“Marina, please weigh two kilograms of green apples,” a short blonde woman addressed the shop assistant.
Marina smiled at her regular customer, quickly weighing the ripe, juicy apples and handing the package to her.
“Here you go, Mrs. Peterson. These apples are very tasty.”
“Thank you, dear. You always take care of me. By the way, the plums you recommended recently are a hit with our son. Oleg has a lot of likes and dislikes, but you know him well. He’s an experienced diver, you know. He dives deep and burns a lot of energy, so proper nutrition is crucial for him.”
“Such an interesting profession your son has!” Marina said, surprised.
“Interesting but dangerous,” Mrs. Peterson replied. “It requires a lot of courage. Fortunately, Oleg isn’t afraid of it.”
Soon, Mrs. Peterson finished her shopping and left. Marina watched her go, thinking about the son of her regular customer, whom she had never met. Mrs. Peterson lived nearby and often visited the store where Marina worked to buy fresh produce, always seizing the chance to praise her son and boast about his achievements. Marina was eager to meet this person, and fate eventually brought them together.
One evening, a pleasant young man in his thirties, dressed in a tracksuit, entered the store. He smiled at Marina, picked up a loaf of bread, and paid for it immediately. Marina was preparing to close the store, so she hurried to serve the last customer. The man thanked her politely and left, and Marina quickly double-checked everything, put everything back in its place, locked up, and turned to leave for home.
“Excuse me, miss,” a voice called out behind her. Marina turned and looked at the man standing in front of her, holding the loaf of bread.
“You’re still here?” Marina asked, surprised.
“I can’t let such a lovely lady walk home alone. I’ll walk you there.”
Marina nodded and walked with the charming stranger. It turned out that the last customer was Oleg, Mrs. Peterson’s son, who always came to Marina and proudly talked about his work as a diver. Marina always listened intently as Oleg shared stories of his unusual job and the adventures he often found himself in. Marina enjoyed his company. The next evening, Oleg offered to walk her home again. Their encounters became more frequent, and eventually, they decided to be together. Two months after meeting, they married. Marina radiated happiness, having found her real family.
However, married life was not as pleasant as Marina had imagined. On the very first day, her mother-in-law, Mrs. Peterson, told her, “Marina, I know you have school and work, but now you’re married, and you need to make time for the housework. Oleg has always been pampered, and he should always come first. I told you that my son is a picky eater. I’ll take care of his meals, and you should be wise with your earnings. You need to leave your whole salary on my desk when you receive it. I am older, more experienced, and wiser, so I manage the household money.”
Marina was shocked by her mother-in-law’s words but didn’t argue. She had no parents; growing up in an orphanage, she didn’t know what a family was. She sincerely believed she didn’t need anyone. Now, Marina was torn between her studies, her job, and her family. Every morning, she hurried to make breakfast for everyone and rushed off to school, barely having time to eat herself. After school, she prepared lunch and rushed to the store, often not eating anything all day. On Saturdays, she cleaned the house, and on Sundays, she went to the village, where she had a small house given to her by the state after her graduation from the orphanage. She loved gardening and spent all her Sundays there, alone. This was her only escape in her marriage.
A year later, Marina’s family grew by one. A daughter was born. After Anya’s birth, life became even more difficult.
“She doesn’t let her children spend their pocket money on toys and trinkets, saying they’re not smart enough to spend freely,” Marina explained. Two months after the birth of her granddaughter, Mrs. Peterson instructed, “From now on, you must give all your money to me, the head of the house.”
Marina found herself in a difficult situation. Her mother-in-law did not give her money for the children. She had no funds to buy diapers or clothes. Marina was grateful that she could breastfeed her children and save money for baby food.
“Oleg, I need to go to the hospital today. Please stay with Anya,” Marina asked.
“I don’t have time. You’re the mother; you should be here with your kids,” he replied coldly.
Every time, Marina cried from hurt and disappointment. This was not the family life she had imagined. Oleg was indifferent to the concerns and problems of his work, his friends, and his family. One evening, when the family gathered at the dinner table, Oleg said something that upset his wife.
“The wallpaper is old. This sofa is so bad that it should be thrown out. We need laminate flooring and to renovate the bathroom,” Oleg said.
“Oh, son, of course we need to do that,” Mrs. Peterson replied in frustration. “We live on what you earn. You can’t split yourself into pieces. You need to take care of yourself.”
“You’re right, mom,” Oleg said to Mrs. Peterson. “Let Marina sell the old house in the village and use the money for the renovation.”
Marina was stunned by her husband’s words. At that moment, uncontrolled anger swept over her. The village house was the only place where Marina felt happy. Caring for the garden helped her escape daily problems. She always looked forward to Sundays to go to the village. Her mother-in-law refused to register Marina and Anya in her apartment, so Marina had registered Anya in the village house. Marina’s face burned with anger and unbearable hurt at herself and her daughter.
“I won’t sell the house,” Marina firmly declared.
Mrs. Peterson was furious at this statement. She stood up, slammed her hand on the table, and shouted, frightening the child.
“You ungrateful girl! We took you into our family, raised you like our own, cared for you, and now you won’t sell that old house? Get lost.”
The next day, after Anya turned six months old, Mrs. Peterson called Marina into the room and ordered her to go to work.
“The family is struggling financially. Your poor son works hard to make sure the child has everything, and you’re sitting at home moping. Enough! Find a job and start bringing money into the house. Stop hiding behind your daughter. Anya’s big enough now. I’ll take care of her while you work.”
Marina was torn with the realization that she would have to leave her little daughter with her mother-in-law and go to work. Arguing with Mrs. Peterson was pointless. She had already made all the decisions regarding her family.
A few weeks after Marina started working, she suddenly fell ill at the store, and her boss sent her home early. When she entered the apartment, she heard her mother-in-law yelling at Anya. The little girl was sitting in her high chair and crying loudly.
“Eat. Swallow fast, or I’ll hit you on the forehead with a spoon. You’re such a pain. You’re just a cheap copy of your mother. You bring nothing but trouble.”
The next morning, when Mrs. Peterson went to visit a friend on the other side of the city, and Oleg went to work, Marina hurriedly packed her things, called a taxi, and left for the village with Anya. Her goal was simple—to get as far away as possible from her controlling, cruel mother-in-law and her indifferent, self-absorbed husband, who didn’t care about her at all.
But in the village, Marina found another pain waiting for her. Recently, a hurricane had torn the roof off her house, making it impossible to get inside. Sitting on a bench, holding her sleeping daughter in her arms, Marina cried desperately. An elderly neighbor, who had come out to hang laundry, saw her.
“Marina, why are you crying?” the concerned woman asked.
“Anfisa Alexeyevna, look at my house. There’s nothing left on the roof. What am I supposed to do? Where can I go with my child in my arms?” Marina sobbed.
“Don’t cry, you’ll scare the child. She’s already frightened. Come inside, stay with me,” Anfisa Alexeyevna said.
Marina had to stay with Anfisa Alexeyevna for a while. While Anya slept, Marina tried to tidy up the house but quickly realized she couldn’t change anything on her own. In the evening, Anfisa Alexeyevna’s grandson Roman arrived with a gift. After dinner, the grandmother told him about the young neighbor’s problems and the difficult situation she found herself in. Roman promised to help with the repairs. He worked and lived in the city, visiting his grandmother every weekend. True to his word, Roman fixed the roof and brought the house back to order. Marina thanked him warmly. She began to sympathize with and respect him—he was quiet, reserved, but well-mannered and intelligent.
The next time Roman came to visit, he tried to fix the old fence that the hurricane had destroyed. He brought everything necessary for the repair. While Marina played in the garden with Anya, Roman fixed the fence. Suddenly, a familiar car pulled up to the house. It was Oleg. He jumped out of the car, rushed to his stunned wife, and glared at her.
“Why haven’t you been home all this time? Where did you disappear with my daughter?” Oleg shouted.
Marina didn’t answer. She wasn’t afraid of Oleg anymore.
“Roman, go inside and wait for me,” Marina said softly to the man who had helped her. “I need to talk to Oleg.”
Roman didn’t protest, knowing his role in this situation.
“You have no right to come here,” Marina said coldly to her husband. “I don’t need anything from you anymore. You treated me like an animal. I don’t want your money. I’ll be fine on my own.”
With that, Oleg stood in silence. He realized that everything had changed. Marina was no longer afraid of him or his mother. She had found strength and independence.