Sylwia and I met in the turbulent 90s. She came to the city where I lived at the time to celebrate a friend's birthday and that's where we met.
The romance was instantaneous and we didn't delay in formalizing the relationship. When they got married, Sylwia suggested they move closer to her family: “Leszek, my mom and brother are there, they'll help you if you need it. There's no work in the city, nothing to catch here.”
In a way, she was right. The city-forming giant was barely breathing, and the infrastructure built around it was quickly falling apart.
-Where are we going to live? – I doubted.
-Let's sell your apartment here and buy a small house with a plot of land. We'll start our own farm and have some support – Sylwia suggested. We decided to do so and found a house quite easily, although it was quite dilapidated.
The village we moved to was half an hour's drive from where Sylwia's family lived, which suited her perfectly. Within a few years I had my house in decent shape. The job market was also bad, but the money from selling the apartment was enough for a small farm.
In addition, like most of the villagers, I took up fishing to earn some money. In short, life was not easy, and then Sylvia's brother found himself in an unpleasant situation. The neighbors said that he had borrowed a large sum of money, could not repay it, and left the village. One time they came home with their mother-in-law.
-Leszek, what if we moved into my mother's house? – Sylwia asked me from the doorstep.
-Why? – I was surprised – We put so much effort into this house, the farm is here.
-I'm alone, at least Andrzejek lives nearby – my mother-in-law sobbed, looking at me pleadingly. Live with me and run your farm as you wish, I won't interfere. The children will come, I'll start babysitting them.
-Mom needs help, she can't handle it on her own – Sylwia obediently agreed. – Leszek, please, at least for a while. If we don't get along, we can always come back.
-But how can we not get along, we're relatives – my mother-in-law sighed, wiping away her tears. I wasn't enthusiastic about the idea, but a drop wears away a stone and eventually, with a sinking heart, I agreed.
In our daily communication, my mother-in-law turned out to be quite quarrelsome, and the promise of “not interfering” was very quickly forgotten. I tried not to get into a conflict, especially since it soon turned out that Sylwia was pregnant.
-We should buy a car – my mother-in-law once started saying – If we have a child, we might have to go to the doctor downtown. “Maybe he'll agree to pay in installments,” I thought.
-But my mother and I have decided everything – Sylwia said suddenly – We'll sell our house, we already have a buyer. Although I had my doubts, I agreed. In the meantime, the situation in the family was becoming more and more burdensome – my mother-in-law's word was firm, complaints poured out from the cornucopia, my wife was happy to support my mother.
One day I had to go away for a few days. When I returned, I didn't recognize the double:
-Sylwia, what happened? Where are the cattle, where is the food prepared for the winter? – We sold everything – my wife replied with a challenge
-How dare you do this behind my back? – I was furious – You don't want to explain anything?
-Don't shout, you're not in charge here! – my mother-in-law butted in – You don't have anything of your own, you live off other people's food! We needed money, so we sold it, and your pennies aren't enough for anything!
I turned around and left. Much later I found out that my mother-in-law and wife gave Andrzej money to pay off the debt. I tried to reconcile with my wife several times for the sake of the child, but she carefully avoids any communication. Maybe she feels guilty, or maybe she never loved me.
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