My son, a soldier, came home after a five-year absence to find me on my knees cleaning the floors in my own home, while his wife and her mother were comfortably sipping coffee on the couch
My nose was offended by the strong aroma of cleaning solution. I was kneeling on the cold parquet floor, scrubbing constantly. I wanted to cry because my knees hurt so much, but I’d learnt to put up with it for a long time. As I crawled past them, I was scrubbing floors for persons who couldn’t even bring themselves to get up.
My daughter-in-law and her mother were sat on the couch. They were scrolling on their phones, talking, and sipping tea. They hardly noticed me at all.
The sound of the front door opening made my heart tighten. I lowered my head even farther and began cleaning faster. Laura, my son’s wife, would scold once more if the floor wasn’t perfect. She could always find fault with something.
Mother?
I would have recognized the voice only once in a thousand.
I had the impression that I had been sprayed with freezing water. I cautiously raised my head and spotted a man clothed in a military uniform. He stood in the doorway, weary and dusty, a rucksack draped over his shoulder. My son was there. My name is Alex.
In a second, his face changed. When he saw me down at his wife’s feet in an old apron with messy hair, the smile evaporated.
“Is that you, Mom?” he said.
The room was filled with a profound silence.
In order to avoid me getting in the way, Laura’s mother lounged back on the couch and elevated her feet. She took another sip of her tea as if nothing was unusual.
“You’re back early,” Laura said hesitantly, almost dropping her glass. “You weren’t expected today.”
Alex said nothing. He approached me, knelt beside me, and took hold of my hands. He was tight from the cracking and roughness of his fingertips.
— What’s happening? He asked in a drab voice.
Laura’s mother burst up, “She likes helping around the house.” Cleaning is useful for senior citizens. Isn’t it?
Alex stood up cautiously. He looked around the room, then back at me, then at the people sitting on the couch. His face tensed.
Then he walked forward, and everyone was terrified by what he did next, which made them repent everything
Suddenly, Alex dropped to his knees in front of me. Like when he was a boy, his shoulders shook and he grabbed me into his arms.
“Pardon me, Mom,” he sobbed. I apologize for picking you such a daughter-in-law. I’m sorry for leaving you. I didn’t know. If I had known, I would never have allowed this to happen.
Deathly silence hovered in the chamber. Not even Laura dared to speak.
Alex stood up cautiously. His expression was no longer filled with pain or confusion. Without hesitation, he grasped Laura’s mother’s and her own hands and pulled them to the exit.
He said icily, “Leave my house. I want to never see you again.”
He had already opened the door when they attempted to object.
I’ll call the police if I hear one more word. Even our nation’s adversaries are more compassionate than you. “It’s a shame you’re a woman, because otherwise you wouldn’t have gotten off so easily,” he said after pausing.
The door slammed shut.
Alex came back to me, hugged me once more, and muttered:
— I’ve arrived. And no one will ever again make fun of you.
