Yuri sat in the dim light of the old house. The faint glow of the autumn evening filled the room, creating an oppressive atmosphere. Without even taking off his coat, he sat there, reflecting on everything that had happened in his life.
After 35 years of marriage, his familiar life had started to crumble. Their only daughter, Galya, had gotten married and moved to another city. It felt like a loss. Yuri held himself together, trying to accept things as they were.
Marina, his wife, couldn’t cope with the separation from their daughter. She blamed Yuri for his indifference and emotional distance.
– Galya is happy, – Yuri would say. – It’s her life; we should be happy for her.
– And who will help me? – Marina would retort. – I won’t even get to see my grandchildren!
The arguments became frequent. Then Marina announced that she was leaving to stay with her parents. Yuri didn’t try to stop her.
A week after she left, their mutual acquaintance Sofia called:
– Yuri, I think Marina is considering divorce. You should take the initiative.
Yuri thanked her and hung up, but inside, a storm raged. He decided to head to their old dacha to think everything through.
As he approached the village, Marina called him:
– Yuri, I want to pick up my things. Do you mind?
– Come by, – he replied calmly.
Yuri arrived at the dacha. The house greeted him with silence. He turned on the heating, warmed up some pizza, and tried to sleep. But memories haunted him. In his dreams, images of departed loved ones appeared. They were there but didn’t seem to notice him. When his mother appeared, it was as if she was saying: “Careful, it’s hot, my son.” Yuri felt a warm comfort in his soul.
In the morning, a knock at the door woke him. Standing there were Marina and her cousin Igor.
– How did you get here? – Yuri asked in surprise.
– It’s a long story, – Marina replied. – You weren’t answering your phone. We were worried.
They helped Yuri recover. Igor had brought medicine, and Marina made tea with raspberries.
– Forgive me, Yuri, – Marina said. – I overreacted. But being apart from Galya threw me off balance.
– Forget it, – Yuri replied.
By evening, they returned home. Life gradually improved. Yuri decided to call their daughter to let her know they were fine. Most importantly, the crisis in their relationship had been left behind.
