escalate the conflict – she grabbed a trash can, put it on her daughter-in-law’s head, and laughed heartily. Vasya watched what was happening but did nothing to defend his wife.
Lena removed the can, handed it to her husband, and calmly declared that she intended to get a divorce. Vasya laughed, thinking it was a joke. He found it amusing to see his wife in such a situation, though Lena herself did not find it funny at all. Even as she began to pack her things, he paid no attention.
Upon returning home, Lena actually left, leaving her husband alone with his mother. After two days of being together on the vacation, Vasya found his belongings at his mother’s apartment and only then realized the seriousness of the situation. But it was too late – Lena was not willing to put up with such behavior from her mother-in-law. If her husband had stood up for her, things might have turned out differently, but his weak character and constant devotion to his mother had made the choice for both of them. Now he would be living with Zhanna Mikhailovna.
