The whole city was buzzing because Aunt Marina came and walked down the street with an Italian, she had the audacity to bring her lover to her husband’s house. Bashny.Net

In our small town, rumors spread quickly, but they remain for a long time. Everyone knows each other, and therefore the story of Aunt Marina from Malinova Street has become a kind of local legend. I was a little girl when it happened. And I remembered her for this reason: recently arguing with friends about what a man should do around the house. And often remembered aunt Marina, who not so long ago came to our village under the handle of his Italian - Roberto.



The situation is remarkable because after almost 18 years of working in Italy, the woman returned to her native village to visit her daughters. Directly to their shared house with their ex-husband, where he lived perfectly all this time. Uncle Sasha went to his mother in the village, and rightly so. I think he deserved it. But it's not all that clear.

I was probably 9 or 10 years old when people started talking. About what Uncle Sasha is bad and what aunt Marina is a simpleton. The fact is that her husband, having three beautiful children with her, a spacious house and an established life, managed to walk with a neighbor. The neighbor was famous for having children by different men. And Aunt Marina before that had the reputation of a beautiful hostess, mother and wife. How's the village? If the bones are washed, then everyone at once: the unfaithful husband and the deceived wife. After almost 20 years of marriage together! Two children were already adults, and the younger daughter just went to high school.



Unsplash Everyone condemned Alexander for his despicable act, but he refused to the last. That it's all slander, speculation and gossip. But when Aunt Marina herself went to deal with the neighbor, she surrendered the infidel with guts. There were other problems in the family that came to light with the scandal. It turned out that Uncle Sasha earns almost nothing and has a lot of free time. I visited my neighbor while my wife was at work. And she cooked and cleaned.

Devoted and humiliated, Marina decided that she did not intend to stay in this town anymore. There was no pleasure in it: it was talked about on every corner and on every bus.



It is said that she tried to divorce, but her husband did not give her a divorce and said that he did not intend to leave their common house. Marina did not find the strength to tinker with documents, packed her suitcases, quickly issued a work visa and left as soon as possible. What then began? The people immediately switched to the side of the abandoned man, on which there were grown children and a huge house. Perhaps he still had hopes that his wife would return to him, but the years went by and Marina was gone.

Over time, her children healed very well: the older she bought a one-room apartment, so that there was where to start an independent life. And the youngest left with his father in their family home. She graduated from high school, then university, but decided to stay in her parents' nest. At the same time, my mother regularly sent money for repairs and improvement, so that after 10 years, the inconspicuous but impressive house turned into a luxurious castle, known throughout the district. But for some reason all the merits were attributed to Alexander, whose earnings he barely had enough for himself. He did the repairs.



18 years later, just a couple of months ago, there was a reason for rumors again. Aunt Marina, hand in hand with the Italian, proudly strolled down the central street, paying no attention to either judgmental looks or evil tongues. She will soon be 60 years old. As far as I know, life in Italy is just beginning.

They came to visit their daughters. And, of course, stayed in the same house where Alexander settled. He couldn't stand the shame. Their spouses were only on paper. So he moved out of this house to his old mother on the outskirts. He will probably return when the rumors settle, but they will not settle soon.



Unsplash is still being washed by all the neighbors. The fact that she encroached on the institution of the family and generally has no conscience. Others believe that Uncle Sasha deserved it by his betrayal. Couldn't he, as a normal person, have given the go-ahead for a divorce and finished it as an adult? Here, of course, many defend him: they say, he looked after his younger daughter, looked after the house and did everything that needed to be repaired or rebuilt.

Aunt Marina didn’t care what people said about her. Her ex-husband’s feelings were also indifferent. But one of my friends happened to be her youngest daughter, who had been living with her dad all along. And as soon as my mother came to the house with her lover, she asked if she was ashamed to come here and shame them all. Marina besieged her to ask if she was ashamed to live on her money for 18 years.



It turns out that Marina remained the main breadwinner of the family all this time even after she and her husband separated. And Sasha watched the house only because he had nowhere to live, except to huddle in his mother's apartment.

Out of curiosity, the locals asked Aunt Marina what life was like in Italy. Don't you regret leaving? And how they met Roberto. Marina said there was no secret to it and Roberto knew exactly where they were going. They met at work, and for her at that time it seemed unthinkable to meet a foreigner at that age. But Roberto did not fail and did not back down until he won her heart. Soon they began to live together, and almost all the money Aunt Marina sent to the family: children and repairs to the house. And she has no regrets.



Unsplash: "My Roberto is gold." Working, caring, never leave me all the housework. Always helps! And he cooks just fine, a real Italian.

If a man is truly worthy, he will not only not cheat. He'll get out of his way to find a decent job. And the house won't leave either. Cooking may not be as good as Roberto’s, but in general, a man’s housework should be strictly proportional to a woman’s, especially if both work. Another thing, if a man is the breadwinner of the family, then variations are possible. Or vice versa. Now you can find a variety of family models, but I believe that the main thing is not tradition, but justice.



My friends don’t agree with me on everything. A good mother will never leave her children. And that's how you don't show up with a stranger in your home. And I think that she did everything right: life alone, children are adults, and it is strange to worry about Uncle Sasha's feelings after he destroyed everything himself. Is that what you think?