Irina returned from the store with two bags of groceries. One for her family, the other for her mother-in-law. The October evening had already enveloped the city in dusk, and the streetlights in the courtyard had come on earlier than usual. She climbed to the third floor, opened the apartment door, and first carried her mother-in-law’s bag to her room.
Valentina Ivanovna was sitting in an armchair by the window, watching some TV series. Seeing her daughter-in-law, she nodded:
– Oh, you brought it. Good. Put it on the table.
Irina set down her bag, took out the groceries, and began arranging them on the shelves of her mother-in-law’s refrigerator. Bread, milk, cottage cheese, chicken, vegetables. Everything as usual.
– Valentina Ivanovna, I’ll stop by the pharmacy tomorrow after work. Have you run out of medicine?
– Yes, they’re out of stock. Buy the same ones you bought last time. Just be careful they’re not fakes.
Irina nodded. Her mother-in-law had been living with her husband’s family for two years. After her father-in-law’s death, Valentina Ivanovna sold her apartment and moved in with her son. She put the money from the sale into a savings account, saying she was saving for a rainy day. Her mother-in-law’s pension was small, and she constantly complained about the lack of funds.
More and more requests
« Irka, could you help me a little? » Valentina Ivanovna began, as her daughter-in-law was getting ready to leave. « My pension is small, not enough for medicine. And you won’t lose any. »
Irina stopped at the door. Her mother-in-law looked at her with an expression as if she were begging for the last piece of bread.
« Valentina Ivanovna, I’m buying food. And paying for medicine. What else? »
– Well, for all sorts of little things. A woman my age needs a lot. Cosmetics, for example. Or a new handkerchief.
Irina remained silent. She left the room and headed to the kitchen to prepare dinner. Her husband, Oleg, was sitting in the living room watching TV, scrolling through his phone. Their son, Dima, was at the table doing his homework.
« Mom, I’ve almost done everything, » the boy announced. « I just need to finish math and I’ll be free. »
– Smart guy. Don’t delay, we’ll eat soon.
Irina began chopping vegetables for the salad. She thought about how her mother-in-law was becoming more demanding with each passing day. Previously, she’d only asked for food, then medicine, and now even money for cosmetics. She understood that Valentina Ivanovna wasn’t having an easy time in retirement, but she had a savings account. Why wasn’t her mother-in-law using it?
At dinner, Valentina Ivanovna brought up the subject of money again. She turned to her son:
« Oleg, maybe you could help me? The pension is peanuts. I’m a month short. »
Irina’s husband nodded:
– Mom, of course. I’ll help. Ira, will you give Mom some?
Irina looked at her husband. Oleg didn’t notice the tension in her eyes. He simply ate his chicken and waited for her answer.
« Oleg, we’re already helping. Food, medicine. What else do you need? »
– Well, Mom is asking. We can’t refuse.
Irina said nothing. She finished dinner and went to wash the dishes. Valentina Ivanovna was pleased. That evening, she received five thousand rubles from her daughter-in-law.
The envelope disappears
A week passed. Dima was preparing for his birthday. The boy was turning ten, and his parents had promised him a computer. But they didn’t have enough money for a new one, so Irina suggested that her son save up for it himself.
« Dim, Dad and I will give you part of the money. You can save up the rest yourself. Grandma gives money for birthdays, and so do grandparents. You can save up. »
The boy agreed enthusiastically. He pulled out an old metal cookie box and put in the first thousand he’d received the previous Christmas. Then he started putting in loose change he found in his jacket pockets or received from his parents for small expenses.
The box sat on the top shelf of Dima’s closet. The boy regularly counted his savings, proud of each new banknote. Irina was pleased that her son was learning to value money and understand how hard it was to earn it.
Valentina Ivanovna also knew about her grandson’s savings. One day, she walked into Dima’s room as he was showing his mother another addition to his piggy bank.
« Oh, how frugal you are! » My mother-in-law stepped closer and peered into the box. « You chose the right place; you don’t even need a bank. »
Dima laughed. Irina smiled, but something inside her flickered. Something in her mother-in-law’s tone struck her as insincere. But the woman dismissed those thoughts. Valentina Ivanovna was the boy’s grandmother. She couldn’t possibly wish him harm.
A few days passed. Irina returned from work and decided to check if Dima had tidied up his room. She went in, examined the shelves, and opened the wardrobe. She noticed the box was out of place. Usually, the boy placed it closer to the edge, but now it was tucked in further.
Irina took out the box and opened the lid. Empty. Not a single banknote, not a coin. The woman frowned. Perhaps Dima had moved it to another location? She began searching the room. She looked under the bed, checked the desk drawers, and looked through the shelves. Nothing.
Her son returned from school an hour later. Irina met the boy in the hallway:
« Dim, where’s your money? The box is empty. »
The boy raised his eyebrows in surprise:
– How empty? I put in two hundred yesterday.
– There’s nothing there. Are you sure you didn’t move it somewhere else?
– No, Mom. I always put it on the shelf.
Dima ran into the room, grabbed the box, and peered inside. The boy’s face lengthened.
– Mom… Someone took…
Irina sat down next to her son. She took the box and examined it. There were no signs of forced entry, and the lid closed easily. So someone had simply opened it and taken all the contents.
– Dim, you didn’t tell anyone about the money?
– Only you and Dad. And Grandma saw it.
Irina froze. Valentina Ivanovna. But that’s impossible. A mother-in-law wouldn’t take money from her grandson. It’s absurd.
“Mom, maybe Dad took it?” Dima suggested.
– We’ll ask him in the evening.
Confrontation
Oleg came home from work late. Irina waited until her husband had finished dinner and then approached him:
– Oleg, you didn’t take money from Dima’s box by any chance?
“What box?” My husband looked up from his phone.
– His piggy bank. It’s empty.
– No, I didn’t. What happened?
– The money is gone. All the money Dima was saving for his computer.
Oleg shrugged:
« Well, he probably hid it somewhere. He’ll forget it and then find it. Kids are like that, they always lose something. »
Irina glanced at her husband. Oleg had already returned to his phone, scrolling through the news feed. The call was over for her husband.
« Oleg, there was over eight thousand there. Dima saved it for six months. Do you think the boy lost that much? »
– I don’t know, Ira. Search the apartment. You’ll find it.
The woman turned and left the room. Everything inside was boiling. Her husband didn’t even bother to explain. He simply brushed her off like a pesky fly.
Irina returned to her son. Dima was sitting on the bed, his arms wrapped around his knees. The boy’s face was pale.
– Mom, I really didn’t take it. I was collecting it honestly.
– I know, honey. We’ll find it.
But inside, the woman already knew who the culprit was: Valentina Ivanovna. Only her mother-in-law could enter Dima’s room without suspicion, open the box, and take the money. No one else.
In the evening, Irina went to her mother-in-law’s. Valentina Ivanovna was sitting in her room, knitting. Seeing her daughter-in-law, she looked up:
– Did something happen?
– Valentina Ivanovna, have you by any chance seen Dima’s box? His piggy bank?
– I saw it. What?
– Money disappeared from it.
The mother-in-law frowned:
– So what, do you think I took it?
– I’m just asking. Maybe by chance…
“By any chance?!” Valentina Ivanovna’s voice rose. “Are you accusing me of theft?”
– No, I’m just trying to understand where the money went.
« I don’t know where your son lost it! Maybe he spent it on sweets! And you immediately went after me! »
Valentina Ivanovna stood up, threw her knitting on the armchair, and left the room, slamming the door. Irina remained in the middle, her hands trembling. Her mother-in-law didn’t even try to explain, didn’t offer to help her search. She simply got angry and left.
The woman returned to her son. Dima was lying on the bed, face down in the pillow. Irina sat down next to him and patted the boy’s back.
« Dim, everything will be fine. We’ll figure something out. »
The boy turned to his mother. His eyes were red.
– Mom, did grandma take it?
Irina didn’t know what to say. She didn’t want to turn her son against his grandmother, but she didn’t want to lie either.
– I don’t know, Dim. But we’ll figure it out.
The next day, Irina brought up the subject again over breakfast. Oleg was eating a sandwich, getting ready for work. Valentina Ivanovna was sitting opposite, drinking tea.
“Oleg, we need to talk seriously about Dima’s money,” Irina began.
“Ira, we already talked about this,” her husband replied in a tired voice.
– We didn’t talk. You brushed me off.
« What do you want from me? Search the entire house? I don’t know where the money is. »
– Maybe it’s worth asking your mother again?
Valentina Ivanovna placed her cup loudly on the table.
« Oleg! Do you hear what she’s saying?! She’s accusing me of stealing! »
« Ira, stop it, » her husband raised his hand, demanding silence. « Mom didn’t take anything. Come on. »
– How do you know?
– Because she’s my mother! And I trust her!
Irina clenched her fists under the table. Oleg stood up, grabbed his bag, and headed for the exit. Valentina Ivanovna looked at her daughter-in-law triumphantly and returned to her tea.
The woman was left alone at the table. Bitterness rose inside. Her husband didn’t even try to explain, immediately siding with his mother. And his mother-in-law acted as if nothing had happened.
Irina got up, cleared the table, and went to her son’s room. Dima was getting ready for school. The boy looked depressed.
– Dim, are you feeling okay?
– Yes, Mom. I’m just sad.
– I understand. But we’ll definitely buy you a computer. I promise.
The boy nodded, but there was no joy in his eyes.
The truth comes out
That evening, after everyone had gone to their rooms, Irina heard Dima leave for the kitchen. She followed him. Her son stood by the window, looking out into the dark courtyard.
– Dim, did something happen?
The son turned around. His face was serious, not childishly mature.
– Mom, Grandma took it. I know.
– How do you know?
« She told me. When you went to work. She said she’d take the money on time. That she’d pay it back when she got her pension. I didn’t want to let her, but she said she needed it very much. That she was struggling. And that I should help Grandma because she was an old lady. »
Irina froze. Valentina Ivanovna had really taken the money. And she had also silenced her grandson.
– Why didn’t you tell me right away?
« I thought she’d actually pay back. But a week has passed, and she’s silent. And when you asked, Grandma started screaming. I got scared. »
Irina hugged her son. The boy clung to his mother, and the woman felt his shoulders tremble.
« Dim, it’s not your fault. Grandma did something wrong. And we’ll fix it. »
– How?
« I’ll talk to her. And to Dad. I promise. »
The boy nodded. Irina led her son to his room and put him to bed. Then she returned to the kitchen and sat at the table. Her hands were trembling with anger. Valentina Ivanovna hadn’t just taken the money. Her mother-in-law had manipulated the child, silenced him, and then even caused a commotion, accusing her daughter-in-law of lying.
The woman got up and went to her mother-in-law’s room. She knocked. Valentina Ivanovna opened the door and looked at her daughter-in-law with displeasure:
– What else?
« Dima told me. You took the money and promised to pay it back. »
My mother-in-law’s face twitched for a moment, but she quickly pulled herself together:
– So what? I’ll take it and give it back. What problems?
« The problem is that you deceived the child. And forced her into silence. »
« I didn’t force anything! I just asked for help! I needed money urgently! »
– For what?
– It’s my business!
– Valentina Ivanovna, you have a deposit. Take it out if you need to.
– The deposit is for my old age! I won’t touch it!
– But can you touch the child’s money?
The mother-in-law crossed her arms over her chest:
– I’ll pay it back. When I get my pension. Just wait a week.
– You promised a week already.
– Retirement delayed! Not my fault!
Irina turned and went into the bedroom. Oleg was lying on the bed, watching TV. Seeing his wife, he raised his eyebrows:
– What happened?
– Your mother took Dima’s money. She admitted it herself.
The husband sat on the bed:
– How did she take it?
« She asked him to pay her back. She promised to pay her back when she received her pension. A week passed—and nothing. »
Oleg was silent. Then he sighed:
– Well, if she said she’d pay it back, she’ll pay it back. Mom doesn’t cheat.
Irina stared at her husband. Does Oleg really think everything is okay?
« Oleg, she took money from a child! From a ten-year-old boy! Is that normal for you? »
« Ira, my mother isn’t rich. She needed help. Dima is her grandson. He could have helped. »
« Dima saved up for six months! For his dream! And your mother just took it all away! »
– In the fire.
– When?
– I don’t know. Soon.
Irina exhaled. The conversation had gone astray. Her husband saw no problem. For Oleg, his mother was always right. Whatever Valentina Ivanovna did, her son would justify it.
The woman lay down on the bed and turned to the wall. Oleg went back to watching TV as if nothing had happened. And Irina lay there, wondering what to do next. Her mother-in-law wouldn’t give her the money back. The woman could sense it. Valentina Ivanovna would find another excuse, then another. And Oleg would defend her, as always.
Irina realized that the only solution was to act alone.
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