“Leaving? Well, go ahead!” Richard grumbled, unable to believe that his wife, Lisa, had actually decided to leave. He had always thought she would never go anywhere. After all, who would want her, especially with her figure and age?
“Leaving? Well, go ahead!” Richard repeated when Lisa finally announced she was leaving. After eighteen years of marriage, she had become nothing more than his maid. He ordered; she obeyed. He criticized; she endured. Perhaps, at one time, they had been happy, but life had long since become a struggle for survival, and in his eyes, Lisa was to blame for not getting better.
“Look at yourself! You’ve gotten so fat! Soon you won’t fit through the door!” another reproach.
“I can’t help it,” Lisa apologized. “I have this metabolism…”
“Liar! You were fine before, what happened to you?” Richard grimaced. He wasn’t exactly a picture of health himself, but he only noticed flaws in her.
Lisa tried to please him, but no matter what she did, Richard always found something to complain about. He wore her down emotionally, and she just stayed silent, afraid that she couldn’t manage without him.
“You need to leave him,” advised their neighbor, Lily. “What are you waiting for? He’s just going to drain you for the rest of your life.”
“But where would I go, Lily?” Lisa sighed in response. “We have a daughter, how will she grow up without a father? And anyway, who else would want me?”
“Are you crazy? You’re not old!” Lily disagreed, but Lisa wasn’t listening. She was used to it. Everyone lived like this. Pain, exhaustion, tears — she would endure it all. Maybe, when their daughter grew up, things would change…
Time passed. Problems piled up, but somehow Lisa kept going. She didn’t believe in miracles. Even when she collapsed in the kitchen one day, she still believed everything would resolve itself.
Her daughter, noticing the incident, called an ambulance. The young and somewhat inattentive doctor almost didn’t make a mistake in the diagnosis.
“You’ve let yourself go, woman,” he said, addressing Lisa. “Excess weight, chronic fatigue, stress, poor nutrition. These are all consequences.”
“I don’t agree with this!” Richard declared. “I’m the one who’s tired, and she does nothing! She sits at home all day, just wasting time.”
The doctor silently wrote out a prescription and left. Lisa, after resting a little, went back to her household chores. But when she, tired and sick, looked at the back of the prescription and saw the note: “You are a beautiful woman. And your husband… is a tyrant. Run away from him, you deserve better,” everything suddenly became clear. Her reflection in the mirror looked like a stranger’s: a woman who had lost herself, neglected her life.
But then she remembered her younger self — the girl who was curious about life. She couldn’t stand it anymore. Lisa packed her things and told Richard she was leaving.
“Go ahead and leave!” Richard couldn’t believe that she was really leaving. He thought she’d never actually go. But she left. To Lily’s place.
“Lily, can I stay with you for a week?” Lisa asked. Lily gladly agreed.
Life with Lily was completely different. There was no pressure, no constant criticism. Lily helped Lisa start anew — dividing responsibilities, and most importantly, pushing her to go outside, to take walks. It was a fresh start. Lisa began to regain her shape and even got a job delivering mail.
Every morning and evening, Lisa felt her world expanding. She started walking in the park, learning to take care of herself, and even joined a swimming pool, where she was initially shy but eventually grew comfortable.
And most importantly, her confidence began to grow. She learned to enjoy life again and realized she could be happy.
One day, Lily’s hairdresser Olga came over. She suggested giving Lisa a makeover, and she agreed. A new style, a new attitude towards herself — Lisa began to feel like a completely different woman.
Soon, she even lost weight, but more importantly, she stopped being afraid. One day, she decided it was time to talk to her husband.
Richard had already gotten used to life without her. He didn’t know how to manage without her around. But when she came to see him, he couldn’t believe his eyes.
“Leaving? Are you out of your mind?” His surprise was genuine, but she wasn’t planning to return.
“You were right: you’re better off without me. And so am I. The realtor will be here tomorrow; we’re selling the apartment,” she said firmly.
Once the apartment was sold, Richard agreed to move into a one-bedroom on the outskirts of town. It was hard for him to admit that she had managed without him, that she had become strong and confident. But he didn’t want to go back.
And then, several months later, when their daughter moved on to her own life, Richard suddenly realized he was alone. Lisa had been his life, his support, but now he was left in solitude. And he didn’t know what to do next.