Nika was lying in bed, watching with interest as dancing sunbeams spun across the ceiling. Life was good: three days ago, she had finally become Tolik’s wife. Ahead of her were two more days off and an entire lifetime in the arms of the man she loved passionately. Today, Tolik had gone to work for the first time as a married man, while Nika, exhausted after the wedding, stayed home and planned a romantic dinner.
The newlyweds had no money for a honeymoon, so they had postponed it until better times, when they earned more. Dinner followed by romance was the only thing Anatoly’s young wife could treat him to right now, since they had spent a considerable amount on the wedding celebration. At least they did not have to worry about having a roof over their heads, and money was not that critical either — payday was coming soon.
Nika jumped out of bed, gathered her hair into a high ponytail, hurried into the shower, and then went to the kitchen. Casting a mischievous glance at the rumpled bed, she thought, “For the wedding, I bought three sets of ridiculously expensive lingerie. Tonight will be the grand debut — lavender with gray lace.”
The young woman brewed coffee and sat down on the wide windowsill, intending to enjoy the quiet solitude of the morning. And then the cozy silence was shattered by the trill of the doorbell.
Nika glanced briefly at the clock. Tolik had left only half an hour ago. Had he forgotten something? She lightly jumped down from the windowsill and hurried to open the door.
“Scatterbrain!” she thought, not suspecting whom she would see on the threshold.
Imagine her surprise when, instead of her husband, she saw her mother-in-law, Lyubov Konstantinovna — and not alone, but accompanied by some woman vaguely familiar from the wedding feast.
The young woman gasped in surprise, instinctively tugging down her short robe, and greeted them politely. She had absolutely no idea why this newly acquired relative had shown up so early, and with such an expression on her face. Her mother-in-law truly looked very angry and concerned.
Without responding to the greeting, Lyubov Konstantinovna resolutely pushed her daughter-in-law aside and marched inside. Her companion bustled after her, like Piglet trailing Winnie-the-Pooh. Nika had no choice but to follow them in bewilderment, without saying a word.
The mother-in-law quickly poked her nose into the bathroom and the kitchen, then stopped in the middle of the only room, planting her hands on her hips.
“Well, Valya?” she began, carelessly nodding toward the unmade bed. “Just as I expected. The bed isn’t made, the dishes aren’t washed, there are crumbs on the floor, and the laundry basket is full of dirty clothes. How do you explain this, my dear?”
Lyubov Konstantinovna stared triumphantly at her daughter-in-law, clearly expecting excuses. The barely familiar Valya peeked curiously from behind the militant mother-in-law’s shoulder, eager not to miss the show.
But Nika merely snorted.
“I’m not going to explain anything. Who exactly are you to be interested in what is lying where in my apartment?” she asked coldly. “Who invited you here at all to ask questions like that — and with some strange woman in tow?”
Lyubov Konstantinovna blinked in surprise. She had met Anatoly’s fiancée, Nika, literally a month before the wedding, and then had seen her only a couple of times. Back then, the girl had seemed sensible and completely harmless.
Anatoly’s mother, Lyubov Konstantinovna, had been very interested in how such a young girl as Nika had her own apartment. Nika had not dodged the question and honestly explained that her grandparents on both sides had helped with the down payment, while her parents had paid the mortgage for five years while she was studying at university. For the last four years, Nika had paid the mortgage herself after getting a job in her field. Six months ago, she had finally paid it off and even done some cosmetic renovations before the wedding.
Yet now this sweet girl was behaving rudely toward Lyubov Konstantinovna and her second cousin. Lyubov Konstantinovna had already announced to her relatives that the young couple was under her control, and the situation had to be saved.
The mother-in-law decided to change tactics.
“Oh, come on,” she said familiarly, patting her daughter-in-law under the chin. “Better make us some tea. After all, I’m your husband’s mother.”
Nika recoiled. The uninvited guests were beginning to make her tense. She shook her head and said she had no tea and had not been expecting guests.
The mother-in-law’s face turned crimson.
“You’ll regret this,” she squealed. “I’m calling my son right now.”
Nika shrugged. If dear mother-in-law wanted to ruin her morning, who could stop her?
That evening, an angry Anatoly demanded an explanation from his wife as to why she had thrown his mother out.
Nika calmly told him how Lyubov Konstantinovna had unceremoniously appeared in the apartment literally half an hour after he left, conducted an inspection, and scolded her for the unwashed dishes and the unmade bed, calling her cousin as a witness. In the end, she demanded tea, but Nika had been so stunned by such nerve that she simply suggested they leave — politely, although next time she would not stand on ceremony.
“But she’s my mother!” her husband snapped. “How could you, Nika?”
The young woman was taken aback.
Why did Lyubov Konstantinovna think she had the right to burst into their home simply because her son lived there? That was unacceptable. Nika’s parents had paid for almost half of this apartment, and even they always called and arranged visits in advance. On what grounds was her mother-in-law barging in without an invitation?
“Mom is just very worried about me,” Anatoly rolled his eyes. “After all, she raised me alone.”
Nika laughed. Phrases like that had always amused her.
“Look how many people there are outside the window, and every one of them was born by a mother. Many of them, unfortunately, were raised by one too. Of course, deep respect to them. But that isn’t heroism — that’s life. There’s a reason people say: ‘A child is a guest in your home. Feed him, educate him, and let him go — or better yet, give him a magical kick so he becomes independent faster.’ But some mothers just can’t let go of their grown children. If Lyubov Konstantinovna is one of those, there will be serious problems in this family.”
And, as it turned out, the problems did not keep them waiting.
The young spouses had never specifically agreed on what kind of family budget they would have. Nika paid the utilities, as she had done before Anatoly. The newlyweds bought groceries together, and other purchases were paid for by one or the other without keeping score.
One day, a week before payday, Nika had to stay late at work because of a meeting. Her boss demanded that she urgently finish a report, and she got home late.
The refrigerator was empty, and dinner was in danger of not happening. She sent her husband a list of groceries, asking him to buy them on his way home.
“Please buy milk, bread, pasta, and something to go with it. The fridge is empty,” she wrote in the message.
Tolik did not argue. He stopped by the store, spent time standing in line, chose everything on the list, added chicken and vegetables for a salad, and paid with his card.
At home, Nika quickly cooked dinner. They sat down at the table. Tolik praised the food, then took out his phone and showed her the receipt.
“Listen, I spent 2,800. Send it back to my card,” he asked in a casual tone.
Nika froze with her fork in her hand.
“Are you serious?” was all she managed to say.
Tolik nodded and continued eating, as if he had said nothing unusual.
“I miscalculated before payday, and I still need money for transport and lunches in the cafeteria,” he explained.
Nika fulfilled her husband’s request, but her astonishment knew no bounds.
Where had Tolik spent his entire salary? His income was smaller than hers, of course, but not by much. They had not made any major purchases for a long time, and she had paid for groceries all month.
Nika suggested that they calculate their current expenses. After all, if he kept reaching payday with zero left, they could forget about a vacation by the warm sea.
The spouses sat down side by side and began calculating expenses in the banking app, item by item. They even added takeaway coffee and buns bought in the underground passage. But the amount still did not match their salaries. A fairly solid sum had disappeared somewhere — almost a quarter of her salary, or a third of her husband’s.
Nika frowned tensely, trying to remember where that money could have gone. And suddenly Tolik chuckled.
“We forgot to count the money I gave Mom.”
His wife’s eyes widened.
“And why exactly is my dear husband sponsoring his mother?” Nika asked indignantly.
“Well, I’ve always done that,” Anatoly explained innocently. “I used to give her more, but now it’s only about a third of my salary.”
Nika objected.
“Before, that made sense. Tolik lived with his mother. Of course he had to give money for groceries, utilities, and other household things. But why give it now? He hasn’t lived with his mother for a long time.”
“But she doesn’t have enough from her salary.”
“Do you know how expensive medicine is?” Tolik continued.
Nika fell silent in shock.
Lyubov Konstantinovna was a slim, lively fifty-two-year-old woman. What medicine? She never missed yoga or the swimming pool, always looked perfectly put together, and often boasted about expensive trips abroad. And even a fool could understand that a financial analyst at a construction company was not paid pennies.
Cornered by the facts, her dear husband suddenly began snapping back.
“What am I supposed to do, in your opinion, if Mom calls and asks me to transfer twenty or thirty thousand?”
Nika was stunned.
Refuse, obviously. Helping parents in need was one thing, but Tolik’s mother was not that case. She was not only not in need — she lived quite comfortably on her own. Her son’s money was nothing but a whim for her.
Why did Tolik not understand that Nika had married him because she wanted a family and children? But what would they live on when she went on maternity leave if her husband continued sponsoring his mother?
In short, word by word, a real quarrel broke out. Such a quarrel that an angry Anatoly, in the heat of the moment, threw out:
“I don’t know, Nika. We’ve only been married for the second month, and we’re already arguing about money. I really don’t like this.”
Nika fell into thought. She categorically did not like it either. But they were adults, and instead of fighting, they had to come to an agreement.
So the next day, the young woman prepared a delicious dinner so she could talk to her husband without hysterics. Besides, a beautiful powder-colored lingerie set was waiting for its hour, and it would surely not leave Anatoly indifferent.
Tolik agreed with his wife’s arguments. He would definitely talk to his mother, explain that he had his own family now and new obligations, and that Lyubov Konstantinovna would no longer receive money for restaurant outings with her girlfriends. It would be a different matter if — God forbid — her health failed. Then, yes, he and Nika would collect the necessary amount.
Anatoly even went to his mother’s place for a serious conversation.
But the next week, Nika accidentally overheard her beloved husband’s phone conversation. Judging by his facial expression, his mother was asking for money again, and 35,000 was immediately magically deducted from their joint account. Then another 15,000. And another 10,000.
Nika silently watched the process of the account being drained and did not lift a finger to stop it.
At the end of the month, what had to happen happened: the account had completely dried up, and there was not even money left for food.
“Nika, what did you spend your salary on?” her husband clutched his head.
His wife gave a sarcastic snort.
“I sent 50,000 to my parents. They were booking a hotel in Egypt and were a little short.”
Oh, how upset Tolik became! He was so distressed that he began grilling his wife about when her parents would return the debt. After all, he wanted to eat, and they had nothing to live on.
But Nika only laughed.
“As soon as Lyubov Konstantinovna returns her debts to our family budget, my parents will also find it in themselves to do the same.”
“You did this on purpose?” her husband flared up as if stung.
Nika had to explain that she had no malicious intent whatsoever. Her parents needed money, and she helped them out. Was that not allowed? After all, money was sent to Tolik’s mother at her first call — any amount she wanted. So why could her parents not be helped?
Tolik became seriously angry. He grabbed a sports bag, threw some things into it, and left for his mother’s place. At least there he would be fed.
Since then, he had not called his wife.
And on Saturday, Lyubov Konstantinovna appeared at Nika’s door in person.
“I knew right away that nothing would work out between you two. You’re far too greedy,” she announced venomously, dragging Anatoly’s things, carefully packed by her daughter-in-law, toward the entrance door.
Nika smiled radiantly, pushing the remaining box in the same direction with her foot.
“I’ll tell you something more, Lyubov Konstantinovna,” she said in a honeyed voice. “If you don’t stop emptying Anatoly’s pockets, he won’t make it work with anyone. No normal woman will settle for crumbs from her husband’s salary while his mommy is living in luxury and throwing money around. So if you want to marry off your precious son, curb your appetite.”
The almost-former relative pressed her lips together and began hysterically jabbing the elevator button. But apparently, today was not her day. The elevator had no intention of freeing up, cheerfully winking with its red light.
“At least help me carry the things to the taxi,” the failed mother-in-law barked at her daughter-in-law, who stood frozen in the doorway.
But Nika only bared her teeth in a predatory smile, showing off a perfectly even row of teeth. With a magnificent football-style pass, she kicked the box that had nearly been forgotten in the rush into the pile, gave a mocking bow, and disappeared back into the apartment, carefully closing the door behind her.