All day at work, Andrei was haunted by guilt.
Not toward Lena \u2014 toward his father.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
His father had called the night before. Said he\u2019d found an ad. A 2007 model, low mileage.
\u201cThe owner wants to sell quickly. Might even drop the price.\u201d
There was hope in his voice. And Andrei had promised:
\u201cOne more month, Dad. I\u2019ll have the money.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Now he counted obsessively. If they cut all expenses, bought nothing unnecessary, maybe it could even be sooner.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
When Andrei came home that evening, he knew immediately something was wrong.
Too quiet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Lena sat on the couch with her laptop. Maxim slept in his stroller. She didn\u2019t look up.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cHi,\u201d Andrei said cautiously.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cHi.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWhat are you looking at?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWindows. Triple glazing. Energy-efficient. More expensive, but worth it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Andrei sat on the edge of the couch.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cLena, not now. I\u2019m tired.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cSo am I,\u201d she snapped the laptop shut. \u201cWhat does that mean?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cIt means you\u2019re saving money for a car for your parents while your son freezes.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n So she knew. \u201cHow do you know?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cYour mother called. Asked when you were coming to visit. At first I didn\u2019t understand. Then I did.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cShe shouldn\u2019t have told you.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cAnd you should have?\u201d \u201cIt\u2019s for my parents!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cAnd what about us?\u201d \u201cThat\u2019s not what I meant.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThen explain what you meant! Andrei felt anger rise. \u201cMy parents spent their whole lives for me,\u201d he said hoarsely. \u201cI want you to think about us!\u201d she shouted. She rushed to the baby, rocking him. \u201cI do<\/em> think about you,\u201d he said quietly. \u201cBut not enough to change the windows.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThe windows can wait.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cNo, they can\u2019t.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n They stood facing each other, an invisible wall between them. \u201cI gave my word,\u201d he whispered. \u201cAnd what about me?\u201d Lena asked softly. \u201cIt\u2019s different.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cNo. It\u2019s the same. She went into the bedroom and closed the door.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Andrei stood in the living room, staring at the dark window. The next day, his father called at lunchtime.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cAndryusha, how\u2019s the money coming? The owner says if he sells this week, he\u2019ll drop twenty thousand. A good deal.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cDad\u2026 wait a little. I haven\u2019t gathered it all yet.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cOh.\u201d \u201cThree\u2026 maybe four weeks.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI understand. Too bad if we miss this one. Your mother hoped we\u2019d manage before the cold.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Andrei squeezed the phone until his knuckles turned white.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI\u2019ll try faster, Dad.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cDon\u2019t worry, son. The important thing is that you\u2019re<\/em> doing well.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n After the call, Andrei stayed sitting outside. Just sitting. Watching people pass by. And for some reason, the sight of a man around sixty, walking slowly with a heavy bag, pierced him deeply.<\/p>\n\n\n\n At home, Lena was silent. She fed Maxim, cooked dinner, did everything as usual \u2014 but as if behind glass. On the third day of this silence, he couldn\u2019t take it anymore.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cHow long is this going to last?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThis silence. This ignoring me. Like kindergarten.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Lena slowly put down the spoon she was using to feed Maxim.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI\u2019m not ignoring you. \u201cSo you decided to sulk?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI\u2019m not sulking, Andrei. \u201cDon\u2019t say that.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cHow should I say it then?\u201d Maxim reached his arms toward his father and smiled. \u201cI don\u2019t want you to be scared,\u201d he said softly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThen change the windows.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cLena\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cEnough.\u201d On Friday, Andrei stayed late at work. Lena was in the kitchen with a cup of tea. \u201cHi,\u201d he leaned in to kiss her, but she pulled away.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI need to tell you something.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cDid something happen?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI ordered the windows. Andrei slowly sank into a chair.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWhat? With\u2026 with what money did you pay\u2026?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Andrei opened his banking app for the third time that morning. His father dreamed of an old Lada \u2014 nothing fancy, just something to drive to the dacha without being crushed in overcrowded buses. \u2014 Andrei, what are you staring at? \u2014 Lena passed by with their baby Maksim in her arms, only seven months old. \u2014 We need milk and diapers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u2014 I\u2019ll check later, he muttered, without lifting his eyes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Lena stopped in the doorway. If he noticed, he would have to talk. \u2014 We need to talk, Andrei.<\/p>\n\n\n\n That was how it began.<\/p>\n\n\n\n They argued about priorities. Lena wanted to replace the windows. Andrei kept postponing it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Because he was saving for the car he had promised his father.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Days passed in tension and silence. Until Lena made a decision on her own.<\/p>\n\n\n\n She took Andrei\u2019s card. When Andrei found out, he felt betrayed\u2026 Because suddenly he saw what he had been blind to all along.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Not numbers. But his family \u2014 His son. When the new windows were installed, warmth returned to the apartment. Maksim slept quietly through the night. And Andrei finally understood:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI\u2019m tired of living in the cold.
Tired of wiping our child\u2019s nose every day.
Tired of waiting for you to realize that you have your own<\/em> family now.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Andrei clenched his fists.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
She began pacing the room.
\u201cWe talked about the windows a month ago. You said there was no money.
But you\u2019re saving for a car!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
She turned to him, holding Maxim.
\u201cAre we just background characters?
I\u2019m on maternity leave. I don\u2019t earn money \u2014 so my opinion doesn\u2019t matter?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The child isn\u2019t a priority.
The wife isn\u2019t a priority.
But your parents are?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It wasn\u2019t fair.
He worked hard.
He brought money home.
He sacrificed everything \u2014 no new clothes, no evenings with friends, because it all cost too much.
And Lena sat there accusing him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cSo I could study. So I could live better.
My father still takes the bus to work at sixty.
My mother carries heavy bags because taxis cost too much.
And you want me to deny them?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Maxim began to cry.
\u201cThere! You see? You woke him up!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Andrei watched them \u2014 his wife, hair disheveled, his son with a wet face \u2014 and suddenly he felt so tired he wanted to lie down and not move ever again.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cAll the time.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Andrei knew: if he didn\u2019t give in now, the distance between them would only grow.
But giving in meant betraying his father.
Breaking his promise.
Leaving him struggling on those crowded trains.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cDo you understand? I promised.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWhen we married? When we had our son? Didn\u2019t you promise me anything then?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Just that your parents matter more.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Outside, the November wind was already seeping through the glass.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\n
Disappointment slipped into his voice.
\u201cHow much more time?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Some got into their cars and drove off.
Others walked to the bus stop \u2014 like his parents every day.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\n
Not angry.
Not fighting.
Just silent.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Andrei tried to talk \u2014 about work, about the weather, about their son \u2014 but she replied in single words and turned away.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I\u2019m just tired of arguing.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I\u2019ve accepted it.
We won\u2019t change the windows, because your parents need a car.
I understand now what the priorities are.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
She stood, lifting their son.
\u201cTell me how to properly say that I\u2019m cold?
That our child is cold?
That I\u2019m scared when he starts coughing at night?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Andrei took him, held him tightly.
The baby smelled of milk and baby cream.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
She took the child back and went into the bedroom.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\n
They promised a bonus \u2014 small, but something.
He came home at ten, tired but hopeful: another fifteen thousand added.
Maybe two weeks instead of three now.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Her face was calm \u2014 too calm.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The technician came, made the estimate.
Two hundred and thirty thousand.
Installation in a week.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The balance hadn\u2019t changed: 403,820 rubles<\/strong>.
Just a little more, and he could finally buy a car for his parents.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cFor your mother,\u201d he used to say quietly. \u201cShe\u2019s tired of standing with heavy bags.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
She looked exhausted \u2014 wearing an old robe that no longer fit her properly, dark circles under her eyes.
Andrei noticed\u2026 and chose not to.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And he didn\u2019t want to talk.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
About what mattered more:
his parents\u2026
or the family he was building right here.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Cold air leaked through the frames, turning Maksim\u2019s room into a freezer.
The baby caught colds too often.
She lay awake at night listening to him cough, afraid he would stop breathing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Not loud arguments \u2014 something worse: quiet distance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Paid for new windows.
Ordered triple glazing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
then stunned\u2026
then ashamed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Not promises.
Not dreams postponed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
here,
now.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
His wife.
Their fragile little home.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Real warmth \u2014 not just from heaters, but from peace.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Lena smiled again \u2014 softly, carefully, as if afraid to lose it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n