I’m sitting in the kitchen, drinking tea with my neighbor, Larisa Petrovna.
She’s telling me about the family drama involving her son Maksim — my head is spinning from all the twists.
“You see, Olga, I’m not saying Maksim is right in everything,” she says, stirring sugar into her glass.
“Yes, he left his family, three kids. That’s bad, that’s a fact.
But in this wedding situation, I completely support him.”
I listen carefully. Larisa Petrovna is a sensible woman — I’ve known her for years — she doesn’t throw words around lightly.
“Can you imagine, they spent a whole month preparing for the wedding!” she continues.
“Maksim and Alyona, and her daughter Katya too. Everything was set — the dress, the restaurant, the guests.
Then the day before the celebration, a call from his ex-wife Irina: says she crashed her car, the kids are alone, come immediately.”
“And what did he do?” I ask.
“What could he do? He told her, ‘Sorry, Irina, but tomorrow is my wedding.
You’ll have to manage on your own.’ I think he did the right thing. And now she’s badmouthing him all over town!”
Maksim is 38. He divorced Irina two years ago — the usual story, love faded, they weren’t compatible.
Their kids: Andrei – 14, Lena – 11, Denis – 7.
“He’s a good father!” Larisa Petrovna says passionately. “He pays child support regularly, takes them every weekend, spends vacations with them.
He clothes them, buys them toys. He even tries to stay civil with Irina, though she drives him mad with all her calls!”
I nod. I know women like that — they can’t let go of the past.
“Does Alyona know about all this?” I ask.
“Alyona? She’s a gem!” my neighbor beams. “Patient, understanding.
She accepts the kids, spends time with them. She also has a daughter, Katya, she’s eight. They all live together peacefully.”
“And Irina?”
“She can’t stand Alyona! Blames her for everything — the divorce, the kids seeing their father less.
Though Maksim had already decided on divorce before he even met Alyona.”
I pour myself more tea and keep listening.
“They were really serious about the wedding,” Larisa Petrovna continues.
“They wanted to celebrate beautifully, bring the whole family together. Alyona bought a white dress, Katya got something fancy too.
They booked a restaurant, hired a photographer and music. Guests even came from other cities!”
“And then that call from Irina?”
“Exactly. Friday evening, wedding on Saturday.
She says, ‘I crashed the car, the kids are alone, come now!’”
“And how did he respond?”
“He told her: ‘Tomorrow’s my wedding, people are already here. I can’t take the kids now.
Maybe call a friend or get a taxi?’
And she starts screaming: ‘Your kids are alone and you’re off partying with some woman! Cancel the wedding!’”
“Wow, the nerve!”
“Exactly! You can’t just cancel a wedding the day before! The money, the guests, everything’s set.
Why should he ruin his life for that?”
“What about the kids?”
“Nothing bad happened. They stayed home, Andrei watched the younger ones.
On Monday, Irina took the bus to work like everyone else. The car was fixed a week later.”
I finish my tea, deep in thought.
“And now Irina’s telling everyone what a terrible father Maksim is — that he abandoned his kids and is having fun with his new family.
Complaining to teachers at school, to store clerks. It’s disgraceful!”
“And Maksim?”
“He stays quiet. Doesn’t defend himself. He says, let them think what they want — his conscience is clear.
He has a warm relationship with the kids, they know he loves them.
Only Andrei sometimes repeats his mom’s complaints — but that’s just his age.”
I go home, but I can’t stop thinking about the story. It’s really hard to say who’s right.
I tell my husband. He listens and shakes his head.
“I think Irina crashed the car on purpose,” he says.
“She doesn’t want Maksim to be happy with someone else.”
“Seriously?”
“It’s just too convenient. The car breaks down right before the wedding?
She might’ve wanted to ruin it.”
“But the kids aren’t at fault.”
“Of course not. But Maksim isn’t obliged to cater to her every whim either.
He didn’t abandon the kids, he just refused to be manipulated through them.”
We go to bed, and I keep thinking: what would it be like to be in Alyona’s shoes? Or the kids’? Or Maksim’s? It’s not easy for any of them.
In matters like this, nothing is black and white. Everyone is just trying to protect their own happiness.
Irina clings to the past, Maksim is building a new life, Alyona strives for peace.
And the children… they just want their parents to be kind to each other.
The next morning, I run into Larisa Petrovna and little Katya on their way to the store.
“How are the newlyweds?” I ask.
“They just got back from Cyprus — tanned, happy! Showed me the photos — beautiful.
But Irina is upset again: Maksim went on vacation without the kids.”
“Why without them?”
“Their passports had expired, and there wasn’t time to renew. Also, it’s expensive.
He promised to take all of them to Sochi in the fall — his kids and Katya.”
I nod. I understand.
“The most important thing is that the kids are happy,” I say.
“Exactly!” agrees Larisa Petrovna. “And when the parents are constantly fighting, it hurts the kids.
Irina should calm down and focus on her own life — stop interfering with others’ happiness.”
We part ways. And I think — maybe Larisa Petrovna is right.
You have to learn to let go of the past and allow others to build their future.
Maksim chose a new family — he has every right to be happy.
And in time, the children will understand.
The most important thing… is love.
