Blood froze in my veins when I heard the click of the lock on our front door. It was her again—without warning, without a ring, like a ghost from the past materializing in my new life. No matter what I did, no matter how hard I tried to set boundaries, Galina Petrovna always found a way to penetrate them, like water seeping through cracks in a dam. At that moment, I swore to myself that this visit would be the last straw. I would figure out how to put an end to this exhausting war with my mother-in-law, even if it meant taking drastic measures.
For almost ten years, Galina Petrovna and I had managed to avoid frequent encounters. After the wedding, Anton and I moved to a country house that I inherited from my great-grandmother. It was there that our Kiryuusha was born. The remoteness of our home was a real blessing—my mother-in-law had to cover a considerable distance to visit us. Our infrequent meetings were enough to form a complete picture of this woman’s character.
“Alena, when was the last time you cleaned?” Galina Petrovna inquired during one of her visits.
“And what’s the problem?”
“All my shoes are covered in dust, that’s the problem! Do you even have a rag for the floor?”
“Galina Petrovna, first of all, we don’t have a rag—we have a modern mop. And secondly, we have a Labrador, which is why there’s more dirt than usual. Don’t worry, I clean twice a week, and the automatic vacuum cleaner runs daily.”
“You’ve bought all these technological novelties, but the result is nothing! Everything needs to be scrubbed personally, every inch wiped with a cloth. With these fashionable mops of yours, all the dirt just stays in place. And those robots—what a waste of money.”
“Everything functions perfectly, Galina Petrovna. That’s why I even suggested home shoes for you, since our light-colored socks get dirty instantly.”
“Maybe it’s because I only wear them! You’re such an inept housekeeper, as it seems. A house must be in perfect order so that white socks remain impeccably clean, as if they just came out of the washing machine.”
“I’ll take that into consideration.”
“Listen to me, Alena. My experience surpasses yours. If you follow my recommendations, the home will always be perfect.”
“Uh-huh.”
Galina Petrovna constantly bothered me with unsolicited advice. And she did it not out of a sincere desire to help, but with an air of superiority, as if her son’s wife were an utterly useless creature. Fortunately, it happened so rarely that I learned to let her words roll right off my ears. If she enjoyed giving advice so much—let her entertain herself. I would do things my own way anyway.
But Galina Petrovna’s true nature was fully revealed when Anton and I decided to buy an apartment in the city.
“Tosh, maybe we should move to the center?” I suggested to my husband.
“And what don’t you like about our house?”
“I feel a kind of melancholy here,” I sighed. “This is genuine rural isolation. Kiryuusha has to travel forever to get to school, and there are hardly any peers here. Sure, it’s perfect for those who value seclusion. Once out in the garden, fussing with the plants—that’s enough. But I want our life to be more interesting, and for our child to have more opportunities. There are hardly any clubs here that our son would truly want to attend.”
“Kiryuusha doesn’t seem bored here.”
“He sits at home all day because he has no friends nearby, Tosh! And he is a very talented child; he could be placed in a specialized school. Who knows, he might even lose a few extra pounds thanks to a more active urban lifestyle.”
“I don’t even know…” Anton hesitated.
“Let’s at least discuss the possibility! I’ve spent most of my life in a village where the only attractions were a little shop and an abandoned house. I want some dynamism, new contacts…”
“Alright, let’s think it all through together and weigh the pros and cons.”
About four months later, we finally dared to purchase an apartment in the city and move to the metropolis. Kiryuusha had just finished fourth grade, which perfectly coincided with the beginning of a new chapter in our family history.
Anton mostly worked from home, but now he could regularly attend the office instead of spending all day within four walls or making several-day trips to the city. I quickly found a suitable position at a sewing workshop. Sewing had always been my calling. And we decided to rent out the country house. According to our calculations, it was economically viable.
“Well, well, lucky ones, congratulations on the new place!” my mother-in-law declared on the very first evening. “Alena, set the table!”
“Mom, what a feast,” my husband interrupted. “We just moved in, let us settle in.”
“You must celebrate the new apartment! Surely you wouldn’t shun your own mother?”
“Alright, alright, come in. But no longer than half an hour—we still have lots of urgent things to do.”
I overheard the conversation and inwardly grimaced, as I had no intention of tea parties or idle chatter at that moment. I wanted my mother-in-law to leave as soon as possible, allowing us to quietly settle into our new apartment, but I had to politely agree to the housewarming idea.
“Kiryuusha! Go eat some sweets, grandma brought them!” my mother-in-law called to my son.
“Galina Petrovna, next time please give the sweets to us, Kiryuusha can’t have too many,” I requested.
“And why not?”
“You see for yourself that Kiryuusha is overweight. We are gradually weaning him off eating so many sweets—it’s bad for his health.”
“Oh my, one candy won’t hurt! I never thought you’d be so strict and unfeeling. Spare the little one his treat!”
“Understand that he always devours an enormous amount of sweets. We once bought him a jar of chocolate spread, and he emptied it within minutes! Then his teeth would decay and become painful. I worry about his well-being!”
At that moment, Kiryuusha appeared, and Galina Petrovna, ignoring my words, handed him an entire bag and ordered him to go immediately to his room and eat every last candy.
I was furious about this incident, yet I remained silent. One candy truly wouldn’t do any harm. Although there were about twenty of them, which was an entirely different matter. Nonetheless, a few minutes later, I silently slipped into Kiryuusha’s room and carefully took away the remaining sweets, gently explaining to my son that from now on I would only give him one candy at a time. Naturally, he felt upset, but he said nothing.
Perhaps I was too demanding, but I was doing it for my child. He was young and didn’t understand how cruel other children and adults could be. I was trying to protect him. Meanwhile, my mother-in-law seemed determined to turn her grandson into a spoiled child.
Moreover, after our move, Galina Petrovna suddenly became much more active. She started appearing at our place several times a week, which drove me to the brink of madness. And it was all because of my husband, who for some reason had given his mother a duplicate set of keys.
“In case any misfortune happens, I can come to your aid at any moment,” she explained.
Of course, I couldn’t imagine anything happening that would require Galina Petrovna’s emergency help, but I couldn’t change the situation. The fact remained.
“Alena, haven’t you forgotten the dish in the oven?” Galina Petrovna asked.
“I haven’t forgotten, Galina Petrovna. Everything’s under control, just 20 minutes left.”
“Is that really how much time is left? It should be much less, in my opinion.”
“Galina Petrovna, the situation is under control.”
Even though I was completely in charge of the cooking process, my mother-in-law did everything her own way.
“Why did you take out the baking tray? It’s not done yet,” I fumed.
“I already checked; it’s perfectly ready. Overcooking would ruin the taste—I know better in this matter.”
“Galina Petrovna, with all due respect, I know the cooking process well—it needs to simmer for at least another 10 minutes.”
“Are you trying to teach me about cooking? You’re inexperienced and know little about life; you’d be better off listening to me! And don’t you dare talk back to me.”
No matter what I did, it was always met with criticism. Whether it was the way I cooked, the quality of cleaning, or even washing “not according to the technology.” For my mother-in-law, everything was wrong. Criticism poured out every time she stepped into our home. Moreover, she would systematically come over before my husband and I even returned. It seemed as though her only occupation was imposing her order in our apartment.
She regularly baked huge portions of golden buns with filling for Kiryuusha, half of which my son devoured almost immediately. Of course, I didn’t mind the treats per se, but I repeatedly asked her, delicately, not to overfeed the child with such food. However, my requests were always ignored.
“Tosh, can you give me a lift to the shopping district after work tomorrow?” I asked my husband. “I need to pick up several suits from a client, and I can’t carry them all myself.”
“Tomorrow, it will be hard for me to break away from my work schedule.”
“Tosh, please, I can’t manage without your help. It’ll take no more than half an hour.”
“Alena, there’s no need to distract my boy from his professional duties. You’re perfectly capable of managing on your own,” interjected my mother-in-law.
“Galina Petrovna, perhaps we should decide on the most convenient option ourselves?”
“I care about my grandson. He’d only waste precious time on your whims. Didn’t he tell you he couldn’t make it?”
“Nothing of the sort was said. Anton, can you help me out?”
“I’m not sure,” murmured Anton.
“But I really need your support! Either, please, pay for a taxi so someone can help me.”
“Really, what a scheme! Either you fetch and bring it back, or pay for a taxi. Are you even capable of doing anything yourself?”
“Anton?!” I looked at my husband, waiting for his reaction.
He remained silent, avoiding my gaze.
“Fine, I’ll deal with everything on my own.”
Galina Petrovna had an almost pathological habit of inserting herself into our conversations and offering her so-called valuable opinions. It created a lasting impression that she deliberately provoked conflicts between us. This tactic even extended to matters of purchases, such as when it came time to replace the washing machine. Ours had broken down, and my mother-in-law suddenly suggested buying a budget model second-hand. I categorically refused, as used appliances were highly likely to fail, and it made more sense to invest in a new one. She persistently tried to persuade me to heed her advice, but on that issue, I managed to hold my ground.
Her behavior was increasingly infuriating me. However, one incident finally pushed me over the edge, and I could no longer maintain my composure.
When I returned home, I immediately noticed Galina Petrovna’s presence. The aroma of fried potatoes had spread throughout the apartment the moment I stepped inside.
“Did you throw out the lunch I specifically prepared for my son?!” I fumed upon finding the contents of the containers in the trash can.
“And why are you feeding my heir such nonsense? He is a future man! Let him enjoy real potatoes.”
“Galina Petrovna, how many times must I remind you that Kiryuusha should not have excessive fatty and sugary foods! And you even gave him cake! This is crossing all the limits. Look at all that butter in your dish.”
“What are you trying to pull now? This is all extremely beneficial for your grandson—let him have a full meal, not your dietary fantasies.”
“This is called a balanced diet, Galina Petrovna. I cook all of this for my own child, not for you to subsequently ruin everything!”
“Am I supposed to be the guilty one now? Alena, change your tone! I’m a grandmother and much older than you; I know far better what my grandson needs!”
“I observe that you understand everything far better than anyone else!”
“Naturally, how could it be otherwise?”
“Enough! That’s the last straw!”
I retreated to the bedroom to collect my thoughts. I could no longer tolerate the constant presence of my mother-in-law and her outright disregard for my requests.
A few days later, I heard a ring from Galina Petrovna. At that moment, I was at home and suddenly heard someone persistently trying to unlock our apartment door.
“Alena, for some reason I can’t get into your apartment, the key just won’t turn,” complained Galina Petrovna. “Call a specialist immediately.”
“Unfortunately, there’s nothing I can do to help you, Galina Petrovna,” I replied, unable to hide my satisfaction.
“What’s the meaning of this news?!”
“I changed the locks, so your keys won’t work anymore,” I declared to my mother-in-law.
“What have you done?! Oh, you heartless person!”
“This is so you no longer show up unannounced, dear mother-in-law.”
“Let me in immediately! I know very well that you are at home!”
“I’ll tell Anton everything!” raged Galina Petrovna.
“Do as you see fit. I’m not at all bothered.”
I ended the conversation, inwardly rejoicing at her reaction. She kept shouting at the door, but I had no plans of getting out of bed to let her in.
That evening, when Anton returned from work, his mother called him. I didn’t need a loud conversation to guess the topic.
“Mom, this is completely over the acceptable limits… Yes, we did change the locks, and I fully support that decision… No, you are undoubtedly important to me, but you have started visiting us too frequently. You’ve exhausted Alena with your constant complaints and admonitions. Moreover, you feed our boy unsuitable foods, even though Alena has repeatedly asked you not to… Mom, please lower your voice. Just accept the fact that if you wish to visit us, you must arrange it in advance, rather than showing up every time you feel like it.”
Judging by how abruptly the conversation between my husband and his mother ended, I realized that she was in a state of extreme indignation and categorically rejected the changes.
“So, what was the result?” I asked my husband.
“She took offense to our decision to change the locks,” Anton stated.
“You understand that our actions were justified, don’t you? Your mother had no right to behave that way. Every visit of hers was invariably accompanied by lectures and overstepping boundaries.”
“Of course, I understand. What infuriated me the most was how she overfed our son, despite our joint decision to improve his health. She should not have ignored our parental decisions.”
“That’s exactly what I’m saying.”
After that episode, my mother-in-law ceased all communication with us. Anton made attempts to contact her by phone and through messages, but she either ignored his contacts or responded sharply and coldly. On one hand, I sincerely worried about my husband and his relationship with his mother, but on the other—I clearly understood the inevitability of this outcome. Anton understood it as well. Now we finally had the opportunity to peacefully build our own life and make decisions without external interference.
