My husband saved money for the family to buy a better car.

Mikhail pushed his plate away in irritation. At the bottom lay a small pile of pasta, barely sprinkled with cheap grated cheese.

The sight of such a meal filled him with a growing sense of injustice. He had worked hard all day on the construction site, and upon returning home, a meal was ready for him that he regarded as virtually empty.

‘Walu, there is something I don’t understand. Where is the dish itself?’ he asked, trying to remain calm, although the tension was clearly audible in his voice. ‘Where is the meat? Where is the sauce, at least? I am a grown man and I need strength, not worthless food.’

Valentina didn’t even turn around. She stood stubbornly by the sink, scrubbing an old frying pan. Her back, covered with a homemade bathrobe, resembled a stone wall that neither pleas nor complaints could penetrate.

‘The food is in the shop, Misha,’ she answered dryly. ‘It’s on the shelves, fresh and packaged. You can pick it out yourself, pay for it, and prepare it. After all, we all have to live on our own for a month. It was your idea.’

A separate fund for a more important purpose.

Mikhail froze, not knowing how to react.

He remembered a conversation from a few weeks earlier. He had told his wife that from now on he would deposit the greater part of his salary into a private savings account.

He really wanted to replace his car.

Their neighbor Sergei had bought two newer cars over the past year. Mikhail began to feel inferior in comparison, even though he himself drove a two-year-old, foreign-made car.

‘I’m saving for something important, Walu!’ he exclaimed, as he got up from the table.

The chair creaked unpleasantly on the linoleum.

« We need a certain status. People need to see that we are doing well. And you are worrying about a piece of pork. »

Valentina eventually turned around.

« People notice first that Romek has outgrown his jacket from last year. The sleeves are too short and the fabric is too tight around his shoulders. But you don’t care. What is more important to you is what Sergey thinks of the leather upholstery in your new car. »

In the only room, which served as both a bedroom and a nursery, Romek stirred. The boy sat at a small table doing his homework and tried not to disturb his parents.

Mikhail looked at his son and felt a pang of guilt for a moment. But he immediately convinced himself that the new car would also be of service to the entire family.

‘Status is an investment!’ he exclaimed, as he grabbed his coat. ‘I’ll buy my own food, because the lady of the house has forgotten to feed her husband.’

He left and slammed the door shut with a loud bang.

Shopping with money that was actually meant for a car.

The stairwell smelled of damp. Mikhail went down the stairs and walked to the nearest supermarket.

He added a few ready-made meals and frozen products to his shopping basket. With each item, he became increasingly irritated, because he was spending money that was actually meant for his piggy bank.

When he returned, he found Valentina in the room. She was sitting on the sofa bed, which served as a bed at night, and was intently examining a glossy catalog.

The cover showed the blue sea, the white sand, and palm trees hanging over the beach.

‘What is this?’ he asked, as he threw the bag of food on the table. ‘Are you dreaming again of something we can’t afford?’

Valentina looked at him calmly.

“Why shouldn’t we be able to afford it? I’ve already calculated everything. During the autumn break, I’m going to the coast with Roma. The trip is already booked.”

Mikhail felt his throat growing dry. He sat down on a stool and looked at his wife for a long time.

« For what money? You said we had nothing, didn’t you? »

Valentina saved money for her son.

‘We don’t have your money, Misha,’ she replied. ‘I still have mine.’

She explained that she took on extra work all year round, translated at night, and that all the extra money she earned was saved for her son’s holiday.

Roma had never seen the sea. Valentina decided that she would finally see it this year.

‘And what about me?’ Mikhail blurted out before he could think it through properly. ‘Am I supposed to stay here alone while you’re relaxing on the beach?’

Valentina shrugged her shoulders.

Her gesture was so indifferent that the man felt uncomfortable. She acted as if he were not her husband, but a random housemate

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