Victoria heard the shouting from her apartment while still on the staircase. It was so familiar, and she was so tired of it!

Vika heard the shouting from her apartment even on the landing. It was so familiar, and it had gotten so tiresome!

«You miserable drunk, when will your throat finally tear!» shouted Lyudmila Alexeyevna at her husband, Vika’s father.

The girl quickly slipped into her room, surprised: «Wow! It’s just lunchtime, and Dad’s already drunk. Every time, he outdoes himself.»

There was no sound from her father. Usually, he remained silent in the face of his wife’s yelling, being a quiet and harmless alcoholic.

After screaming for a while, Lyudmila Alexeyevna peeked into her daughter’s room.

«Vika, are you home already? Are you going to eat?»

«No, Mom, I already ate at school. I’ll wait for Sergey.»

Sergey was Vika’s older brother, a serious guy doing an internship at an oil company. Vika kept up with her brother, finishing her eleventh grade with excellent marks. She planned to continue her education at university.

Lyudmila Alexeyevna often liked to repeat that, thank God, at least the children took after her and not her alcoholic father. But Vika and Sergey weren’t so sure about that, though they preferred to keep quiet. But when it came to education, it was the opposite. Her father had a higher education and once held a prestigious position. But his love for alcohol ruined his career, sending him down a steep slope. As long as Vika could remember, their family had always been like this—her mom yelled, and her dad drank. He drank and stayed silent.

After resting a little from school, Vika tried to focus on her textbooks. Graduation exams were just around the corner. But it was hard to concentrate with her mother still yelling in the next room. Sometimes, Vika wondered where her mom got all that strength and energy from, how she could scream nonstop. Anyone else in her place would have long since given up and waved it off, but not Lyudmila Alexeyevna! She practically never stopped yelling when her husband was home. Even when he was sober, she would continue to nag him. Sometimes, Vika just longed for peace and quiet—not just for an hour or two, but for a day, two, or even longer.

And to her horror, it happened very soon. Lyudmila Alexeyevna stopped shouting when her husband was gone…

In early autumn, Vika’s father was found on the street by random passersby. He was lying on a bench in the park, quietly curled up, never to straighten out again. The interesting part was that he was sober and died of a heart attack. When he began to feel bad, he didn’t call for help or reach out; he just quietly passed away on that bench, as quietly as he had lived in recent years. Vika and Sergey understood why it happened, why the attack occurred while he was outside the house. He didn’t want to go home. There, his loud wife was waiting for him.

Despite this, Vika didn’t blame her mom for anything. One could understand the woman. Living with an alcoholic for so many years, no one could have patience for that!

Lyudmila Alexeyevna suddenly fell silent and even cried at the funeral. Although there was some strange anger in her, as if her husband had died on purpose to escape her, not letting her say what she really thought about it.

Right after the funeral, Vika’s older brother said he had been offered a job in Kamchatka, and he accepted. It was strange. Why go so far away when there was work right in their city? Lyudmila Alexeyevna was even offended by her son, saying it was wrong to leave the family at such a difficult time. But Sergey was adamant.

He didn’t let his sister take him to the airport, but before leaving, he came to her room to say goodbye. He hugged her tightly, looking into her eyes.

«Well, good luck, sis. Take the advice of your older brother. When you finish university, leave. Leave somewhere far away.»

«Sergey, what are you talking about? Mom is all alone now, and if I leave too, how will she cope?»

«Maybe if she didn’t keep nagging Dad, she wouldn’t be alone now,» Sergey raised his eyebrows.

«How could she not nag him? He drank, drank non-stop.»

«You were little and don’t remember much. But Dad didn’t start drinking just like that. Mom’s nagging started long before his alcoholism. Anyway, I hope you never understand what I’m talking about.»

The brother left, leaving Vika slightly confused. Why was he angry at Mom? There she was, walking around like she was cast down. Now, there was no one to shout at…

It turned out that her mom could yell at her daughter too! This happened just a few days after Sergey left. While studying in her first year of university, Vika met an older student, and somehow their relationship quickly began to develop. One evening, they walked around the city for a long time, unable to part, and in the end, Vika returned home later than usual. Her mom was waiting for her, looking darker than a thundercloud.

«What are you doing out there? It’s nighttime! Mom is home alone, and you’re off gallivanting. How can you leave me alone like this? After everything that happened in our family!»

«Mom, I called you and told you I’d be late.»

«Late? The selfish brat. You’re out having fun, and you don’t think about your mother. I’m stuck here in these four walls.»

Vika stopped trying to justify herself, deciding that her mom was right. It was hard for the woman to be alone, and Vika needed to be home more to help her mom adjust to the new situation.

Vika tried not to stay out late, but that didn’t save her from Lyudmila Alexeyevna’s angry outbursts.

«God, who makes soup like this? You should add the fry at the very end. Vika, you have no hands! You don’t cut bread like that!»

Her mother’s constant nitpicking drove Vika crazy, and the strange thing was that after yelling at her daughter, Lyudmila Alexeyevna seemed to come alive, blooming with energy. Gradually, Vika began to understand that her mom had gotten used to living this way and couldn’t live any other way.

By her final year, Vika decided to marry the older student she had started dating just after entering the university. Maybe deep down, Vika knew he wasn’t cut out to be a good husband, but she was desperate to get out of her parents’ house as quickly as possible.

It didn’t work out!

The guy Vika was about to marry was named Anton. He was a good person, but very flighty and immature. Yet, strangely enough, he became friends with Lyudmila Alexeyevna. He was the one who suggested that after the wedding, they should live with her.
Are you serious, Anton?!” Victoria exclaimed, outraged. “We were planning to rent an apartment together.”

“Ludmila Alekseevna says it’s foolish, and I agree with her. Vik, why should we pay for rent when you have a three-room apartment? Besides, your mom is so nice, we get along well with her.”

Victoria felt as if a tight ring was closing around her, and she would never be able to escape this vicious circle. The worst part was that she didn’t even have any real reasons to refuse her mother’s offer. Ludmila Alekseevna was currently the epitome of kindness, and Anton couldn’t imagine her shouting.

He first realized how she could scream right after their wedding. But the newlywed son-in-law wasn’t horrified, because Ludmila Alekseevna was still shouting at her daughter.

“How? How do you make the bed? Why, at your age, do I have to teach you these things? You’re a married woman, and you can’t even make the bed properly!”

The son-in-law just smirked, thinking it was normal for a mother to teach her daughter the ways of life. It wasn’t so bad. Anton thought so, until his mother-in-law turned on him.

“Anton, don’t you think that a married man shouldn’t meet with his friends so often? Where were you until ten o’clock last night?”

Ludmila Alekseevna, suddenly deciding to take control over her son-in-law, was getting involved in everything. She made Anton report every hour spent outside the house and monitored his phone calls.

Anton howled in frustration, and Vika decided to intervene but only received another reprimand.

“What’s wrong, daughter? I’m guarding your family hearth. You always have to keep your husband in check. Anton is an attractive guy, and he needs to be controlled so he doesn’t start fooling around.”

Anton didn’t start fooling around, but he did leave the family. At first, it was rare nights at his parents’ house, always just Anton. After all, Vika couldn’t leave her mother alone! Then, one day, when she came home, Vika didn’t even find her husband’s belongings.

Ludmila Alekseevna was furious.

“When did he manage that? What a scoundrel, using the moment when I was at the neighbor’s to take his things. Well, never mind, Vika, never mind. Let’s go to his parents’ house, we’ll bring your Anton back to the family.”

“No, Mom, don’t go anywhere,” Vika raised her voice at her mother. “This is my husband, and my life. I’ll meet him myself and figure everything out.”

But what was there to figure out? Vika already understood that this was coming. But she met Anton in the city, at a café, on neutral ground. Before the meeting, Anton asked several times on the phone if Vika was definitely coming alone.

“Vik, what’s there to talk about? I filed for divorce. You know yourself that living like this is impossible. Your mom recently demanded that I give her the password to my phone! That’s just too much! Of course, I refused. She screamed for a long time, saying it meant I had something to hide. I think, if it went on a little longer, she would’ve started barging into our bedroom and teaching me what to do.”

“Anton, I initially suggested we rent an apartment. Maybe we can do that now?”

It wasn’t that Vika wanted to live with Anton, but she was ready for anything just to escape her mother’s control. And Anton understood this perfectly.

“Vik, what are you talking about? Our hasty marriage is falling apart at the seams. Now I understand why you were so eager to marry me. You just wanted to escape from Ludmila Alekseevna. But that won’t help, and you know that deep down. She can’t be alone, she’s like a vampire, feeding off others. She’d be a nuisance even if we lived in an apartment. Vik, you’re a good person, and we could’ve made something work, but not under these conditions. Sorry.”

But what did Vika need to forgive him for? Anton was right about everything. She hadn’t married him for love. They decided to part as friends. And a couple of weeks after the official divorce, Vika realized she was pregnant. She had to meet Anton once more. He insisted on an abortion.

“Think about it, why do you need this baby now? I’m not planning on getting back together with you, I’ve already met another girl. By the way, she’s from an orphanage and has no relatives. So, if anything, I’m not rejecting the child. But what do you need it for? You have a great job with fantastic career prospects. I think you should get an abortion.”

Strangely enough, Ludmila Alekseevna didn’t agree.

“Your job isn’t going anywhere, but I’ll help with the baby,” the woman declared firmly. “You need to have it.”

And once again, Vika listened to her mother. No, she never regretted it. She adored her daughter, Sonya, and besides, she didn’t lose her job, transitioning to remote work.

And Ludmila Alekseevna eagerly took on the role of grandmother. She taught Vika how to take care of the baby. As always, everything Vika did was wrong, and she was an incompetent fool.

“All you’re good at is earning money. Go work at your computer. I’ll take care of Sonya!” Ludmila Alekseevna constantly yelled.

Vika desperately craved time with her child. Ludmila Alekseevna transferred all the household chores to her, while barely allowing her near Sonya.

“Shh-shh, she’s sleeping! Don’t wake Sonya! Don’t you have any work? Oh, you’re free now? Well, go make dinner, and while you’re at it, go get groceries,” Ludmila Alekseevna would command.

And so it was no surprise when, as soon as Sonya started speaking, she called Ludmila Alekseevna “Mom” instead of Vika. Victoria cried all night, realizing something had to change. But once again, she couldn’t change anything.

When Sonya went to nursery school, Vika managed to get out of the house and go to work. There was no longer any excuse for Ludmila Alekseevna to keep her daughter at home. At work, Vika met a young man named Roman. At first, she addressed him formally, as he was in a managerial position, and had come from Moscow to open a new branch of the company in their city.

As Vika started dating Roman, she realized how foolish she had been to marry Anton. There had been no real feelings between them. It wasn’t even close to what she had with Roman. With Roman, they understood each other with a glance, and they felt so good together that, in the first month of their relationship, Vika shared everything with him, fully explaining her family situation. Though there was almost nothing to explain, by that time Roman already knew something was off with Vika’s relationship with her mother. It was clear because they could only meet during work hours. And whenever Vika was even a little late after work, Ludmila Alekseevna would call with hysterics and accusations. “How can you? Ungrateful daughter, you left your daughter with me, and now you’re out somewhere!”

Roman insisted on meeting Vika’s mother. Vika, remembering that her mother had accepted her first husband well, wasn’t too worried. But this time, things were different. Ludmila Alekseevna rejected Roman outright and, after he left, had a tantrum with Vika.

“Who’s this Moscovite? He’s here today, gone tomorrow! Will he stay in our city? And you have a daughter, she goes to kindergarten, and you should be thinking about your child, not about men. What kind of mother are you?! Break up with him right now!”

“No, Mom,” Vika said firmly, “Roman and I decided to get married. Don’t worry, he’ll be in our city for a long time, maybe even forever.”

Vika lied, shamelessly lied, but didn’t know any other way to calm her mother down.

“They’re getting married,” Ludmila Alekseevna clutched her heart. “And you’re telling me this last?! You ungrateful girl. I won’t let you take Sonya anywhere. She’s used to living here, and the kindergarten is right here. If you’re getting married, you’ll live here, too.”

Vika promised her mother it would be that way. And Ludmila Alekseevna calmed down a little. There was no real wedding. Vika and Roman registered their marriage and had dinner at a restaurant with their closest relatives. On Vika’s side, there were a few relatives, and on Roman’s side, a couple of friends. The most important guest at this wedding was Sergey, Vika’s brother, whom she hadn’t seen for about three years. The last time Sergey came, his wife was pregnant with their second child. Now, that child was still too young, so Sergey came alone. Even though Sergey didn’t visit often, he could see what was happening and often reminded his sister of what he had said before he left.

“I told you, you should have left as soon as you finished school!”

At the restaurant, toward the end of the evening, Sergey pulled his sister aside for a conversation.

“Mom says you’ll be living with her. Is that true?”

“Serge, the thing is, no. I lied! It’s the first time I’ve lied to her. Roman has to go back to Moscow in a couple of days. Naturally, I’ll go with Sonya. I’ve already arranged a transfer to the Moscow branch at work, but I have no idea how to tell Mom. I think she’ll just latch on to us.”

“It’ll be just like that,” Sergey smirked. “If you tell her the truth, she’ll never let you go. She’ll do anything, trust me. You’ll have to keep lying, and I’ll help you. I’ll help you escape from the house. Sometimes, when I visited, I had a guilty conscience that I left in time, but you stayed. Roman seems like a good guy, and I think things will work out if you find the strength to leave with him. Leave forever.”

Two days later, Ludmila Alekseevna was frantically pacing between her daughter, packing, and her granddaughter.

“Vika, what Moscow? Why are you taking Sonya with you? Let her stay with me.”

“Mom, I’m telling you, Roman needs to transfer to our city. It won’t take long, and I want to show Sonya Moscow; it’s not that small. You won’t even blink before we’re back.”

“Really, Mom, what’s going on?” Sergey supported his sister. “A wife should be with her husband, and a daughter with her mother, so let them go. I’m not planning on going home yet. I’ll stay with you for a few days.”

“Well, if that’s the case,” Ludmila Alekseevna sighed. “But, Vika, don’t stay too long! Come back before Sergey leaves.”

Sergey left, and Vika didn’t return. A couple of weeks after her daughter’s departure, Ludmila Alekseevna screamed into the phone, her voice hoarse.

“Vika, what are you doing? What do you mean you’re not coming back?! What right do you have to take Sonya out of the house?”

“Mom, I have every right. I’m her mother. Roman couldn’t arrange the transfer. We’ll stay here another year,” Vika lied again.

“Another year? Are you crazy? Come back immediately, or I’ll come there myself.”

“This won’t change anything, Mom,” Vika said calmly. “Even if you come, we won’t come back.”

“And what about my high blood pressure yesterday and how bad I’m feeling? Don’t you care? I’ll fall asleep and never wake up, and that will be on your conscience, Vika, only on yours.”

Each time after a conversation with her mother, Vika cried for a long time. Roman tried to comfort her, saying that Ludmila Alekseevna needed time to accept it. He urged Vika not to give in to the blackmail, seeing that his wife was on the verge of snapping and running back to her mother. This went on for about six months.

Vika was doing well with her job and her husband. Little Sonya quickly bonded with Roman and almost immediately started calling him “Dad.” However, Vika began to shake with each phone call from her mother. It reached the point where she stopped answering, only sending voice messages.

One day, Ludmila Alekseevna called and started the conversation in a calm, almost friendly tone.

“Vika, I met a man. I never thought it was possible at my age, but here we are… He’s, like me, a widower, a calm and intelligent person.”

“I’m happy for you, Mom.”

Vika talked a little more, then hung up and turned to Roman, who had been listening to the conversation.

“Well, that’s it for the intelligent guy,” Vika said, smiling grimly.