A marriage tested by endless requests
Larisa sat in the conference room, reviewing a presentation for the next day’s meeting with clients. Numbers, charts, sales forecasts. Her job in business development demanded complete focus, especially when a contract worth millions was on the line.
Her phone buzzed. It was a message from Igor: “Hi, darling. Mom needs help again. Call me when you’re free.”
Larisa exhaled and set the phone aside. Again. The third time in one month. Galina Petrovna was in debt again. Again money was needed. Again Larisa was expected to solve someone else’s problems.
Money, silence, and growing resentment
That evening, Igor greeted his wife at home with a guilty smile and kissed her on the cheek.
“Larisa, you do earn well,” he began carefully. “Mom is asking for fifteen thousand. Her pension is small, and utility bills went up.”
“How many times has your mother asked for help this month?” Larisa asked, taking off her shoes and walking into the kitchen.
“Well… twice,” Igor said, following her. “But that’s nothing. You know I don’t earn much. A mechanic at the factory isn’t the same as your position.”
Larisa opened the fridge and took out vegetables for dinner. She earned ninety thousand a month. Igor earned thirty. The difference was triple, and yet the entire family budget rested on Larisa’s shoulders. Rent, groceries, clothes, entertainment — everything came from her salary. Igor’s money covered little more than fuel and his personal spending.
She agreed to transfer the money the next day. She always did. Because she loved her husband. Because she wanted peace. Because it was easier.
Over time, Larisa had already given her mother-in-law more than two hundred thousand. The requests never stopped, but gratitude never came either.
When “help” becomes a habit
A week later, Igor came back with another request. His mother had bought a new phone on credit. Now twenty thousand more was needed.
Larisa looked at the receipt and frowned. The phone cost seventy thousand.
- “Why did she need a new one?”
- “The old one was slowing down,” Igor said.
- “And this one cost seventy thousand?”
Larisa tried to explain that this was not an emergency, not even close. But Igor defended his mother as always. Every purchase, every debt, every poor decision somehow became a family obligation.
Then came more bills: a coffee machine, a multicooker, a vacuum cleaner, all bought on credit for sixty thousand. Then bedroom furniture for eighty thousand. Each time, Igor brought the papers home, and each time Larisa paid.
“I’m tired as well,” she said one night, her voice tight with frustration. “I’m tired of being a cash machine for your mother.”
Igor looked hurt. “You’re being cruel. She’s my mother.”
“I’m not asking you to abandon her,” Larisa replied. “I’m asking you to stop financing her wishes.”
A breaking point
Larisa had worked overtime for weeks and was expecting a decent bonus. She had already imagined a short vacation by the sea, a chance to breathe, rest, and forget the constant pressure for a while.
But the bonus would not go toward a holiday. Once again, another debt appeared, another “urgent” need, another demand placed at Larisa’s feet.
Standing alone in the kitchen, she realized how deeply the situation had worn her down. Not because she was unwilling to help in a real emergency, but because the line between support and exploitation had long since vanished.
Larisa’s thoughts came down to one simple truth:
- Real help is one thing.
- Endless indulgence is another.
- And a husband must be a partner, not a messenger for every new debt.
That night, the silence between Larisa and Igor said more than words ever could. Their marriage was no longer just about money. It was about respect, boundaries, and whether one person’s patience had finally reached its limit.
Summary: Larisa has spent far too long carrying the burden of her husband’s mother’s debts, and now she is forced to decide whether love can survive without boundaries.