— Mom, you have to help me.
— I’m sorry, darling, but I don’t owe you anything.
The words hung in the air, like heavy raindrops before a storm. Ekaterina Vassilievna squeezed the phone so hard that her knuckles turned white. A deafening silence settled on the other end of the line.
— What do you mean, ‘I don’t owe you anything’? — Elena’s voice trembled. — You’re my mother!
Ekaterina Vassilievna closed her eyes and took a deep breath. Outside, yellow leaves were swirling — autumn was coloring the world with its favorite colors, as if hiding the harsh truth of life behind a golden curtain.
— Lenochka, listen…
— No, you’re the one who should listen! — Elena interrupted. — You’re selling the house that you and Dad have spent your whole life building. YOUR WHOLE LIFE, Mom! And you haven’t even consulted me!
Ekaterina Vassilievna slowly sat down in the old armchair — the one where her husband Petya used to sit in the evenings to read the newspaper. Three years had passed since his disappearance, and she still felt his presence in that big house. In every corner, in every floorboard that remembered his steps.
— And why should I consult you, my dear? — she asked softly. — It’s my house. It was ours, now it’s mine.
— But you must understand that it’s an inheritance! It’s my and Yanochka’s future! — Elena’s voice was filled with tears. — And now, you’re destroying everything! And for what? To buy yourself a small apartment in the city?
— How can you not understand? — thought Ekaterina Vassilievna, looking at her husband’s photo on the wall. Petya smiled at her from there — still young, as he was thirty years ago, when they started building that house.
— Lena, my darling, — she began softly, — I feel suffocated in this big house. Here…
—Then come and live with us! We’ve already invited you!
Ekaterina Vassilievna smiled bitterly. Yes, they had invited her. Once or twice, out of politeness. Then there were constant hints about how the four of them were cramped in a three-room apartment, about how there was no money for a new car for Vlad, about how Yanochka was growing up and needed a room of his own…
—No, Lenochka. I’ve made up my mind. I’ll sell the house, buy a small apartment near the center and…
—And what will you do with the rest of the money? — Elena asked with a metallic note in her voice.
Here. Ekaterina Vassilievna felt her heart tighten. Was her daughter only thinking about that? Since when had she become like that?
—The rest of the money? — she asked. — Why are you interested?
— Mom, don’t pretend not to understand! — Elena exclaimed. — Vlad needs a new car for work. The old one is completely ruined. We were thinking of taking out a loan, but if you sell the house…
— So what? — Ekaterina Vassilievna sat up straighter in her chair. — Go on.
— You could help us! That’s what I mean! You’re alone, you don’t need much. And we, we have a family, a growing child…
Every word hit like a stone. Ekaterina Vassilievna looked out the window at the leaves fluttering and felt something new and unknown growing inside her. Maybe it was resentment, or maybe it was liberation.
— You know, Lena, — she said in a suddenly firm voice, — you’re right. I’m alone. And that’s why I can finally think about myself. For the first time… how long? Forty years? All my life, I’ve lived for others — for your father, for you. And now, I want to live for myself.
— What?! How can you…
— I can, — Ekaterina Vassilievna answered calmly. — And I will. I’ll sell the house, I’ll spend the money on myself. I’ve always dreamed of traveling, you know. Your father promised me, but we never had time…
A noise came from the other end of the line — Elena had probably banged something on the table.
— Is that right? — she said in a hissing voice. — You want to travel! You should be in a coffin, not on vacation! Selfish!
Ekaterina Vassilievna jumped, but her voice didn’t tremble:
— Yes, darling. Selfish. Finally.
The sound of the dial falling hurt her ears. Ekaterina Vassilievna slowly put the phone down and sank into her armchair. Tears were streaming down her cheeks, but a slight smile was on her lips.
Deep down, she knew she had done the right thing. For the first time in her life — absolutely the right thing.