On a sunny Saturday afternoon, I was walking in the garden and suddenly noticed a woman waving my hand, she seemed familiar to me.

A person can do a lot if they are in a critical situation. Get out of almost any story and stay a winner. To act cunningly, even vile and stay with your own. But What to do if there is no moneyAnd the only way to get them is to go against your pride?



For some, this will be an impossible task. And other people, on the contrary, will go for it without any problems. So our reader decided to share her story about how some people overstep their pride in order to stay afloat. She also learned something new about herself and her character. Quite an instructive story.

Usually they say that revenge is sweet and revenge is necessary only on a cold head. I understand the meaning of these words and have always agreed with them. But actually... It turned out that I was a completely unrealistic person. Which is strange, given the world we live in.

Saturday, sunny day, lunch. I walk around our garden, admire the beauty and breathe clean air. Suddenly, I notice a strange woman waving at me in sunglasses. I come closer and recognize Marina, my sister-in-law. It’s a very strange meeting, because we haven’t spoken to her for about 8 or 9 years. What does she want here?

As I go to open the gates, I begin to remember the reason for our conflict and the reason why we formed such a cool relationship. What was that? Oh yes, strawberries!



Many years ago, when Vasily and I were just getting married, I was a very frightened young girl. I’m from a small town, maybe even a village. My husband and his entire family are urban. I’ve always appreciated simplicity and openness in people, because that’s how my parents raised me. But Vasily warned me that you would not get far in life, because you always need to be alert and be able to stand up for yourself.

I knew what he was talking about, but I didn’t take his words seriously. Well, really, why complicate life with unnecessary suspicions of everyone? We're not living in a spy novel. It is better to be yourself and not to spray on all nonsense.

At that time, we lived in my husband’s apartment and recently bought a cottage. He was in the neighborhood of Vasya’s relatives. Yeah, near the Marina land.



In the country life, of course, I understood much better Vasily. He totally agreed with any of my wishes. We enjoyed spending time together, especially since I didn’t really make him work. Barbecue, fresh air and gentrification of the territory, if there is time. Wouldn't anyone like that?

One day I had the idea to do two useful things. Get to know your sister-in-law and at the same time ask her for strawberry mustache for seedlings. I saw that they had a lot of this stuff, so the topic for starting the conversation, consider it, grew out of the ground.

I baked cakes and went to the neighbors. However, it turned out that Marina has her own views on good neighborly relations. She did not want to share the strawberry mustache, as, according to her, she had already promised them to another neighbor. But she spoke to me with such arrogance in her eyes that I felt not that I was a poor relative, but even some servant of the masters.

I left the cakes on their table, even forgot to take back a large, beautiful dish. I was so embarrassed that I immediately ran to my place and started working on the station. Cleaned up the trash, brought water. When my husband asked me what happened, I did not answer. I thought I had done something shameful.



But the next day I really had to blush. Cinderella called us to kebabs. And in the evening of the same day, with my husband, mother-in-law and father-in-law and some of her acquaintances, Marina juicily walked over me and my awkward behavior yesterday. She remembered about the “burnt” cakes, and about the forgotten dish that she gave me there. I don't know if it was such a kind of hamstring for her own or if she really made fun of me out of personal dislike.

But after that evening, I refused to communicate with her, and my husband fully supported me. A couple of years later, we sold the apartment, cottage and moved to live outside the city. I still feel comfortable and calm there. Our children are completely supportive of me.

But back to Marina. It turned out that after all these years she came to us for a reason. A strained smile and a bunch of new wrinkles, which can be seen even through glasses, I cannot hide, warmed my heart. But her visit was a signal of help. After the divorce, she could not find a decent man, and her relationship with work did not develop. The money ran out and there was no one to help.



So now, overcoming her pride, she came to her brother. Vasya, after that story with strawberries, was offended by her. But I accepted my sister and, of course, in my presence, listened to her story from beginning to end. As a result, he promised to help, asked only a couple of days to settle all the issues with the bank.

Immediately after my sister left, my husband came up to me and said that, despite their family ties, he would not give my sister a penny if I were against it. And he was as serious as he was, I know.

It's been so many years and the occasion where I was publicly ridiculed is still fresh in my mind. But now that Marina is completely dependent on me, I am more inclined to a peaceful solution to the situation. At this age, Marina will not fix anything. Is it necessary to complicate her already miserable life?



I intend to talk to my husband tomorrow night. But I am still not entirely sure about my decision. Or maybe she'll come back again and again because she hasn't learned how to make money on her own yet? Wouldn't it be better to cut this Gordian knot now so that we don't come back to it later? I don't even know. I might get some advice here. I'll be very grateful.