As dusk settled outside, Halyna Petriivna placed a fresh plate of hot pies on the table, casting a knowing smile at her son. “Son, meet Olenochka,” she announced proudly to everyone at the family lunch, paying no heed to her daughter-in-law.
“Olenochka is not only an athlete and a member of a youth league, but also a stunning beauty. And, believe it or not, at twenty-six, she is already the deputy manager of a bank! Such an achievement requires extraordinary intelligence. It’s incomparable to some others,” she said, raising her index finger and sneaking a glance at her daughter-in-law, who was simmering with anger.
Marina felt a sudden urge to throw her salad-filled plate at her mother-in-law. After all, bringing brazen, heavily made-up girls to family lunches and insulting her like this was unbearable.
“Mother, please,” Andrii sighed, carefully spreading butter on his bread. “I’m not really interested in Olenochka’s career.” He avoided looking at the charming young woman across the table. Olenka tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, blushed, and muttered something indistinctly.
“What do you mean by ‘Mother’?” Halyna Petriivna protested. “I’m simply telling you about my long-time friend’s daughter. What’s wrong with that? By the way, Olenochka is an excellent cook; she studied at a culinary school. Right, Olenochka?”
“Yes,” Olenochka replied shyly.
Marina, seated beside her husband, clenched her fork tightly to prevent herself from snapping at her mother-in-law. This was the third consecutive Sunday lunch featuring yet another ‘friend’s daughter.’ First it was Svitlana, a young but already famous lawyer, then Anya, a promising beginner pianist.
“Andriiku, have some more salad, Olenochka prepared it herself,” Halyna Petriivna said while pushing a plate towards her son, accidentally touching Marina’s plate with her elbow.
“Thank you, I’m full,” Andrii covered his wife’s hand with his palm under the table and squeezed it gently. “Besides, you know we don’t eat mayonnaise.” Viktor Mykolayovych, quietly observing the scene, sighed heavily, “Halyna, maybe that’s enough?”
“Enough of what?” she retorted indignantly. “I’m just caring about my son. I want him to socialize with worthy people and expand his acquaintances. He can’t just stay at home all the time.” Marina loudly tapped her cutlery on her plate.
“Thank you for the meal, Halyna Petriivna,” she said with staged politeness. “We would stay longer, especially since the company is pleasant, but we must go now. I have work this evening.”
“Of course, of course,” the mother-in-law fussed, smiling. “You’re always busy with work, no time even to prepare lunch for your husband. Unlike Olenochka; she manages both a career and family and earns well!”
“Mother!” Andrii interrupted sharply, standing up from the table. “We’ll leave now. Dad, thank you for the meal.” In the car, Marina gazed silently out at passing houses. Three years of marriage, but her mother-in-law still could not accept her choice—a simple girl from an ordinary family, as if it were a crime.
It was at times painfully upsetting. Marina didn’t understand what she had done wrong or why her family stubbornly refused to accept her. She and Andrii were happy—more than happy. What else could parents want for their only son?
“Sorry about my mother,” Andrii said, turning on the indicator. “I’ll talk with her.”
“You’ve been talking for three years,” Marina replied sadly, smiling. “By the way, your dad is completely different. Sometimes I look at them and wonder how they even stay together.”
Andrii turned into a dim alley leading to their home, smirking. “Dad has always been under Mom’s thumb. She’s the commander in our family.” Marina thoughtfully twisted her wedding ring. She was utterly exhausted by Halyna Petriivna’s domineering attacks and had no strength left to resist. Andrii couldn’t confront his mother decisively—he was too used to obeying her.
The following day, Marina stayed late at the office intentionally. Just before falling asleep the previous night, she had an intriguing idea to confront her arrogant mother-in-law.
She browsed social networks, methodically searching for her father-in-law’s classmates. Viktor Mykolayovych had often mentioned that he studied at the only school in their small town, which made the search easier.
After two hours, she found what she sought: a class graduation photo from 1983. A typical class photo—girls in aprons, boys in suits. Yet Viktor wasn’t looking at the camera but at a classmate with a long braid.
“You’re late today,” Andrii greeted his wife at the hallway. “I started to worry.” Marina stood on her tiptoes and kissed him on the cheek.
“It was an urgent project. By the way, I was looking at some of your father’s old photographs…”
“What pictures?” Andrii wondered.
“Remember when he showed us the album last New Year’s? Including his school photos.”
“Oh, yes. So?”
“On every photo, one girl was beside him. Vera, I think. I just noticed.”
Andrii shrugged. “I’ve never heard of her. Dad never mentioned her.”
“Let’s ask him? We’ll visit them at the dacha on Saturday, and talk.”
At the dacha, Marina waited until Halyna Petriivna left the room and sat next to her father-in-law. Viktor calmly sipped his tea at the warm kitchen table, two bowls with jam and chocolate bars on it. In the corner, a television showed a pre-New Year concert. Snowflakes quietly fell outside the window.
“Viktor Mykolayovych, tell me about your school days,” Marina asked casually. “Where did you study?”
“There’s not much to tell, it was the only school in town,” he smiled, snapping out of his thoughts.
“Any classmates you were close to?”
Viktor paused thoughtfully. “Of course, I had friends, but that was long ago.”
“What about Vera?” Marina said the name carefully, watching his reaction. “What was your connection with her?”
His face turned pale. “How do you know?”
“I saw the photos. She was always beside you.”
Viktor fell silent, staring ahead with an absent gaze.
“There were feelings, strong ones. But then Halyna appeared. I don’t know where she came from, honestly. She told me Vera wasn’t right for me—that my family was simple and without prospects, but her father was a factory director. That’s how things turned out,” he shrugged.
“And you just agreed? Didn’t fight for your happiness?” Marina asked in surprise.
“I was young and foolish. Halyna was strong-willed and persistent. Vera was quiet and calm, moved to Kyiv and entered university. I never saw her again.”
“Would you like to see her again?”
Viktor’s face changed. He turned sharply to Marina, looking intently from under his thick brows. “Marina, what are you planning?”
“Nothing,” she smiled and raised both hands. “Sometimes fate gives a second chance. I found her, Viktor Mykolayovych. Vera Oleksandrivna now owns a chain of stores and lives in Kyiv. She’s never married.”
“Why are you telling me this?”
“Because your wife is trying to destroy your son’s happiness just like she did to yours.” At that moment, Halyna Petriivna entered the hallway, slammed the door, stomped her feet shaking off the snow, mumbled about the weather, and went back into the kitchen.
“What are you whispering about?” she asked.
“The daughter-in-law is curious about my youth,” Viktor replied, glancing at the wall clock. He took the TV remote and switched it off with a click. “Time to disperse. I’m tired.”
The next morning, Marina called the number she found through mutual acquaintances.
“Vera Oleksandrivna? Hello, I’m Marina, Viktor Mykolayovych Sokolov’s daughter-in-law. Could we meet? I have something important to discuss.”
A week later, in a small downtown café, Marina sat opposite an elegant woman, about fifty-five years old.
“So, Vitya is still married to Halyna?” Vera Oleksandrivna smiled sadly. “I always wondered why he never tried to talk to me. One day, he just stopped calling or visiting, and a month later, I learned he was marrying Halyna.”
“Vera Oleksandrivna, I have a proposal. Halyna Petriivna’s anniversary is in a month.”
“No,” the woman shook her head firmly. “Don’t even think about it. That’s all in the past.”
“Just come to the celebration, as an old acquaintance. No need to do or say anything—just be there.”
“Why do you want this?”
“Because sometimes people need to be reminded of what they might lose if they continue destroying others’ happiness.”
On Halyna Petriivna’s anniversary, which started early with preparations at the country restaurant, the hostess arrived at dawn to check the table settings and decorations. Naturally, she could not resist introducing another ‘more suitable’ daughter-in-law candidate for Andrii at the party.
“Andrii, look who I invited!” Halyna Petriivna greeted the guests in the hall, beaming. “You remember Olechka? She’s now a chief specialist at the ministry and a wonderful, beautiful girl.”
Marina stayed a little aside, observing how her mother-in-law once again tried to acquaint her son with another girl, frequently glancing impatiently at her wristwatch.
Her guest arrived promptly at six, just as arranged. Marina hurried to meet her. Vera Oleksandrivna was in splendid form, dressed in an elegant blue dress fitting her slender figure perfectly, with impeccable hair and light makeup.
“Halyna, happy birthday!” she sang melodiously, handing the celebrant a bouquet. “So many years, so many winters!”
Halyna Petriivna stood frozen, mouth agape.
“Vera? How did you get here? Who invited you?”
“Marina did. I think an old classmate of a man has the right to congratulate an old friend?”
Viktor Mykolayovych, who was talking to others, suddenly turned sharply at the familiar voice. Their eyes met.
“Hello, Vitya,” Vera Oleksandrivna smiled faintly.
“Hello, Vera,” he stepped forward. “You haven’t changed a bit.”
“And you still blush when nervous,” she teased.
Halyna Petriivna shifted her gaze from her husband to the unexpected guest.
“Attention, please! Let’s all take our seats, I want to make a toast!” she announced. However, the guests were already seated, and Vera somehow found herself beside Viktor Mykolayovych. They quietly chatted, occasionally laughing over shared memories.
“Marina,” Halyna Petriivna grabbed her daughter-in-law’s elbow. “Is this your doing?”
“What do you mean, mother? I thought you’d be happy to see old acquaintances.”
“Don’t play games with me! I understand perfectly what you planned.”
“Really? Then I don’t understand what you plan when every Sunday you invite new ‘friends’ for Andrii.”
Halyna Petriivna turned pale.
“I just want the best for my son.”
“Are you sure you know what’s best for him? Like when you decided what was best for Viktor Mykolayovych?”
“Don’t you dare!”
“I do, mother, because I love your son. And unlike you, I want him to be happy—not to live according to someone’s idea of prestige.”
“For the entire evening, Halyna Petriivna watched her husband engage lively with Vera. They discussed work, travels, and books. They discovered shared tastes and interests and, most importantly, laughed — something Viktor Mykolayovych hadn’t done in many years.”
“Thank you for a wonderful evening,” Vera Oleksandrivna was the first to say goodbye. “Halyna, happy birthday again. Vitya, it was a pleasure to see you.”
After Vera left, a heavy silence filled the room.
“Dear, you look tired. Maybe we should head home?” Halyna Petriivna suggested, attempting to take her husband’s arm.
“No, Halyna,” he gently but firmly withdrew. “I’m not tired. Today, for the first time in thirty years, I realized my mistake.”
“Vitya, you don’t understand…”
“No, you don’t understand. For your entire life, you’ve tried to control everyone—me, our son, now his family. But you can’t decide for others, Halyna. This is not your life.”
A week after the anniversary, Andrii gathered his parents in the living room.
- “Dad, Mom, we need to talk. Marina and I have made a decision.”
- “What decision?” Halyna Petriivna jumped up.
- “We are moving. To a new apartment in a different district.”
- “But why? You have a wonderful apartment near us!”
- “That’s exactly why, Mom. We need space. Our own life.”
- “Was this her idea?” Halyna Petriivna demanded, standing abruptly. “Is this all her doing?”
- “No, Mom. This is my decision. And you know why? Because I love Marina—not some ideal daughter-in-law with an ideal job and perfect pedigree, but my wife, who knows how to love, forgive, and accept people as they are.”
Viktor Mykolayovych placed a hand on his wife’s shoulder.
“Sit down, Halyna. Listen to our son.”
“Mom,” Andrii squatted before her. “You see what’s happening? Your actions push everyone away. You deprived Dad of the chance to be with the woman he loved. Now you’re trying to destroy my family.”
“I didn’t… I just wanted…”
“What did you want, Mom? Me to be happy? I am happy—with Marina. But you try to ruin that happiness.”
Halyna Petriivna covered her face with her hands.
“I didn’t want to hurt anyone. You’re just all so independent. I’m afraid of being alone.”
“Halyna,” Viktor Mykolayovych hugged his wife’s shoulders. “No one is leaving you. We’re all here; we all love you. But you have to learn to let go. Allow others to live their own lives.”
Marina, quietly watching this scene, softly said, “Mom, we’re not moving out of the city. We just want to live our own life. And we’ll always be close if you learn to respect our boundaries.”
Halyna Petriivna lifted her tear-stained face.
“Really? You won’t leave forever?”
“Of course not,” Andrii smiled. “We will visit. But no matchmaking or hints, okay?”
“Okay,” she wiped her eyes. “I’ll try. I really will.”
A month later, Andrii and Marina moved into their new apartment. Although Halyna Petriivna tried to help with the renovation, she kept her word—no more strange girls appeared at family dinners.
Another month later, Viktor Mykolayovych took the first step in decades and started a serious conversation with his wife.
“Halyna, I want to meet Vera sometimes. Just to talk. You understand, I’m not going anywhere.”
Halyna Petriivna was silent for a long moment before softly saying, “I understand. Now I understand.”
That evening, she was the one who called Marina.
“Dear, maybe you could come to us this weekend? I baked a pie. Just because. No hints, no friends. Really.”
This marked the beginning of a new chapter—a life where love proved stronger than control, and understanding outweighed ambition.
Key Insight: Through confronting the past and embracing honesty, this family took their first steps toward healing and mutual respect, showing that love and acceptance can triumph over long-held grievances.