— I came to the party. The one you organized with my money. With my card. Without me. Your little grey mouse.
The silence around the table was such that you could hear the glasses clinking at the next table.
— Katia, listen, it’s a misunderstanding, — began Pavel, holding out his hand towards me, but I moved away.
« It’s not a misunderstanding, Pavel. It’s a lie. I overheard your entire conversation with your mother on Friday. Every word. The ‘provincial incompetent.’ The ‘peasant.’ The fact that I wouldn’t suspect a thing and would stay home watching TV while you stuff yourselves here. »
Marina stared at her plate. Tamara Petrovna clutched her napkin.
« Were you spying? » Pavel exclaimed indignantly. « Are you watching me now? »
« I was ironing your shirt, and you were yelling all over the house about how well you’d tricked me. You were bragging to your mother about having led your wife by the nose. It’s not espionage, Pavel. It’s just that you didn’t even think it was necessary to hide. You thought a mouse doesn’t bite. »
Pavel tried to pull himself together.
— Okay, fine, I’m wrong, I don’t deny it. But let’s not make a scene here, okay? Let’s go home, we’ll discuss it calmly.
« No, we’ll discuss this here. I had the card blocked on Saturday. I reported it stolen to the bank. Because you tricked me into using it for something I knew nothing about. So now, my dear husband, you’ll pay yourself. In cash. »
Vassili approached the table, his arms crossed over his chest.
— If there’s a problem settling this, I’ll have to call the police. The bill must be paid. And there’s also the incident with the stolen card.
Pavel’s face, initially white, turned red, then purplish.
— Katia, do you realize what you’re doing? You’re embarrassing me!
— Me? — I smiled ironically. — You’re the one who’s covered yourself in shame. All by yourself. When you decided that the little country mouse didn’t even deserve the truth.
Tamara Petrovna stood up abruptly, pointing her finger at me.
How dare you speak to him like that? You’re nothing! Without him, you’re nobody!
I looked at her for a long time, then I replied softly:
— Maybe. But now I’m nobody without having to pretend. And that’s much better than being someone’s little gray mouse.
For the next twenty minutes, they gathered the money. Pavel emptied his wallet, Tamara Petrovna her bag, and Marina and her husband searched their pockets. They counted on the table, whispered, and looked for small change. The waiter stood nearby, impassive. The other customers cast curious glances.
I stood there, watching the false opulence crumble, all the bluff, all the lies.
When they finally raised the money, I took an envelope out of my bag and placed it in front of Pavel.
— Divorce petition. You will read it at home.
I turned around and headed for the exit. Back straight, stride firm. Vassili opened the door for me and whispered:
— You’re holding up well, Ekaterina.
The night in Rostov greeted me with a cold wind, and something warm and light spread through my chest. Freedom.
The divorce was finalized three months later. Pavel called, asked for forgiveness, but I didn’t answer. I received half of the proceeds from the sale of the apartment. I rented a small space downtown and put up a sign: « Ekaterina’s Workshop. »
The first order came from Vassili—uniforms for the waiters. Then the orders started pouring in. I worked, I sewed, I received clients. I hired an assistant, a young woman named Sveta.
Pavel called again, a year later. His voice was drunk, pitiful.
— Katia, I made a mistake. Mom lives with me, she’s eating me alive every day, I lost my job. Let’s start again, okay?
— No, Pavel.
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