He and She (A story of a family)

He and She

(A story of a family)

A bed in a hospital... Through the heavy breathing, you can hear a man whispering someone's name. If only He could see Her for the last time... If only He could apologize... If only He could turn time back...

They met in the late 90s at a disco. He had recently served in the army and returned to His dear coal mine, where He worked as an electric locomotive mechanic, and She was a 14-year-old schoolgirl who was dating a friend of His. From the very first meeting, He realized that it was destiny, that He loved Her, and that She was to become His wife. The friend wasn’t against it and gladly gave way, for what man in his right mind would date a minor?

He was jealous of everything － the boys at school, Her friends, and Her ex. Sometimes, it escalated into quarrels; sometimes, He got drunk, and They didn't see each other for several weeks, but He never stopped following Her life. He was very persistent, and, whether due to lack of experience or fear, She finally agreed to become His wife. He was the happiest man in the world when She said “YES”. When She became pregnant, She was 15...

It seems that He could breathe a sigh of relief. He had achieved His goal, and now She wouldn’t go anywhere, but something deep inside Him was troubling. She was too beautiful, even pregnant; She could drive anyone crazy. The more He thought about it, the more He got angry, the more He drank, and the more He insulted Her. 

He sincerely believed that if She considered Herself a fat monster with no self-respect, She’d be utterly dependent on Him and wouldn’t go anywhere.

The first time He punched Her was when She was in Her fifth month of pregnancy. Of course, later, He was ashamed, apologized, and promised to never do it again and that it was Her fault because She provoked Him. She cried but forgave Him because where would She go, pregnant, from her grandfather's house, where She grew up, and where They lived after the wedding?

She had no one to talk to, no one to complain to. He had driven away all Her friends, quarreled with all Her relatives, even forbade Her mother to come so that no one could interfere with Their enjoyment of each other, but a boy was born, and He felt a new competitor, for all Her precious love and attention was directed to the child. He felt cheated and lonely. Only alcohol dulled the pain a little, while at the same time giving an outlet to the accumulated aggression, He sincerely didn’t understand why She didn’t love Him as He had dreamed when He first met Her. Quarrels and fights became more frequent. She began to snap at Him, defending the child. Firstly, He was furious and jealous and then could not find a place because of guilt.

Time passed, the baby grew up, and His mother found a job for Her as a junior nurse at a local outpatient clinic. He let Her go because it was logic－He didn’t earn a lot, and They lived in extreme poverty. Moreover, His mother was there, and She would be under close supervision. But something happened that He didn’t expect... His mother had a stroke and became paralyzed, and She decided to study.

Any of His threats and pleas were met with a cold wall of her arguments, that She’d earn more with an education, that She couldn’t wash toilets all the time, and what kind of childish behavior was this? She had been faithful to Him for so many years; why would She suddenly change now? For the first time, He felt that He had no choice; for the first time, He was really scared at the thought of losing Her, but instead of changing His attitude towards Her, He started drinking and hurting Her even more.

The five years of the institute were torture for both Him and Her. For Him－ because He imagined Her in a distant city in the arms of numerous lovers and went crazy with jealousy and anger, and for her because every evening She came home, the house turned into a torture chamber. He didn't care about His son or Her tears; His eyes were bloodshot, and His mind was shutting down. He felt that the gap between Them was constantly widening, but He couldn’t help Himself.

She swore, persuaded, and promised that She would never leave Him, that He is the only man in Her life, and that She didn’t even look at other men. He’d let go, and for a while, He was the perfect husband and a loving man, but then She’d leave for the session, and He would break down again.

She got an English teacher diploma, and children began to come to Their home for private lessons. It was a good income and respect among His colleagues and neighbors. He was proud of Her, and His jealousy gnawed even harder because She was even more beautiful, and now She was also intelligent and educated. The son grew up, but They spent less and less time together. Now, She was working until midnight, and there was nothing to complain about. They did not watch movies together, did not discuss the latest news, and more and more often, He fell asleep alone.

One day, She got tired of covering Her bruises and left the house. He hunted Her down, fell on His knees, and swore that He’d never drink or insult Her again. She trusted Him and came back. He sincerely believed that He would fix everything and that They would finally live as He had dreamed, but the year 2014 came, and the war started. Their son graduated from high school and entered the University. She went with him to help settle down in the new place and promised it would be only 3 weeks. He waited, believed, and hoped; She called every day. He counted the days…

She told Him that She had found a job in a big city and that it was not safe at home, and She wanted to try to start a new life, that He was about to retire, and that She would take Him to live with Her but a bit later. She promised to come visit Him every weekend and kept Her promise. Every Sunday morning, He drove Her to the train station, put Her on the train, and on the way home, cursed himself for letting Her go and swore that it was the last time, that She would never go anywhere else. He tried to keep Her. He hid Her clothes, took Her passport and money, and cut His veins, but it was too late. She was no longer His girl; He saw a completely different person in Her eyes, a stranger, someone He didn't know and would hardly ever understand.

He tried His best, but it became increasingly difficult. The pain He felt only seemed to feed the flames of His anger and resentment, leading to a torrent of desperate threats, curses, and humiliation. This fight lasted for two years. The end began with Her decision not to move in together, then progressed to fewer and fewer calls from Her until, on His birthday, a divorce certificate arrived in the mail, shattering His world.