“Pack Up and Leave!” – A Family Drama That Changed Everything

“In an hour, your sister will be here with her husband and children, so pack your things and leave.”

“What do you mean—leave? Mom, where are we supposed to go at night?” Anton stammered, visibly shaken.

“Oh, come up with something! I don’t care. I need to prepare rooms for Allochka and the kids. Pack your junk, and I’ll call a taxi for you,” said Lidiya Sergeyevna briskly, grabbing a duster and wiping nonexistent dust from the shelves with dramatic flair.

Yulia stood frozen at the entrance, her bags beside her, trying to understand how she had gone from a beloved daughter-in-law to an inconvenient houseguest. And yet, it had all started so well…

---

Yulia had been finishing her final internship at a reputable engineering firm. Her supervisor, Anton Pavlovich, often singled her out as a standout among the students.

“Yulka, Anton Palych’s totally into you,” her classmates teased regularly.

“Oh, stop it!” she laughed, though she secretly enjoyed the attention. “Maybe I’m just better than the rest!”

“Honestly, you might be,” said Nikita, the near-sighted class monitor. “You’re the only one aiming for a red diploma. Any company would be lucky to hire someone like you.”

“Well, Palych isn’t that much older than us,” joked her best friend, Natka. “He could totally have a crush on our Yulka!”

When the internship ended, Anton finally worked up the nerve to ask Yulia out. She liked him — he was smart, kind, and genuinely helpful to everyone, though she noticed he was always a little tougher on her.

“Yulia, I’m glad your internship is over,” he said nervously one afternoon. “I like you… Would you like to go somewhere sometime?”

“Like a date?” Yulia smiled, deciding to ease his awkwardness.

“Yes,” Anton blushed.

“Alright then. But instead of a boring movie or café, how about coming to my dacha? I’m craving shashlik. We’ll go with friends. But only if your intentions are serious.”

Anton agreed, and from that day, everything changed. They quickly fell in love. Within two months, they were living together, and after graduation, they got married.

---

“Yulichka, daughter, come over, I really need help,” said Lidiya Sergeyevna over the phone one morning, her voice trembling.

“Of course, Lidiya Sergeyevna. Do you need anything from the store?”

“Yes, I’ll send a list,” she replied. Recently, her health had started to decline, and Yulia often came by to help.

That day was no different. Although it was her day off, Yulia spent it running errands for her mother-in-law.

While checking her blood pressure, Lidiya Sergeyevna suddenly asked, “Daughter, maybe you should move in with me?”

“To your place? But how would we all fit?”

“Easy! I have my bedroom, and you can have Anton’s old room. The living room’s shared, and the small office—his old nursery—could be your workspace. You said you wanted to work remotely, didn’t you?”

“Thank you for the offer! Anton and I will think about it.”

Anton was surprisingly excited about the move but insisted they keep it from his sister Alla, with whom he had always had a strained relationship.

Living together turned out better than expected. A year went by without any serious issues.

“Thank you, daughter. These pancakes are delicious,” praised Lidiya Sergeyevna one morning.

“Glad you like them, Mom,” Yulia smiled. Having lost her own mother young, being called “daughter” warmed her heart.

One day, Anton suggested a seaside vacation.

“Let’s take Mom with us!” Yulia offered.

The trip was a hit. Lidiya Sergeyevna even had a brief summer romance. Yulia and Anton were thrilled to see her so lively.

Back home, they renovated the apartment from top to bottom — wallpaper, kitchen, appliances — all chosen and paid for by the young couple. Still, they didn’t mind. The savings from not paying rent allowed them to plan for their future.

Though most of the household chores fell on Yulia, she stayed positive. She was building a life and helping the family. Or so she thought.

---

One Friday evening, Yulia came home with bags full of groceries, ready to start preparing for her mother-in-law’s birthday. She baked, cooked, and set the table. But when Anton and his mother came back, Lidiya Sergeyevna suddenly said:

“In an hour, your sister will arrive with her husband and children, so pack your things and leave.”

“Leave? Where are we supposed to go?” Anton asked in disbelief.

“Oh, I don’t know. That’s your problem. I need to give them your room, and tomorrow I’ll clear the office for them.”

Yulia was stunned. The same woman she had cared for, cooked for, and helped daily was throwing them out — without warning, without discussion.

Within 35 minutes, Lidiya Sergeyevna walked into their room.

“You’re still here? The taxi will arrive in 7 minutes. Get moving.”

“Lidiya Sergeyevna,” Yulia pleaded, “we have nowhere to go. There are no hotels available…”

“Not my problem.”

Then Alla and her husband Egor arrived. Alla, always smug, said venomously, “Don’t forget to pay the taxi driver!”

Egor added, “You’re not staying for the party? That’s rude!”

---

Yulia gave the taxi driver an address — Natka’s place. Her friend welcomed them warmly, and they stayed up late talking. Anton couldn’t sleep. The injustice gnawed at him.

“My mom never treated me the way she treats Alla,” he admitted. “I gave Alla half my salary before marriage. Egor doesn’t work. We paid for the renovations — now they’re living there.”

Over the weekend, they searched for an apartment but found nothing affordable.

“Let’s get a mortgage,” Yulia finally said.

“But we wanted to save more first…”

“We need stability.”

Then Natka, preparing to leave for a business trip, offered her apartment for a few weeks. Grateful, they accepted — and miraculously, the third place they viewed was perfect. The owners even let them rent until their mortgage went through.

---

Yulia fell in love with their new home — the sunlight through the window, the orange kitchen, the peaceful mornings. She finally felt at ease.

One day, she approached Anton with a serious expression.

“Darling, we need to talk. What will you name the baby?”

“Baby? What baby?”

“Yours. The term is small, but I feel it’s a boy.”

Anton was speechless — and then ecstatic. He ran out for cake and flowers. On the way, he ran into his mother.

“Son! I haven’t seen you in so long.”

“You kicked me out, remember?”

“Oh, don’t be so dramatic.”

“You literally told us to pack and leave. That’s not something I forget.”

“You always helped us before… Alla needs help now too.”

“I helped for years. But not anymore.”

---

The next day, Alla showed up at their new apartment.

“Nice place,” she said, peering around. “Mom taught us to share, remember?”

“I already shared — half my income, five years.”

“Well, you don’t have kids yet. We have three. You should give us this apartment.”

“What?!”

“You and Yulia can move back to Mom’s.”

“Please leave before my wife gets home.”

---

Then came Lidiya Sergeyevna, back with her usual demands.

“Yulia, you owe me for letting you live with me.”

Yulia smiled, sat her on the sofa, and said, “We’re willing to give Alla the apartment… but under one condition. Will she pay in full or monthly installments?”

“Pay?”

“Yes. We paid for it, are still paying the mortgage, and if she wants it, she can buy it.”

“Anton, why are you letting this woman speak like that?”

“She’s my wife. And she earns more than me.”

“You’re all ungrateful! I didn’t ask to be born into this!”

“And we didn’t ask to raise your family for you,” Yulia said firmly. “Here’s a list of all we spent on you — groceries, renovations, utilities, your vacation. We can deduct what you say we owe you from what you owe us.”

Lidiya Sergeyevna stormed out, yelling through the building.

---

Now, Alla, Egor, and their children live with her. Egor still doesn’t work. And Lidiya Sergeyevna supports them all on her own.

As for Yulia and Anton, they paid off their mortgage in record time. They now have two children. The grandmother doesn’t visit, and the grandchildren don’t miss her. They’re growing up in a peaceful, happy home — one built with love, hard work, and boundaries finally set in stone.