– Baby, do you want to go on the swing?” Ingrid asked her young son, who was running by.
– No, mom, to the slide, to the slide! – And he ran on.
Ingrid laughed.
– How long have you been walking?” she heard next to her.
Ingrid turned around and saw her neighbor with her daughter.
– Yes, actually. Almost two hours. We’re going home soon.
– I see. And we just came out, – Maria pulled her Olivia out of the stroller and pushed her to the sandbox:
– Go, build a castle.
The girl took a spatula and a bucket and ran to the sand. And Maria sat down next to Ingrid.
Ingrid was smiling sweetly, but deep down she was thinking how to leave the playground as soon as possible. She did not want to talk to Maria at all and all because Maria always complained about life and after such conversations, Ingrid felt squeezed like a lemon.
So now she sat and nodded her head, and Maria started her next record. Ingrid tried to ignore the]] complaints, but sometimes they still got to her.
– We fight all the time, just every day…
– I have no strength……..
– Probably have to divorce.
“Well, what can you fight about every day? I can’t even think of a reason …. Good thing my Andrew is not like that and always helps me,” Ingrid thought.
– Hey! Mike, are we going home?” Ingrid intercepted her son.
The son looked at Aunt Maria sitting next to his mother and sighed. He knew that his mother does not like this aunt and always drags him home or to another playground when she appears.
– Well, let’s go, he meekly agreed.
…………………
Time passed. Mike went to kindergarten, Ingrid gave birth to a daughter, and Maria continued to live with her husband. Luckily for Ingrid, they met very rarely.
– “Ingrid, I want to change the car,” Andrew said one evening.
– If you want – change it, – Ingrid said easily.
– Hmm …. I want a higher class car. I’ll have to take a loan.
– Andrew, we have two children. What kind of loan? Maybe you should curb your appetite and wait until I go to work?
– Ingrid …. I’ve done the math. I sell this car, add what I have saved, add what you were paid before the maternity leave, sell your car and add it too, and then the loan will be small.
Ingrid’s heart sank: it turns out that they will invest all their money in buying this car! And if something happens? What then? And her car – she uses it to go to classes, and to the store, and to the park, and to the clinic. How will she manage without the car?
– Andrew, what about us without savings at all?
– Yes, – the man waved his hand. – They promised to make me the main specialist. We will accumulate more …..
– And what about me without a car? I can’t live without it.
– Come on, Ingrid! Please, please, please, please….. We’ll buy you a car. I promise. I’ll start saving for it. And you can use mine without any problems.
– I don’t know,” Ingrid said doubtfully.
– Well, think about it. We have two children. Two! We need a bigger car. What if we go to the sea by car? Sure! Let’s go to the seaside in the summer by car, huh?
– I don’t know, – Ingrid was still hesitating. – Maybe it would be cheaper to rent a car?
– Ingrid, I’ve dreamed of a car like this all my life. Since childhood!
Ingrid sighed: of course, dreams must come true.
– And I will definitely be able to use it. After all, I have clubs, a clinic, a shop.
– I can go to the store on my day off. Well, do you agree?
– Okay. I persuaded, – Ingrid reluctantly agreed.
………………………..
In general, everything happened as Ingrid thought. Andrew bought himself a car and only for himself. He did not let Ingrid drive it – in case she broke something. So she had to start using public transport.
– Andrew, do you remember you said you’d buy me a car? Do you remember?
– Of course I remember. So what?
– When is it going to happen?
– Ingrid, you’re on maternity leave. You don’t need a car right now.
Ingrid would get angry and they’d start fighting. And then she would go to the playground and she wanted to meet some friend and pour out all her worries and anger on her.
And one day she realized that she was becoming like Maria. The one she shunned and avoided.
…………….
– Ingrid, why isn’t dinner ready? What have you been doing all day?” Andrew said to her one day. What happened to you?
Ingrid looked at her husband in surprise:
– What do you mean, what have I been doing all day?
And she began to list her affairs.
– I just came home 15 minutes ago and started cooking.
– I don’t understand, why didn’t you go to the store on the weekend?
– I did, – shouted Ingrid angrily, – but I’m a woman! I can’t carry heavy bags!
– Why didn’t you tell me and we could have gone together?” Andrew also raised his voice.
– I did! But you took your parents on their business all weekend and last weekend too and the weekend before that.
Ingrid cried:
– You promised …. promised ….
– Okay, Ingrid …. sorry, my fault.
Andrew immediately jumped up to his wife and began to pat her on the back.
– I wouldn’t take Mike anywhere. It’s hard for me. I also have to take my daughter with me and food and go 7 stops on the bus with a stroller and sometimes we can’t get on the bus because at that time the rush hour begins …. But my son likes it …., – Ingrid sobbed.
– Yes. I’ve decided. Call a taxi and that’s it. Understand?
– Okay, – Ingrid agreed.
And that was the end of the incident.
………………..
Time passed. But in Ingrid’s life everything was as before: now she had to call her husband and ask him to transfer money for a taxi. Often the man did not like the price and he grumbled, and sometimes he told her to drive her own way.
Of course Ingrid would get angry and she would start to have a fight with her husband.
One day she got tired of it all and just tied her husband’s phone to the taxi service and turned off the phone notifications.
Of course, she was a little ashamed, but she decided that she would not beg for money anymore.
And she started to live her normal life.
But three weeks later, Andrew began to make claims against her:
– “I didn’t realize that you were paying with my card? I look today, and I have no money on the card.
– Me? Paying for what? Taxi! You told me to take a taxi for my business.
– Yes …. said ….
Andrew scratched the back of his head.
– But I don’t understand why such big sums?
– Why so big? The usual amount. I have a taxi for children with two car seats. I can’t drive without car seats. After all, these are my children and I care about their safety.
– I understand, – Andriy said.
………………
– Ingrid, get up! Ingrid!
Ingrid heard her husband’s voice.
– Just a little more …..
– Come on, get up. I’m going to work.
Ingrid opened her eyes and went out into the corridor to see her husband off.
– Have a good day, she said and kissed her husband on the cheek.
– Ingrid, I left my car keys there. Use them. Bye.
– Wait …. How did you leave them?
– Well, yeah… I get it, it’s more important to you. I’m half an hour away by subway. But if I need to go, I’ll let you know.
– Thanks,” Ingrid said.
She went into the kitchen and immediately saw the car keys. She took them in her hands and twisted them for ten minutes, not believing her happiness.
……………..
After these events, Ingrid’s life got back on track. And she realized how easy it is to destroy everything and lose everything.
