— Valentina Ivanovna, I’ve come for the tablet and the shoes. And to tell you that the wedding is off, — Elena’s voice trembled, yet her words remained resolute.
The elderly woman froze at the doorway, clutching a dish towel. From behind her came the faint sound of a health-related TV program.
— What nonsense are you talking about, Lena? Cancel the wedding? It’s only a week away!
— That’s exactly why it has to be canceled. Better late than never.
Elena entered the living room, where her black shoes lay on the couch — the very ones she had planned to wear on her wedding day. Now, they seemed foreign to her, as if belonging to another woman, one who, just three days prior, believed in a joyful future.
— Lena, have you lost your mind? — Valentina Ivanovna tracked her movement with a concerned gaze. — What’s all this fuss about? Максим arrived yesterday and shared about the bachelor party. Yes, he drank a bit too much, but who hasn’t?
— A bit? — Elena turned around sharply. — Valentina Ivanovna, he could barely stand! He vomited all over the apartment, and then he accused me of being heartless.
— Oh, come on, men will be men. They party and then calm down.
Elena spotted the tablet resting on the windowsill next to the violets. Valentina Ivanovna always took pride in her flowers, though today even they seemed wilted. Or maybe Elena’s viewpoint had simply shifted?
— You knew, didn’t you? — she whispered without turning back.
— Knew what?
— That Максим had been through treatment three times. That every six months he falls off and goes on a binge. That this wasn’t his first bachelor party to end like this.
Silence lingered. Elena faced Valentina Ivanovna and noticed a hard, wary expression spread across the older woman’s face.
— Who told you such awful things?
— It doesn’t matter who. What matters is it’s true. Why didn’t you say anything, Valentina Ivanovna? Why did you stay silent?
— And what was there to warn about? — the woman raised her chin. — Максим is a good, hardworking boy. Yes, he drinks sometimes, but who doesn’t? You know how sober he is — a golden man, not a bad guy!
Elena placed the tablet into her bag and took the shoes. She remembered having identical black patent leather ones in childhood. Her mother would buy them for her birthday, sacrificing everything else. Later, her father came home drunk and stepped on them with dirty boots, prompting her mother to scrub the varnish all through the night.
— You knew about my family, — Elena said quietly. — You knew I couldn’t live with someone like that.
— Oh, stop it! — Valentina Ivanovna waved her hand dismissively. — This is a completely different matter. Максим isn’t some alcoholic! He just… unwinds sometimes. After work, dealing with stress.
— Unwinds until he loses consciousness?
— So what? At least then he doesn’t drink for months! Meanwhile, others drink beer every day — are they any better?
Elena moved towards the window. Outside, Valentina Ivanovna’s yard had blossoming apple trees. White petals floated to the earth, symbolizing to Elena the fleeting nature of beauty, leaving only bitterness behind.
— Do you know what hurts the most? — she turned back to the woman. — Not that Максим drinks. Not that he lied to me. But that you stayed silent. Hoping after the wedding, I wouldn’t go anywhere?
— What does the wedding have to do with it?! — Valentina Ivanovna raised her voice. — You love him! Love can endure anything, overcome all obstacles!
— Love? — Elena smiled bitterly. — Is it love when the smell of alcohol makes me sick? When I tremble every time he comes home late? When I start listening to his breath in sleep, fearing it might smell?
— You’re exaggerating…
— I’m not! I lived with this all my life — first with my father, now with him… — Elena’s voice cracked. — And now you want me to voluntarily return to that hell?
Valentina Ivanovna sank into her chair. Suddenly she looked truly old — not simply elderly, but weary and worn out.
— He tries, — the older woman whispered. — Getting treatment, undergoing therapy… He does it for your sake.
— For my sake? — Elena shook her head. — If that were true, he would have told me at the start. He wouldn’t have hidden it. I wouldn’t have had to find out the truth from strangers.
— And what now? — Valentina Ivanovna pleaded. — The money for the cafe will be lost, guests have already been invited…
— Money is the least of what can be lost, — Elena replied, heading towards the door. — I refuse to lose my life.
— Lena! — Valentina Ivanovna shouted after her. — What if you’re wrong? What if he really has quit? What if that was the last time?
Elena paused at the threshold. How many times had her mother said the very same words? “What if your father stopped? What if it was the final time?” And each time, it wasn’t.
— You know what, Valentina Ivanovna? — she said without turning around. — I’m done taking risks. Once in a lifetime is enough.
The air outside was warm, carrying the scent of apple blossoms and fresh grass. Elena walked to the bus stop, feeling a lightness grow with every step. Her phone vibrated — a message from her mother: “How are you, dear? Coping?”
Elena smiled softly and typed back: “I’m managing. Coming home. No wedding.”
Within a minute came a new reply: “Good choice. A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush. Especially if that bird drinks.”
On the bus, Elena pulled the black shoes from her bag and stared at them thoughtfully. Should she sell them? Or keep them — just in case she someday meets someone truly deserving of wearing such festive shoes?
She still believed in that possibility, but she wasn’t rushing. Better to live alone than in constant fear of tomorrow.
As the bus gently rocked over bumps, fields and sparse trees flashed past the window. Elena closed her eyes and felt a peace she hadn’t known in a long time. She had made the right decision, finally.
Key Insight: At times, recognizing painful truths and choosing one’s own well-being over societal expectations is the bravest act one can make. Elena’s courage to end a toxic cycle signifies hope for a healthier future.
In summary, this story reveals how silence about tough realities can burden relationships, and highlights the importance of honesty, self-respect, and making empowered choices for personal happiness and peace.