– Mom, meet my Michael.
Bridget could hardly keep a smile on her face. But it crawled and grimaced, and the woman felt that both Michael and Gwen’s daughter understood perfectly well: mom was not happy. And mom was very unhappy!
To exchange a promising, rich man with an apartment and a car for this… One profession is worth it – a geography teacher. Well, who needs this geography today? If he knew languages, he could do tutoring. All the money in the house. But geography?
Bridget almost groaned. Okay, pull yourself together. After all, your daughter is watching.
– Nice to meet you. Please, come into the living room. The maid will be right with your supper.
I asked for no maid, no cook, no driver. Otherwise Michael doesn’t know how the deputy mayor lives. But no, mom, as always, does not care about her daughter’s opinion. She will never give up “status” things.
– Thank you, – Michael handed the bouquet to his future mother-in-law. Bridget casually took it in her hands and immediately handed it to the maid:
– “Put it somewhere. So you work as a teacher?
– Yes, I am. I am a teacher.
– Why is that? You graduated from the university with honors. That’s very commendable. And indicates an extraordinary intellectual capacity. So why teaching?
– My grandfather taught geography. Now he is retired, he is engaged in farming. He is known and respected by our whole village. So why can’t I be a teacher? What is wrong with this specialty?
– God be with you! Am I saying it’s a bad profession? It’s just that a teacher’s salary is something so ephemeral… And my Gwen has always lived in very good conditions! Can you give her something she’s used to?
– Mom! Stop it, please! After all, it’s our business. Michael is not an oligarch. But the most important thing for me is his attitude towards me! And I have a profession.
– Gwen, don’t be ridiculous. You’re an artist. I’m sorry, of course, but I didn’t interfere with your hobby, because I thought you’d find a worthy match. And you wouldn’t have to paint portraits for money!
– Yes. I see. Well, I guess I’ll be going. Apparently, in this house, people are valued primarily by their income.
– Michael, wait!
– Gwen, let her go.
– Mom, how could you? We came to meet him, to talk. I love him and I’m going to marry him!
– Oh, come on. I love him. You know, I’m not going to stand in your way. In fact, I’ll help you at first. I didn’t tell you, but I just bought an apartment.
– An apartment?
– It’s nothing fancy, just a one-bedroom downtown. I wanted to give it to you for your wedding. But since you’re going your own way, I’m not giving it to you yet.
– Mom, what does that mean?
– Take the keys, live together, see how it is to live on the salary of a teacher and an artist.
Gwen was tidying up her apartment. She was sure that her mother would definitely give it to the young. She bought it for her daughter!
However, Michael was not delighted with such a gift.
– Gwen, I’m sorry, I don’t want to owe your mother anything.
– But we have to live somewhere, don’t we?
– We’ll rent a small apartment for now. And then we’ll get a mortgage…
– Michael, why? Why make it harder on yourself? We already have the apartment. Mom will give it to us anyway. When she sees what a wonderful husband I have…
– Exactly. I don’t want her to decide whether he’s wonderful or not. And if she doesn’t like something, should I get out?
– What are you talking about? Mom’s not as bad as you think she is!
– Gwen, I’m begging you, let’s not get involved with your mother.
– Okay, let’s talk about it later.
Bridget really wasn’t bad. She was a real expert in finance, and in bureaucratic affairs. They say about such people: she will go over your head to get what she wants. And she married a big official who was much older than her. The husband helped his wife to move up the career ladder and he died. He left his wife with a daughter and a rather large inheritance.
Bridget was smart and quite beautiful. Soon she became the deputy mayor of the city. It was rumored that she did not disdain, so to speak, different methods to achieve this.
Her daughter was her pride. The girl grew up beautiful, smart and, as teachers said, talented. Bridget took her “out into the world” and was pleased to note the interested male gazes of young politicians and businessmen. She already had her eye on a son-in-law – the son of a local oligarch. And here, on you, some unknown Michael…
Gwen brushed the last dust from the table and looked around. It’s beautiful. Now she will cook something delicious, Michael will come home from work. They will have dinner, sit on the couch. The groom will tell about his day. She – about hers. It’ll be a quiet, family evening. Just for them…
The intercom sounded unexpectedly. Strangely, it was too early for Michael.
– Who is it?
– I wish it was Michael.
– He’s not here yet. Excuse me, who are you?
– I’m his mother. I’ve come to visit. His landlady told me he’d moved. I called my son, he gave me the address. He scolded me for not warning, and I wanted to make a surprise – the woman was saying something else, but Gwen had already pressed the “open” button. And ran down the stairs.
A woman entered the entrance. She was fat, in a bright dress, with her hair in a bun. In her hands – two huge bags.
– Are you Jennifer?
– Yes, I am. I’m this. And you’re Gwen? Oh, I’ve seen your picture. You’re beautiful. But you’re even prettier in real life! Let me hug you, my daughter.
Gwen picked up the bags:
– Oh, they’re heavy! What is it?
– What’s what? Presents for you. Meat, cucumbers, tomatoes. Now we’ll boil some potatoes, yummy…
They entered the apartment.
– You go through, there’s the bathroom. There’s the kitchen. And there’s the bedroom.
– Wow, it’s beautiful. The furniture is new. And the faucets are so good, you’re afraid to touch them…
Gwen looked at the woman, listened to her and realized how different they were: Michael’s mother and her mother.
But it’s okay, the main thing is that the children love each other.
– And I told Michael: “Look, she is a well-bred, educated girl. You, son, try to please the bride as you should. You are a smart guy, you have a red diploma after all. But I tried to bring you up right”.
The front door slammed.
– Gwen!
– Oh, Mom, hi!
– Why is your door wide open?
– I didn’t have time to close it. This is Michael’s mother, Jennifer.
– Oh, matchmaker, my dear! I’m so glad we finally met! – Jennifer, stretching out her arms, walked towards Bridget. – Come on, let’s hug like family!
– Let’s do without it, please, – Bridget practically pushed Jennifer away from her, – Let’s do without hugs.
– Mom, Jennifer, let’s eat dinner! Today I have chicken in sweet and sour sauce. Michael likes it very much.
Gwen was smiling, trying to smooth out the awkwardness of the situation.
– Please come into the living room, I’ll serve you!
– Why the living room? Jennifer looked at her future daughter-in-law in surprise, “I’ll unpack the presents. Why take them into the hall?
– There is a bigger table there, Michael will be here soon, it will be much more comfortable. Let me make you a presentation for now. Michael and I went to the park-museum on the weekend, took so many beautiful photos!
Gwen was flying around the apartment. She put the presentation on the TV. Jennifer immediately forgot about Bridget, sat, oohing and aahing, clapping her hands:
– It’s beautiful! And ours, ours! Oh, Gwen, you look so good in the pictures! You should be a model!
Bridget thawed a little. Her daughter really looked great in the photo. And Michael, I must say, looked good: tall, broad-shouldered, white-toothed. They were a good couple…
– Here I am! – Michael was standing on the doorstep. – Oh, we have guests!
– Interesting, I’m in my own apartment, it turns out a guest, – Bridget said it under her breath, but everyone heard her remark.
– Let’s all sit down at the table! Please! – Gwen looked at Michael pleadingly: please, pretend you didn’t hear!
Michael restrained himself, kept silent. And everyone finally sat down at the table.
– Oh, Michael, what a good bride you have. Cleanliness all around. And what a delicious meal she has prepared! And I rarely do anything lately. I don’t have anyone. And potatoes and cucumbers are enough. It’s all good! The garden has grown well this year. The weather was good, so everything grew surprisingly well. I collected almost two bags of carrots alone. I think, should I take a pig or not? You have a long way to go. And I don’t need it myself…
Michael was answering something to his mother. And Gwen looked at hers. Bridget was holding back with the last of her strength. But perhaps the words about the pig were the last straw.
– Gwen! Are you seriously going to build a life with these people? They say rightly: you can take a man out of the village, but the village out of a man – never! Think of the children you’ll have! Are you really going to let them go to this… collective farmer?
– Don’t you dare talk about my mother like that!
– Or what? You’ll be offended and leave the apartment? Back to the rented one? Come on…
– Mom, stop it!
– Mom, get ready, we’re leaving!
– Michael, Jennifer, wait!
– Good riddance!
– MAMA!
Michael and his mother left. Gwen was crying in the living room. Bridget sat down next to her daughter.
– Gwen, calm down. You will be grateful to me that I took you away from this man in time. Understand, finally, you are not a couple! Well, you will live a year, two on passion, and then? Do you really want to live like this?
– Mom, haven’t you ever been in love?
– Of course I have. Yes, I have. But I was smart enough not to look at life through rose-colored glasses. If I’d given in to my feelings, where would I be now? Here it is – my love, he works as a foreman at a local factory. I’m ashamed to say how much he earns. You spend such money only on salons. Wake up, finally!
– Mom, you can help Michael with his job. Take him somewhere in the administration. He’s smart, he’ll go higher!
– Oh, Gwen. You can’t bring someone up to your level if he doesn’t need it. But I’ll do it for you. At least I will try…
In the morning, Gwen drove to Michael’s school. She wanted to apologize for her mother and still persuade him to change his job.
The school was silent – classes were in progress. The strict guard at the entrance checked her documents for a long time, even called the director. But when she found out that her daughter Bridget had come, she ordered to let her in.
Gwen approached the geography classroom. The door was half open. Michael’s voice could be heard behind the door:
– The geography of our country is so vast and diverse that it would take a long time to travel all over it and see all the wonders of nature and landscape.
Gwen listened. How well he tells the story. It seems that you see all the beauty and wonders of the country yourself. But Gwen always rested only at foreign resorts. Why? She was always bored just sunbathing in the sun, and she was constantly running to all sorts of excursions. But she never saw what Michael was talking about…
And how quiet it is in the classroom. Apparently, children are also interested in what the teacher tells them. His speech flowed freely, without bureaucracy and hackneyed phrases. It seemed that the guy himself saw what he was talking about and now describes his feelings.
Gwen quietly moved away from the door. No. She would not talk to him about changing his profession. If he becomes a civil servant, it will not be the same guy she fell in love with. Michael is right: a mother is a mother, and her family is her family.
She will wait for Michael, apologize for her mother. And then, they will rent an apartment, move some of their belongings there and build their life. Because a relationship is only two people. Neither moms, nor dads, nor friends, nor acquaintances can understand their life better than they do!
And if there is true love, no one will pull the other “to their level”. They will just meet each other halfway…
