Well, the mother-in-law jumped up. Chased here like a young goat. And now he lies like a log, unnecessary to anyone.
Only she has a whole bunch of problems now. Her words were full of neglect and anger. Sveta turned to Ivan and silently headed towards the kitchen.
There they united with her husband and began to whisper. Rosa Markovna, staying alone in the room, strained her hearing, trying to catch a word from their conversation, but in vain. Absolutely nothing was reported to her.
After a while, the son left the kitchen and his face was gloomy. He approached his mother, looked at her with pity in his eyes, then suddenly hugged her and carefully raised his hands. The woman of Rosa had a flash of hope for a moment.
She thought that now her son would take her to the hospital and there she would finally be helped. But all hopes quickly faded. Instead of taking his mother to the doctors, Ivan simply took her to a cold shelter.
There, in a damp and empty room, he put her on a hard slipper. The window, in which there was no glass, the son tightened with an old rag, throwing only a short phrase. Lie here, mom.
There is no point in treating you anyway. You are too old. Money only for the wind.
From such his words, Rosa’s heart shrank from pain and resentment. She could not understand how her beloved son, whom she raised alone, giving him everything she had, became so cruel and heartless. Memories poured over her with a wave.
Her Vanechka was her only happiness in life. She worked two jobs, not sparing herself, so that he had everything like other children. When he went to the city to study, she got a job as a cleaner in the village council to help him with the money.
Baba Rosa never regretted anything for him. And now she was lying here alone in a cold shelter, scolding herself for the miserable carelessness that led her to this terrible situation. Tears flowed down her cheeks.
And one question sounded in her head. Why is he doing this to me? What made him become so cruel? When her son was going to get married, her mother took the expenses again. The parents of the bride, barely finding out about the groom, immediately withdrew.
They did not dream of such a chosen one for their daughter. And Baba Rosa understood their feelings. After all, she herself was not delighted with Svetlana’s bride.
The girl seemed to her to be too boisterous and arrogant. As soon as she appeared in their family, she immediately made it clear that she was not going to make friends with Svetlana. She looked at everyone from the height of her urban origin, considering the village relatives below her.
However, Svetlana avoided open conflicts with the future Svetlana, only greeted her through her husband. And this was the limit. She did not even come to visit.
And Svetlana did not go to them with advice, did not try to be a burden for the young family. Only twice Rosa was with her son in the city, once at their wedding, and the second time when Asya’s granddaughter was born. Let Vanya live with his family, Baba Rosa thought.
Why should I interfere with them? A stranger’s family. Potemki. However, Ivan was not in a hurry to refuse his mother’s help.
Every time he came to the village, he gladly took the supplies and crops from the garden. Baba Rosa knew that her son dreamed of saving up for a mortgage to buy an apartment that he had long dreamed of. And she was glad that she could at least help with something.
But she never thought that her own son could think of getting rid of her for the sake of selling the house. And now Rosa was lying in a cold building and could barely hear the voices of strangers from the horse-drawn carriage. She felt her heart shrinking from pain and resentment.
Svetlana, not at all shy, was driving potential buyers around her house at this time, writing down the merits of the plot and the layout. As if her own blood was already dead. She was in a hurry to finish the deal as soon as possible.
And then one day, Baba Rosa heard Svetlana laughing and said, what’s the big deal? The house is spacious, you can move in at least tomorrow. These words hurt the old woman again, and it became clear to her that no one was going to heal her or take care of her. All their plans revolved around the sale of the house, and apparently they were in a hurry.
When Svetlana again led the buyers to inspect the house, Baba Rosa, having gathered her last strength, barely got up from a hard stomp and walked out into the street. Seeing her, Svetlana froze on the spot, clearly not expecting that Svetlana was still alive and could move. Well, what are you doing, Sveta? With a pain in her voice, barely uttering words, the old woman asked.
I’m still alive. I’m still alive. She coldly cut off Svetlana, looking around at the buyers.
But no one is forever, our dear Rosa. Tears again rolled down the old woman’s cheeks, and something in her soul broke off. She returned to the outbuilding, realizing that now she could only wait for the inevitable.
Neither love, nor care, nor devotion to her son could protect her from this treacherous cruelty. After this scene with the buyers and the bride, the old woman couldn’t stand it at all. She didn’t try to get up from her bed and didn’t even talk.
She just lay there and waited for her bitter fate. That’s how Rosa Markovna lay all day in her dark room. Tears appeared in her eyes.
Baba Rosa thought, but she didn’t cry at all. Her heart was heavy. They took care of her, but they didn’t leave.