Pavel and Olga had long dreamed of having their own house, even though they already owned a modest but comfortable one-room apartment in a multi-family building. Construction began five years ago with the spontaneous purchase of a suburban plot.
“Come on, dear,” the husband said to Olga, “we need to invest our money somewhere so that our savings don’t just vanish, and then some friends suggested buying some land in a suburban settlement.”
“What? You’re planning to build a house?” the wife laughed at her husband, knowing that he couldn’t even manage to hang a picture without accidentally hitting his finger with a hammer.
“What house? It’s a profitable investment. The settlement is new and still under construction – not all the roads are ready yet, but they’ve already laid out all the communications for each plot – water, gas, and even sewage have been provided. This plot costs a million now, and what about tomorrow? It’s definitely better than a bank deposit,” the husband rationalized the investment.
And so, Pavel and Olga bought a house on the last street of the still-under-construction settlement.
“So, at least take me to see what we bought for a million, because all we got was some piece of paper with a rectangle on it: no joy in the purchase at all!” Olga laughed.
At that time, the newlyweds had no idea that this trip would turn their measured city life upside down and make the next five years of their marriage full of emotions, thrills, and incidents that even their wildest nightmares wouldn’t imagine. But let’s start at the beginning.
Pavel unpacked his portable grill and poured out several large coals to get the fire started.
“Well, now we at least have our own little patch of land where we can come and grill shashlik on a sunny day,” the young man laughed.
It was a fine September evening. The weather was warm and still summery. The sun was slowly descending behind a large hill, delighting the young couple with its rich red hues. The plot was almost at the top of the hill, towering high above the rest of the area. The last rays of the setting sun glided over Olga’s delighted face. A light haze enveloped the beautiful landscape, and the sky was illuminated by the most beautiful red glow of sunset.
“Look at that beauty! I’ve never experienced such delight! My eyes are rejoicing! It’s nothing like the city! Can you imagine living here?” the wife said to Pavel.
“Yes, the view is simply gorgeous, and the quiet – unlike our apartment when someone stomps above and there’s a noisy perforator below,” the husband noted. “And the best part is that all this beauty is just a 5-minute drive from the city!”
The young couple began, as best they could, to unconsciously adapt to the plot: first they would put up a small shed, then they would install a fence themselves so that the other neighbors wouldn’t roll in construction equipment. And later, Olga found a project for a one-story house that perfectly matched the layout of the plot.
“What? I already imagined how we’ll live here!” Pavel was fired up by the idea of country living, studying the sketches and the floor plan of their future house.
“Only, we don’t really have the money for construction…” Olga shook her head.
“Don’t worry, the desire is the main thing: I’ve already saved a certain amount, enough for the foundation this year, and then we’ll think it through gradually,” Pavel encouraged his wife’s initiative.
“What are you idiots babbling about?” laughed daughter Petrovna openly at her son-in-law’s idea. “Hey, son-in-law, did you really decide on building an entire house by yourself?”
“You just know that Mikhailych and I won’t be helping you, this whole construction is a real hassle,” scolded Pavel’s mother-in-law, Maria Petrovna, discouraging her son-in-law from the adventure.
“We aren’t ‘babbling’ – we’ve poured the foundation. It looks expensive, straight, solid, just like in the project. Even if you laid the first row without leveling, you’d go straight to the glue,” Pavel boasted about his first construction successes.
“And where did you learn to pour foundations?” Petrovna mocked her son-in-law.
“Mom, it’s not the Stone Age anymore: we have the internet, books, even video instructions: just take them and do it. I helped Pavel,” Olga explained to her mother.
“That’s exactly what I’m saying – you’ll just waste your money and energy, and end up building nothing,” Petrovna argued with the young couple. “You’d be better off saving extra money in the bank and stacking it up for your poor brother!”
“Then I’ll build it!” Pavel banged his fist on the table.
“Well, well, let’s see, son-in-law,” Petrovna said with a sly squint, looking sideways at the young man.
Time passed. The construction proceeded slowly as the young family’s money for the build trickled in, since Pavel worked for wages, Olga was on maternity leave with a small child, and they simply didn’t have enough money or time for the construction.
“Maybe your mom was right: we shouldn’t have gotten into this adventure! Look at Anton’s brother – they bought him a three-room apartment in honor of his engagement to Oksanka: now they’ll hire a construction crew, and they’ll finish the renovation in a month,” Olga explained to her husband.
“Look at that… So they won’t help us with the construction, and not only did they buy Anton a three-room apartment, they even want to renovate it?!” Pavel was outraged.
“With that money, you could have built a two-story mansion if you built it yourself,” Pavel whistled.
“Well, that’s their parental money, not ours: parents have every right to dispose of it as they wish,” Olga retorted, though it was clear that she was hurt, since her own brother’s parents were practically funneling all their capital into him, while she and Pavel were only relying on themselves.
“And why such generosity for Anton? Is he really that special in your family? And why are they in such a hurry with the renovation? Buying an apartment is a big investment, but why renovate immediately? That takes so much money – I haven’t seen any signs of ‘golden mountains’ in your parents,” Pavel wondered.
“They saved for his apartment for a long time, and for the renovation, they probably took out a loan. They’re about to retire, and they’ll still have to work – that’s what they’re hoping for,” Olga explained their parents’ financial strategy.
“Alright then, don’t be upset – at least we’ve got some motivation, you know what that is?” Pavel supported his wife. “I’ve pretty much built all the external walls with my own hands this year; only the roof is left to cover, but it’ll probably have to wait until next year since we’ve run out of money again…”
But Pavel didn’t dare tackle the roof alone, and the young couple started to think about taking out a loan, as they had no one else to rely on. Olga found a website for a construction firm on the internet that specialized exclusively in roofing installation, and inexperienced as they were, the couple signed a contract with an unscrupulous contractor.
In the end, it turned out that the credit funds were handed over directly to the company, supposedly for the roofing project, and the firm never started work because they had “cleverly” arranged everything so that the contractor was only supposed to provide a project without actually carrying out the work.
The couple was not very versed in the law, trusting the contractor’s verbal assurances. Outraged by what was happening, Pavel and Olga took the contractor to court – and the documents were impeccable!
“Here it is, Your Honor – the project, the act of completed work, which has been signed by the client!” the lawyer of the construction firm smiled as he defended his case in court.
“And for filing a lawsuit against us, we’re going to recover from you all the court expenses – including the lawyer’s fee, moral damages, and other costs,” the general director of the contracting firm shouted into Olga’s phone.
“Pasha, what are we going to do? This builder is threatening to sue me, claim expenses, and I only have my maternity benefits and the plot registered in my name! Won’t they just arrest our little house at any moment and sell it at auction?” Olga fretted, sharing all that was happening with Pavel in the presence of Petrovna.
“Transfer the plot to my name, and that’s it. Let them go after your income!” Petrovna gave a sensible piece of advice while pouring herself a cup of aromatic coffee, smirking at the simplicity and inexperience of the young couple.
“Well, you certainly are clueless – you didn’t even bother to read the contract when you signed it! So it’s your own fault! I don’t even feel sorry for you! And my advice is good – while it’s not too late, transfer it as a gift to me, so that not even a mosquito can nibble at it.”
Olga and Pavel did just that: they had the plot transferred to Petrovna, though they later realized they had worried for nothing when the court awarded them only a few thousand rubles from the firm, removing the greedy appetites of the director and his lawyers.
“Well, you really are fools – believing everything builders say!” Petrovna continued to tease Olga and Pavel. “When I drew up the contract for Anton’s apartment renovation, I insisted on an account for every single comma. They ended up returning 300,000 from the contract amount for the delay.”
“I’ll give that money to Anton so he and his bride can fly somewhere down south! What do you think?” Petrovna teased Pavel and Olga, who still had to pay the loan for the unfinished roof and find additional money at least for temporary roofing, so that the house wouldn’t be left exposed in winter.
Years passed. Pavel and Olga eventually managed to gather the funds and put together the roof, lay down the roofing material – though they had to do it themselves without help from professional builders. Later, the couple ordered plastic windows on their own and decided to save on installation by maneuvering the heavy double-glazed windows in together.
“Hi, daughter!” a pleased Petrovna called to Olga. “Are you still struggling with your house? I have some good news for you – and some motivation for your husband too!”
“What’s up, Mom?” her daughter asked, not understanding Petrovna’s upbeat tone. “Are you offering to pay for our window installation? We wouldn’t mind that at all – I’d definitely prefer that to wrestling with these heavy windows with my husband!”
“It’s not about you – I wanted to say that Anton is getting married. The wedding is in a month, so I’m calling everyone! Get a gift ready for the young couple! My husband and I, by the way, after Anton’s wedding, will give him a three-room apartment with renovation, and we’ll get all the paperwork in order so that everything is official! Otherwise, the apartment is still registered in my name – and if something happens to me, you’d be claiming the apartment too,” ranted Petrovna.
“What are you saying, Mom? I don’t want anyone else’s stuff – we’ll manage on our own! At least we won’t owe anyone anything!” her daughter replied, tears of hurt streaming down her face.
“Thank you, Mom, you really lifted my spirits. Thank you!” Olga tried to hide her tears of hurt as she lifted another heavy window pane with Pavel, fitting it into the frame and securing it with the glazing beads.
Anton’s wedding with his bride Oksana took place in the best restaurant in town. Petrovna and Mikhailych made sure everything was top-notch and spared no expense on the restaurant, the menu, or the gift for the newlyweds.
“Well, Oksana, now you have everything you need for happiness: a husband, official status as a wife, and – ta-da: my husband and I have decided to gift you a three-room apartment with renovation!” boasted Petrovna right at the wedding.
“Oh, come on, Maria Petrovna, just say you’re gifting it to Anton, and if something happens to me, I’ll get a bagel with a zero,” declared the cheeky and brazen Oksana to her mother-in-law.
“Why Anton? Do you think we’re that calculating? You’re like a daughter to me, Oksana!” defended the slightly tipsy Petrovna.
Petrovna’s attitude changed dramatically at the sight of Oksana – her voice even became somewhat sweet and an octave higher than usual. Petrovna was ready to sing and dance around the stubborn bride, just to arrange a happy family life for her son.
“Tell me, shall we register the apartment in both your names, daughter?” she addressed Oksana as if she were her own.
“I think it should be that way – otherwise, if you two split up, I’ll be left doing all the work for him,” Oksana retorted to the already cheerful Anton, demanding her rightful share in the gifted apartment right there at the wedding.
“Of course, of course, Oksana, as you say!” agreed Petrovna.
At the sight of Oksana, Petrovna changed dramatically – even her voice became tender and raised by an octave. Petrovna was ready to sing and dance around the stubborn bride just to set her son up in a proper family life.
A few more years passed.
Pavel and Oksana eventually managed to install radiators in their house, connected them to a heating boiler, and did a simple renovation in their home.
“Well, as they say – simple and tasteful,” smiled Olga as she and Pavel, along with their now five-year-old son, brought their belongings into their dream house.
The construction was inexorably nearing completion; all that was left was to hang the curtains in the new home and move the furniture out of the apartment.
“Good thing we didn’t skimp on materials – we made heated floors, chose practical materials, and hung a good boiler,” Pavel admired the results of his labor as he gathered the new furniture before finally moving from the apartment.
“Looks like we should pop a bottle of champagne to celebrate this event. And at the same time, we’ll de-register from our one-room apartment and register in our mother-in-law’s house,” joked Pavel, since the house was still registered in Petrovna’s name; the young couple hadn’t reissued the documents because the plot was originally in Petrovna’s name.
“Yeah, and we should also transfer the title to our names. We need to call Mom and ask when she can come by to finalize the paperwork,” Olga said as she dialed Petrovna.
“Hey, daughter… hello! How are you? Are you moving in? Is everything in the house done ‘turnkey’?” Petrovna cooed in what sounded like a guilty voice, as if justifying herself to her daughter.
“Mom, what’s with your voice? I know you – you’d be joking around with Pasha right now, having a laugh at my expense, but your voice is trembling. Come on, tell me!” Olga demanded.
“You understand, daughter. Oksana is divorcing that good-for-nothing Anton, believe it or not! And I, foolish me, then signed away half of the apartment to her,” Petrovna almost burst into tears on the phone with her daughter.
“See, Oksana demanded her half of the apartment in the divorce. Think about it, daughter – aren’t you going to give her that half? Your parents spent years saving for Anton’s housing…” Olga shouted, outraged, as tears of hurt, indignation, and despair streamed from her eyes.
“There’s nothing I can do, Olga; I told you that you shouldn’t have built that house – my mother’s heart had a bad feeling…” Petrovna said as if she were a detached observer.
“Nothing can be done, dear – the deal is already done. I signed all the documents; the house belongs to Oksana. So, while it’s not too late, take the furniture and your things out of the house,” Petrovna said quietly and hung up the phone.
“What has that old hag done?” Pavel shouted at his wife. “I don’t understand what just happened!” he asked, looking at his wife, while even their little child began to cry from the parents’ outrage.
“Mom, she signed the house over to Oksana – now Oksana is the owner of that house!” Olga replied in a state of shock.
“What do you mean ‘Oksana’? That’s the same insolent woman I only saw once in my life at your brother’s wedding – the one around whom Petrovna was practically dancing! I can’t understand how the house, which you and I toiled over for almost five years – learning the basics of construction and spending our last money on expensive materials – now belongs to some random old lady,” Pavel raged.
Pavel eventually interrogated a distraught Olga for every detail of what had happened.
“Maria Petrovna, if that’s how it turned out, then you at the very least must give us back your three-room apartment, because our house – along with the plot, communications, and furniture – is worth at least as much, if not more.”
“I can’t, son-in-law, don’t even try to persuade me. Look at how clumsy you are – you did everything yourselves… You might have a talent for physical work, but Anton doesn’t, so I can’t leave him without a roof over his head, and I can’t sell my own home because I need somewhere to live!” Petrovna sighed into the phone.
“You’ll regret your decision, Maria Petrovna, because a boomerang always comes back and hits you hard on the head!” Pavel said coldly into the phone.
The young man seemed to foresee that this would happen, though he did not yet know exactly how it would be carried out.
“Don’t try to scare me, son-in-law – we’ve seen worse in our lives. So, thank me for warning you in time to get the furniture and everything out of the house,” Petrovna hissed into the phone.
While Pavel was talking with his mother-in-law, Olga was already hauling a gasoline can from the shed.
“I’m going to burn it – so no one will get it!” Olga declared, furiously opening the fuel canister, but her husband stopped her.
“Don’t be ridiculous, dear, and stay calm. If you do that now, you’ll permanently lose your house and end up behind bars for damaging someone else’s property with compensation to pay. And do we really need that?” Pavel cooled her temper.
“So what do we do?” Olga asked hopefully, noticing a note of calm and distant hope in Pavel’s voice.
“We need to urgently file a lawsuit to restore our right of ownership, because I’ve kept receipts for all the materials. I have a receipt for every plug in this house, so we have a great chance of winning back our house,” Pavel assured his almost-crazy wife with hope for a positive outcome.
“Why sue? What do you want to achieve? Leave Oksana alone!” cried Petrovna to her daughter, who was afraid that her ex-daughter-in-law might also claim her share of the apartment.
“No, Mom, we will fight for our property until the end!” Olga replied firmly.
A year later, Pavel and Olga managed to prove in court that the house was built and the land purchased entirely with the young couple’s money. They presented all the accounting documents for the project, construction, estimates, receipts, photographs, and video materials that documented every stage of the construction. They even brought in their neighbors from the settlement, who confirmed that the house was built by the young couple with their own hands.
Even that careless builder, who had deceived them with the roofing scam, was shocked by the situation and came to court to support the self-builders by giving testimony in favor of the aggrieved party.
“Yes, guys, I understand everything – and you have to understand: business is business, nothing personal. But what did that mother do… Is she really your blood relative?” the director of the construction firm grumbled during a break between sessions.
In the end, Pavel and Olga completely restored their right of ownership to the house they had built, while Oksana, taking advantage of the still-valid statute of limitations, proved that Petrovna had misled her and restored her right of ownership to half of Anton’s three-room apartment.
“Hey, Olya!” called a dejected Petrovna after the positive court decision in favor of the young couple. “What have you done? Oksana is demanding half the value of the apartment from me, or threatening to evict my son by filling it with irresponsible tenants!”
“Do what you want, Mom, but it’s your fault!” shouted Olga, as Pavel overheard from the next room something unfavorable Petrovna had said.
While Pavel was speaking with his mother-in-law, Olga was already dragging a gasoline can out of the shed.
“I’m going to burn it so that no one can have it!” Olga blurted out furiously, opening the can of fuel in a frenzy, but her husband stopped her.
“Don’t say such foolish things, dear, and keep calm. If you do this, you’ll completely lose your house and end up in jail for damaging someone else’s property with compensation to pay. And do we really need that?” Pavel chided.
“And what do we do?” Olga asked hopefully, noticing a hint of calm and distant hope in Pavel’s voice.
“We need to file a lawsuit immediately to restore our ownership rights. I have kept records for every material. I even have a receipt for every cap in this house, so we have a very good chance of winning back our house,” Pavel reassured his nearly frantic wife.
Soon after, the dispute escalated.
“Why sue? What are you trying to achieve? Leave Oksana alone!” shouted Petrovna to her daughter, who was afraid that her ex-daughter-in-law might also claim her share of the apartment.
“No, Mom, we will fight for what is ours until the very end!” Olga replied firmly.
A year later, Pavel and Olga finally managed to prove in court that the house had been built and the land purchased entirely with their own money. They submitted all the documentation – project plans, construction records, estimates, receipts, photographs, and video materials documenting each stage of the construction. They even called their settlement neighbors, who confirmed that the young couple had built the house with their own hands.
Even the negligent builder who had deceived them over the roofing was in shock over the turn of events and appeared in court to support the self-builders by testifying on their behalf.
“Yes, guys, I understand everything – and you must understand: business is business, nothing personal. But what did that mother do… Is she really your blood relative?” the director of the construction firm grumbled during a break between sessions.
In the end, Pavel and Olga fully restored their right of ownership to the house they had built, while Oksana, taking advantage of the statute of limitations, managed to prove that Petrovna had misled her and thereby restored her right of ownership to half of Anton’s three-room apartment.
“Hi, Olya!” called a dejected Petrovna after the positive court decision in favor of the young couple. “What have you done? Oksana is demanding half the value of the apartment from me or threatening to evict my son by filling it with irresponsible tenants!”
“Do what you want, Mom – but it’s your fault!” Olga shouted, as Pavel, who had overheard Petrovna’s disparaging words from the next room, could not understand what had just happened.
“Mom, how could you dispose of our house like that?” Olga cried, outraged that Petrovna had done something so unforgivable.
“Well, daughter, you must understand – you’re a mother now too! I had a difficult choice to make! But Anton – that three-room apartment is his only home, and you have your own modest apartment. So live in it. The house will have to be given to Oksana,” Petrovna said.
Olga stood frozen before collapsing to the floor, cursing her mother in her pain and outrage.
“How could you, Mom?! Am I really your daughter? You didn’t give us a single penny for this house, and Pavel and I built it with our backs and our last pennies, saving on everything!” Olga raged, tears of hurt, indignation, and despair streaming from her eyes.
“There’s nothing I can do, Olga, and I told you not to build this house – my maternal instincts warned me…” Petrovna said, as if she were a mere bystander to the situation.
“Nothing can be done – the deal is sealed. I signed all the documents; the house belongs to Oksana. So, while it’s not too late, get the furniture and your belongings out of the house,” Petrovna said quietly before hanging up.
“What did that old witch do?” Pavel shouted at his wife. “I don’t understand what just happened!” he exclaimed, looking into his wife’s eyes, while even their little child began to cry from the parents’ outrage.
“Mom signed the house over to Oksana – now Oksana is the owner of that house!” Olga answered in despair.
“What do you mean ‘Oksana’? That’s the insolent woman I saw only once in my life at your brother’s wedding – the one around whom Petrovna practically danced! I can’t understand how the house – which you and I toiled over for nearly five years, learning the basics of construction and spending our last money on expensive materials – now belongs to some random old lady,” Pavel raged.
Pavel eventually extracted every detail of the incident from a distraught Olga.
“Maria Petrovna, if that’s how it turned out, then you must at least transfer your three-room apartment to us, because our house – along with the plot, communications, and furniture – is worth at least as much, if not more.”
“I can’t, son-in-law – don’t even try to persuade me. Look at how clumsy you are; you did everything yourselves… You might have a talent for physical work, but Anton doesn’t, so I can’t leave him without a home, and I can’t sell my own house – I need somewhere to live too!” Petrovna sighed into the phone.
“You’ll regret your decision, Maria Petrovna – a boomerang always comes back and hits you hard on the head!” Pavel said coldly into the phone.
The young man seemed to foresee that this would happen, though he did not yet know exactly how it would play out.
“Don’t try to scare me, son-in-law – we’ve seen tougher times. So, thank me that I warned you in time to get the furniture and everything out of the house,” Petrovna hissed into the phone.
While Pavel was talking with his mother-in-law, Olga was already dragging a gasoline can out of the shed.
“I’m going to burn it so that no one can get it!” Olga declared furiously, opening the can of fuel in a frenzy, but her husban
d stopped her.
“Don’t say such foolish things, dear – stay calm. If you do that, you’ll lose your house for good and end up behind bars for damaging someone else’s property with compensation to pay. And do we really want that?” Pavel admonished.
“And what do we do?” Olga asked hopefully, hearing a note of calm and distant hope in Pavel’s voice.
“We need to urgently file a lawsuit to restore our ownership rights, because I have kept records of every material. I even have a receipt for every cap in this house, so we have a very good chance of winning our house back,” Pavel reassured his almost frantic wife.
“Why sue? What are you trying to achieve? Leave Oksana alone!” Petrovna shouted at her daughter, who was afraid that her ex-daughter-in-law might also claim her share of the apartment.
“No, Mom, we will fight for what’s ours until the very end!” Olga replied firmly.
A year later, Pavel and Olga managed to prove in court that the house had been built and the land purchased entirely with their own money. They presented all the documentation – project plans, construction records, estimates, receipts, photographs, and video materials documenting every stage of the construction. They even called their neighbors from the settlement, who confirmed that the young couple had built the house with their own hands.
Even the negligent builder who had deceived them over the roofing scam was in shock over the turn of events and appeared in court to support the self-builders by testifying on their behalf.
“Yes, guys, I understand everything – and you must understand: business is business, nothing personal. But what did that mother do… Is she really your blood relative?” the director of the construction firm grumbled during a break between sessions.
In the end, Pavel and Olga fully restored their right of ownership to the house they had built, while Oksana, taking advantage of the statute of limitations, managed to prove that Petrovna had misled her and thereby restored her right of ownership to half of Anton’s three-room apartment.
“Hi, Olya!” called a dejected Petrovna after the positive court decision in favor of the young couple. “What have you done? Oksana is demanding half the value of the apartment from me or threatening to evict my son by filling it with irresponsible tenants!”
“Do what you want, Mom – but it’s your fault!” Olga shouted, as Pavel, who had overheard Petrovna’s disparaging words from the next room, couldn’t understand what had just happened.
“Mom, how could you dispose of our house like that?” Olga cried, outraged that Petrovna had done something so unforgivable.
“Well, daughter, you must understand – you’re a mother now too! I had a difficult choice to make! But Anton – that three-room apartment is his only home, and you have your own modest apartment. So live in it. The house will have to be given to Oksana,” Petrovna explained.
Olga stood there stunned, then collapsed to the floor, cursing her mother in her pain and outrage.
“How could you, Mom?! Am I really your daughter? You didn’t give us a single penny for this house – Pavel and I built it with our backs and our last pennies, scrimping on everything!” Olga raged, tears of hurt, indignation, and despair streaming from her eyes.
“There’s nothing I can do, Olga, and I told you not to build this house – my maternal instincts warned me…” Petrovna said, as if she were merely a bystander in the situation.
“Nothing can be done – the deal is sealed. I signed all the documents; the house belongs to Oksana. So while it’s not too late, get the furniture and your belongings out of the house,” Petrovna said quietly before hanging up.
“What did that old hag do?” Pavel shouted at his wife. “I don’t understand what just happened!” he exclaimed, looking into his wife’s eyes, while even their little child began to cry from the parents’ outrage.
“Mom signed the house over to Oksana – now Oksana is the owner of that house!” Olga answered, devastated.
“What do you mean ‘Oksana’? That’s the insolent woman I saw only once in my life at your brother’s wedding – the one around whom Petrovna practically danced! I can’t understand how the house – which you and I toiled over for nearly five years, learning the basics of construction and spending our last money on expensive materials – now belongs to some random old lady,” Pavel raged.
Pavel eventually extracted every detail of the incident from a distraught Olga.
“Maria Petrovna, if that’s how it turned out, then you must at the very least transfer your three-room apartment to us, because our house – along with the plot, communications, and furniture – is worth at least as much, if not more.”
“I can’t, son-in-law – don’t even try to persuade me. Look at how clumsy you are; you did everything yourselves… You might have a talent for physical work, but Anton doesn’t, so I can’t leave him without a home, and I can’t sell my own house – I need somewhere to live too!” Petrovna sighed into the phone.
“You’ll regret your decision, Maria Petrovna – a boomerang always comes back and hits you hard on the head!” Pavel said coldly into the phone.
The young man seemed to foresee that this would happen, though he did not yet know exactly how it would play out.
“Don’t try to scare me, son-in-law – we’ve seen tougher times. So thank me that I warned you in time to get the furniture and everything out of the house,” Petrovna hissed into the phone.
While Pavel was talking with his mother-in-law, Olga was already dragging a gasoline can out of the shed.
“I’m going to burn it so that no one can get it!” Olga declared furiously, opening the can of fuel in a frenzy, but her husband stopped her.
“Don’t say such foolish things, dear – stay calm. If you do that, you’ll lose your house for good and end up behind bars for damaging someone else’s property with compensation to pay. And do we really want that?” Pavel admonished.
“And what do we do?” Olga asked hopefully, hearing a note of calm and distant hope in Pavel’s voice.
“We need to urgently file a lawsuit to restore our ownership rights, because I have kept records of every material. I even have a receipt for every cap in this house, so we have a very good chance of winning our house back,” Pavel reassured his nearly frantic wife.
On December 30, about six months after they had become the full, official owners of their house, Pavel and Olga were preparing for the New Year. The weather outside was almost wintry – a blizzard raged so fiercely that on the plot bordering a field, you couldn’t even see a car parked a few meters from the house.
Suddenly, the intercom rang, and on its display as well as on the cameras, the figures of Petrovna and Mikhailych appeared.
“What do you want?” Pavel asked his relatives coldly.
“Pashenka, my dear son-in-law, let us in to your apartment. We sold our home to pay off Oksana, and now we have nowhere to live,” Petrovna said, almost in tears as she stood outside.
“And what about your beloved Anton? Didn’t he take you in, since you used to do everything for him?” Pavel asked calmly.
“What about him? Anton has a different family now – we don’t want to crowd him! Just let us stay with you. Your house is much bigger than Anton’s,” Petrovna said very seriously.
“Yeah, you’re trying to climb onto our backs for a second time. No way – look at who you’re siding with, and then you ask to stay with us,” Pavel said as he turned off the intercom, recalling everything he and his wife had endured throughout the past year because of that insolent and possibly unbalanced woman.
The man couldn’t understand how she had the nerve to barge into his home after blatantly betraying her own daughter in favor of her son.
“Maybe she isn’t really related to them at all – she isn’t even a bit like her own parents!” Pavel thought as he looked at his beautiful wife emerging from the bathroom.
“Who was that on the intercom?” Olga asked, coming out of the bath where she had been drying her hair and not having heard her husband’s conversation with his parents.
“Just some local homeless folks causing a fuss before the holidays,” Pavel replied with a sly smile.
