“Sonny, your stupid wife didn’t transfer five hundred thousand to me! Now I’ll be left without a fur coat!” the mother-in-law screamed
Elena sat in the kitchen, looking over yet another mortgage receipt. The numbers were impressive, but she had already grown used to this monthly burden. When she married Dmitry three years ago, she understood perfectly well that she should not expect wealth. Her husband worked as an engineer at a factory; his salary was modest but stable. Elena worked as a manager at a trading company and earned a little more. Together they managed, saved a little, and made plans.
The first year of marriage passed peacefully. They lived in a rented apartment, saved for a down payment, and visited their parents in turn. Her mother-in-law, Tamara Fyodorovna, greeted her daughter-in-law warmly, although she immediately began asking about her salary, how much Elena saved, and what she spent money on. Elena laughed it off and did not attach much importance to it.
Everything changed when the young couple took out a mortgage and moved into their own one-room apartment. Tamara Fyodorovna began dropping by without warning, inspecting purchases and commenting on every item.
Winter Clothing
“Lena, why did you buy such an expensive kettle?” the mother-in-law asked, turning the new purchase over in her hands. “The store on the corner has the exact same one for three hundred rubles cheaper.”
“Mom, that’s none of your business,” Dmitry stood up for her, but his voice sounded uncertain.
“How is it none of my business? You’re spending money! And then you’ll come asking for help!”
Elena kept silent then. She did not want to ruin the relationship. But her mother-in-law’s visits became more frequent, and along with them came strange requests. At first, Tamara Fyodorovna called and asked Elena to transfer money for medicine. Three thousand rubles. Elena did not argue and sent it right away. A week later, her mother-in-law called again — she had run out of money before her pension and needed five thousand for groceries. Elena transferred it silently. Then she needed help paying utility bills — another seven thousand.
“Dima, why is your mother constantly asking for money?” Elena asked one evening when her husband came home from work. “She has a decent pension, and her apartment is her own.”
Gifts for the Mother-in-Law
“Well, Mom lives alone, it’s hard for her,” Dmitry shrugged and walked into the room. “It’s not a big deal to help.”
“I’m not against helping, but this is happening every week now…”
“Lena, she’s my mother. You can’t refuse your parents.”
Elena sighed and did not bring up the subject again. Money continued to go to Tamara Fyodorovna regularly. Sometimes for a new television, sometimes for bathroom repairs, sometimes just to help her until her pension arrived.
When Elena became pregnant, expenses increased. They needed to buy things for the baby, pay for tests, and prepare the nursery. Elena tried to save on everything, denying herself even small things so they would have enough for the necessities. Dmitry worked overtime, coming home late, tired and silent.
Tamara Fyodorovna continued calling with requests. Now she wanted to go to a sanatorium — twenty-five thousand for the trip. Elena looked at the account, calculated that they would have to postpone buying the stroller, and transferred the money. Her mother-in-law did not even thank her. She only said the sanatorium package was good, but she would have preferred a more expensive one because the food was better there. Their son was born. Small, noisy, demanding constant attention. Elena went on maternity leave, and the family income was cut in half. Her husband tried to take extra shifts, but it still was not enough. Mortgage payments, utilities, groceries, diapers, baby food — money disappeared at a frightening speed.
Family Financial Planning
Tamara Fyodorovna found out about the birth of her grandson and came to the maternity hospital empty-handed. She looked at the baby, clicked her tongue, and said the boy looked like his father, which was not very good. Elena clenched her teeth and said nothing.
A month after Elena was discharged, her mother-in-law called again.
“Lenochka, dear, I need money for gifts for relatives. My cousin has an anniversary, and it would be embarrassing to come empty-handed.”
“Tamara Fyodorovna, we’re going through a difficult period right now,” Elena tried to explain. “The baby is small, expenses are high…”
“Oh, come on! Dima earns well, you’ll manage. I only need ten thousand.”
Elena transferred ten thousand, even though there was very little left in the account. That month she had to borrow money from a friend for groceries.
Her mother-in-law called more and more often. She needed a new phone because the old one had broken. Then insurance had to be paid. Then she wanted to buy new furniture for the living room. Each time, Tamara Fyodorovna began the conversation sweetly, but if Elena tried to refuse, her tone instantly changed.
Gifts
“So that’s how it is! I did so much for you, and now you can’t even help!”
Dmitry always took his mother’s side. He said parents needed to be helped, that Tamara Fyodorovna was alone, and that they should not be greedy. Elena felt fatigue and resentment building inside her, but she continued transferring money just to keep peace in the family.
A year passed. Their son was growing, but expenses did not decrease. Elena tried to find part-time work from home, sitting at the computer at night while the child slept. Dmitry worked without days off. There was still not enough money. And Tamara Fyodorovna continued demanding more.
One evening in early December, her mother-in-law called around ten o’clock. Elena had just put her son to bed and was about to lie down herself — her head was splitting from exhaustion.
“Lenochka, are you asleep?” Tamara Fyodorovna’s cheerful voice cut through her ears.
Gifts for the Mother-in-Law
“No, I’m not asleep. What happened?”
“Listen, today I saw such beauty! A fur coat! Real mink, long, with a hood. So elegant!”
Elena closed her eyes. Everything inside her tightened with foreboding.
“Tamara Fyodorovna, that’s nice, of course…”
“They have a discount there now! Instead of six hundred thousand, it’s only five hundred! Can you imagine what a bargain that is?”
Elena sat up in bed, her heart pounding louder.
“Five hundred thousand? Tamara Fyodorovna, are you serious?”
“Of course I’m serious! I already told the salesperson I would pick it up tomorrow. Lenochka, transfer the money to me in the morning, all right? Otherwise someone else will buy the coat.”
Children’s Clothing
Elena took a deep breath, trying to calm herself. Numbers rushed through her head: the mortgage, the car loan, utilities, food, clothes for the child. There was a little over one hundred thousand in the account — money they needed to live on for the next three months.
“Tamara Fyodorovna, I can’t transfer five hundred thousand to you,” Elena said quietly but firmly.
“What do you mean you can’t?” her mother-in-law raised her voice. “How can you not?”
“We don’t have that kind of money. We have a mortgage, a small child, huge expenses. Every month we barely make ends meet.”
“Oh, so that’s how it is!” Tamara Fyodorovna began shouting. “So there’s money for yourselves, but not for your mother-in-law!”
“We don’t spend on anything extra,” Elena tried to remain calm. “For the last six months I’ve only bought clothes at secondhand stores. We’ve given up trips, entertainment…”
Winter Clothing
“Don’t make things up! I see how you live! You have an apartment, a car! And you begrudge an old woman even a fur coat!”
“The apartment is mortgaged, the car is on credit,” Elena felt her hands starting to tremble. “Tamara Fyodorovna, I understand that you want something beautiful, but five hundred thousand is simply impossible for us.”
“Fine!” the mother-in-law barked. “I’ll speak to my son myself! We’ll see what Dima says!”
Tamara Fyodorovna hung up. Elena sat on the bed, clutching the phone in her hand. Everything inside her burned, but at the same time, a strange relief appeared. For the first time in three years, she had said a firm “no.”
Dmitry came home late, tired and gloomy. Elena met him at the doorway.
“Dima, your mother called me. She asked for five hundred thousand for a fur coat.”
“I know,” Dmitry took off his jacket and went into the kitchen. “Mom already called me.”
“And what did you tell her?”
Her husband poured himself water, drank it in one gulp, and turned to his wife.
“I said we’d try to find the money.”
Elena froze.
Clothing
“What do you mean, try? Dima, we don’t have half a million!”
“We can take out a loan.”
“Another loan?!” Elena’s voice broke into a shout, and she immediately stopped herself, remembering their sleeping son. “Dima, do you understand that we’re already up to our ears in debt? We can barely handle what we already have!”
“Mom is alone. She needs good outerwear. It’s winter.”
“She has a coat, a jacket, a sheepskin coat!” Elena stepped toward him. “Dima, this isn’t a necessity, it’s a whim! Half a million for a fur coat while we buy things for ourselves on sale!”
“Don’t shout,” Dmitry turned away. “I’m tired. We’ll discuss it tomorrow.”
He went into the room, leaving his wife alone in the kitchen. Elena sank onto a chair and buried her face in her hands. Her head was splitting, her temples throbbing. For the first time in a long while, she allowed herself to cry — quietly, so as not to wake her son.
In the morning, Elena’s phone rang nonstop. Tamara Fyodorovna called every half hour, but Elena rejected the calls. Finally, her mother-in-law got through to Dmitry.
Gifts for the Mother-in-Law
“Sonny!” Tamara Fyodorovna’s voice could be heard even from a distance. “Your wife is ignoring me! I’m already at the store, the salesperson is waiting, and the money still hasn’t arrived!”
“Mom, wait,” Dmitry tried to calm her down. “We haven’t decided yet…”
“What is there to decide?!” his mother-in-law became hysterical. “Now I’ll be left without a fur coat! All my friends will laugh at me! This is all because of your greedy wife!”
Elena stood in the hallway and listened. Dmitry hesitated, shifted from foot to foot, tried to explain something, but his mother’s voice drowned out everything else.
“She has you under her thumb!” Tamara Fyodorovna shouted. “I spent my whole life on you, raised you alone, denied myself everything! And now you begrudge me even a fur coat!”
“Mom, I understand everything, but…”
“You don’t understand anything! If the money isn’t transferred within an hour, I’ll come to your place and deal with that… with Elena myself!”
Tamara Fyodorovna slammed the phone down. Dmitry sank onto the sofa and covered his face with his hands. Elena came over and sat beside him.
“Dima, listen to me carefully,” his wife said, tired but firm. “We are not taking out a loan for a fur coat. This is madness. We have obligations, we have a son, we have real expenses. Your mother has been sucking money out of us for three years, and we’ve stayed silent. Enough.”
“She’s my mother,” Dmitry said without raising his head.
Women’s Hobbies
“Yes, your mother. But that doesn’t mean you have to bankrupt yourself for her whims. Dima, think about it yourself — half a million for a fur coat? With our income?”
Her husband was silent. Elena placed a hand on his shoulder.
“I love you, but I won’t take part in this anymore. If you want to transfer money to your mother, that’s your right. But only from your own salary, not from the family budget.”
Dmitry raised his head and looked at his wife. For the first time in a long while, Elena saw not exhaustion in his eyes, but confusion.
“Lena, you understand what kind of scandal there will be…” he tried to object, but his voice sounded uncertain.
“The scandal already exists,” Elena answered calmly. “The only question is how long we’re going to tolerate it.”
Dmitry opened his mouth to say something, but then the doorbell rang. Sharply, insistently, several times in a row. Elena exchanged glances with her husband and went to open the door. Tamara Fyodorovna stood on the threshold, red-faced, her eyes burning.
“Where is the money?!” the mother-in-law burst into the apartment without taking off her shoes. “I stood in the store for two hours! The saleswoman looked at me like I was a fool! I was humiliated!”
“Mom, calm down,” Dmitry came out into the hallway.
“How can I calm down?!” Tamara Fyodorovna waved her arms. “I told all my friends I was buying a mink coat! And now what? How am I supposed to look them in the eye?”
Winter Clothing
“Tamara Fyodorovna, I explained yesterday,” Elena closed the front door. “We don’t have that kind of money.”
“You’re lying!” her mother-in-law turned toward her daughter-in-law. “You’re just greedy! You spend everything on yourself, and you begrudge your mother-in-law!”
“What do I spend on myself?” Elena crossed her arms over her chest. “Show me even one unnecessary purchase from the past year.”
“What about the apartment? The car?”
“The apartment is mortgaged. We pay forty thousand every month. The car is on credit, another fifteen thousand. That is not luxury, it is necessity.”
Tamara Fyodorovna snorted and went into the living room, lowering herself heavily onto the sofa.
“Sonny!” the mother-in-law turned to Dmitry, and her voice instantly became pitiful. “Are you really going to let this… this wife of yours speak to me like that? I gave my whole life for you! Raised you alone, sent you to university with my own money! And now you can’t even give me money for a fur coat!”
“Mom, I understand, but…”
“You don’t understand anything!” she began shouting again. “Your wife has you under her thumb! Before, you always helped me, and now? Now this…” Tamara Fyodorovna jabbed a finger toward Elena, “is ordering you around!”
Elena stood in the doorway and silently watched what was happening. Everything inside her was boiling, but her face remained expressionless. Dmitry’s gaze darted between his mother and his wife. He clearly did not know whose side to take.
Children’s Clothing
“Sonny, your wife is just stupid!” Tamara Fyodorovna shouted, jumping up from the sofa. “She doesn’t understand that family is more important than money! She didn’t transfer five hundred thousand to me! Now I’ll be left without a fur coat! All my friends will laugh!”
“Tamara Fyodorovna, leave my apartment,” Elena said quietly but firmly.
Her mother-in-law froze, unable to believe what she had heard.
“What did you say?”
“Leave my apartment. Right now.”
“How dare you?!” Tamara Fyodorovna turned crimson. “Dima, do you hear what this… this snake is saying?”
“Mom, please…” her husband tried to calm the situation.
“Dmitry,” Elena turned to her husband. “If your mother doesn’t leave right now, both of you will leave.”
“Lena, don’t do this…”
“I’m serious.”
Tamara Fyodorovna burst into hysterical laughter.
“So that’s how it is! You’re throwing out your mother-in-law! Who do you think you are? My son would be better off without you!”
Cosmetics and Perfumes
Elena turned around and went into the bedroom. A minute later, she returned, dragging a large travel suitcase behind her. Her mother-in-law fell silent, staring at the luggage.
“What is that?” Tamara Fyodorovna pointed at the suitcase.
“Your son’s things,” Elena placed the suitcase by the door. “I packed them last night. Just in case.”
“Lena, what are you doing?!” Dmitry jumped up from the sofa.
“What I should have done a long time ago,” his wife opened the door. “Leave. Both of you.”
“The apartment is shared!” Dmitry stepped toward her. “You have no right!”
“The apartment was bought before the marriage with money from the sale of my one-room apartment, which I inherited from my grandmother,” Elena took a folded sheet of paper from her pocket. “Here is the extract from the Unified State Register of Real Estate. The sole owner is me. You are registered here, but that changes nothing.”
Dmitry took the paper, scanned it with his eyes, and turned pale. Tamara Fyodorovna snatched the paper from her son’s hands.
“How is that possible? You’re married! Everything should be split in half!”
“The apartment was purchased with personal funds before the marriage was registered,” Elena explained. “You can consult a lawyer if you don’t believe me. So please — leave.”
“Dima!” his mother grabbed her son by the arm. “Are you going to let this bitch treat us like this?”
Clothing
Her husband stood with his head lowered. His shoulders drooped, his arms hanging at his sides. Elena looked at Dmitry and waited. Everything inside her tightened into a painful knot, but she did not look away.
“Dima, say something,” Elena asked quietly.
“What can I say?” Dmitry raised his head. “You’ve already decided everything for me.”
“I decided?” Elena smirked. “For three years I silently transferred money to your mother. For three years I endured her complaints and demands. For three years I lived from hand to mouth so she could go to sanatoriums and buy herself new furniture. And all that time, you stayed silent and nodded. So who was deciding for whom?”
Dmitry turned away. Tamara Fyodorovna tugged her son by the sleeve.
“Let’s go. There’s no point standing here. This trash will regret it!”
The mother-in-law grabbed her bag and left the apartment, slamming the door loudly. Dmitry picked up the suitcase and lingered on the threshold.
“Lena, maybe we can still talk?”
“No,” the woman shook her head. “We have nothing to talk about.”
Her husband nodded and left. Elena locked the door, leaned her back against it, and slowly slid down to the floor. Her hands trembled, her breathing was uneven. But at the same time, a strange relief spread through her, as if an unbearable weight had fallen from her shoulders.
Gifts for the Mother-in-Law
The following days passed in silence. Dmitry called several times, asking to meet and talk, but Elena rejected all attempts at reconciliation. She consulted a lawyer, gathered documents, and prepared for divorce.
A week later, Elena filed a claim in court. She attached a bank statement for the last two years to the lawsuit. The lawyer helped compile a list of all the transfers to Tamara Fyodorovna — it turned into an impressive table. A sanatorium for twenty-five thousand, a new television for forty, furniture for seventy, a seaside trip for fifty, a phone for thirty. The smaller transfers of three to five thousand were impossible to count.
“In two years, you transferred more than four hundred thousand rubles to your mother-in-law,” the lawyer showed her the final total. “These are jointly acquired funds that were not spent on the needs of the family.”
“And what does that mean?” Elena asked.
“It means you can demand compensation in court. If money was spent not on the family, but on third parties, the other spouse has the right to reimbursement.”
Elena nodded and signed all the necessary papers. Dmitry received a copy of the claim and immediately called.
“Lena, what is this? You’re demanding two hundred thousand from me?”
“Half of what we gave your mother,” his wife answered calmly. “That is fair.”
“Fair? I don’t have that kind of money!”
“That’s your problem. You can ask your mother. After all, she has a new television, new furniture, and trips to sanatoriums.”
Winter Clothing
“You’ve lost your mind!”
“No. I’m just tired of being your wallet.”
Dmitry hung up. Elena put the phone on the table and returned to work. Her maternity leave was ending, and she had already arranged with her employer to return. She was sending her son to a nursery, and her maternal grandmother had promised to help pick up the child.
The court hearing was scheduled for early February. Elena arrived early, wearing a strict suit and carrying a folder of documents. Dmitry appeared at the last moment, rumpled and nervous. He did not bring Tamara Fyodorovna, although the woman had been calling nonstop and demanding to be present at the trial.
The judge studied the case materials and asked several clarifying questions. Dmitry tried to justify himself, saying he had helped his mother out of good intentions and that Elena had agreed to transfer the money herself. But the bank statements spoke for themselves.
“Defendant, do you confirm that over the course of two years you regularly transferred money to your mother?” the judge asked.
“Yes, but…”
“What purposes were the funds spent on?”
“On… different needs. Medicine, groceries…”
“According to the submitted documents,” the judge lifted a paper, “the total amount of transfers was four hundred twelve thousand rubles. This is a substantial part of the family budget. The plaintiff claims the funds were spent on purchases unrelated to family needs. Can you refute that?”
Family Financial Planning
Dmitry remained silent. The judge made a note in the documents.
“Taking into account the evidence presented, the court concludes that the funds were spent without justification. The marriage is dissolved. The defendant is obligated to pay the plaintiff compensation in the amount of two hundred thousand rubles for the misuse of joint funds. The apartment, purchased by the plaintiff before marriage with personal funds, is not subject to division and remains the property of Elena Sergeyevna.”
Dmitry clenched his fists but said nothing. The hearing ended. Elena left the courtroom and took a deep breath of the frosty air. Tension still remained inside her, but along with it came a feeling of freedom.
Dmitry caught up with his ex-wife at the exit of the building.
“Lena, wait.”
The woman stopped and turned around.
“What?”
“I… I wanted to say that I understand. Mom really went too far.”
“It wasn’t Mom who went too far,” Elena shook her head. “You allowed her to do it. There is a huge difference.”
“She’s my mother…”
“And that is not an excuse. Dima, you had a family. A wife and a son. But you chose your mother and her whims. Now live with that choice.”
Women’s Hobbies
Elena turned around and walked toward the bus stop. Dmitry stood and watched her go. Calling out, trying to stop her — it was useless. Too late.
A month later, the court decision came into legal force. Dmitry transferred the first part of the compensation — fifty thousand. He promised to pay the rest monthly. Tamara Fyodorovna called Elena several times, trying to accuse her of destroying the family, but Elena simply blocked her mother-in-law’s number.
Elena returned to work and immersed herself completely in her tasks. Her colleagues were happy to see her, and management offered her a promotion. Her grandmother picked her son up from nursery, and in the evenings, her mother helped with the child. Life gradually improved.
One evening, Elena sat in the kitchen with a cup of tea and looked out the window. Snow was falling in large flakes, covering the city with a white blanket. Her son was sleeping in the next room, breathing softly. The apartment was warm, cozy, and filled with peace.
Her phone vibrated — a message from a friend.
“Lena, how are you? We haven’t seen each other in ages. Maybe we can meet this weekend?”
Elena smiled and quickly typed a reply.
“Great idea. Come over on Saturday, I’ll make your favorite pie.”
The woman placed the phone on the table and looked out the window again. For the first time in a long while, Elena felt truly free. No demands, no reproaches, no other people’s desires that had to be fulfilled at her expense. Only she, her son, and a life that finally belonged only to them.
Children’s Clothing
Dmitry continued transferring the money properly. Sometimes he called, asked about his son, and requested permission to see him. Elena did not interfere — the child had a right to his father. But every meeting was short and dry. Dmitry came, spent an hour with his son, and left. There was no more talk of living together.
Tamara Fyodorovna never bought the mink coat. According to rumors, she still lived in the same apartment and still complained to her friends about the ingratitude of the younger generation. Elena no longer cared.
Time passed. Her son grew, Elena received a promotion, and the family income increased. She began saving money for her child’s future, planned renovations in the apartment, and thought about a trip to the seaside in summer.
One morning, while getting her son ready for nursery, Elena caught herself thinking that she had not remembered the past in a long time. She did not think about Dmitry, did not feel angry at Tamara Fyodorovna, did not replay old grievances in her head. All of it had remained behind, like a page in a book that had been turned and forgotten.
Elena zipped up her son’s jacket, took him by the hand, and left the apartment. The frosty morning greeted them with fresh air and bright sunshine. The woman smiled and squeezed her son’s little hand tighter.
Life went on. Without debts, without other people’s demands, without the need to please anyone or justify herself. Just life — calm, steady, belonging only to her and her child. And that was enough.
