Konrad, sitting in his room, had the impression that he was listening to the same broken record again. History liked to repeat itself, and it has done so more and more recently.
"Are you leaving again?" mother's voice coming from the living room. No anger, no reproach, but the pain of wounded female pride.
"As you can see!" His father's snarl, in which there was nothing but contempt and irritation.
"Why are you yelling at me?"
Silence. The mother waits for an answer, the father ignores her. He's always been doing that lately. He goes out without saying where or for what, and when a mother asks a question, he growls at her or ignores her. Konrad did not know what was more painful for her. He suspected it was the latter.
"You could be a little more discreet about these… things," Mother's low voice. "You have a son growing up..."
"My son is an adult and understands the needs of a man. And if he doesn't like something, he can move out!"
Konrad cursed under his breath towards his father. Earlier he thought that this man was mean only to his family, but today he witnessed how he brutally trampled the boy's feelings in mourning for the loss of his beloved grandfather. The boy was probably the same age as he was, and looked shocked at the debt he had inherited. Konrad's father showed him no mercy.
He just wasn't human. He was a monster.
I hate him, he thought forcefully. I hate!
Father has already left. He was sure of it because he heard the door slam, followed by a heavy silence. Konrad left his room.
"Mom ..." he said looking at his mother. She was standing in the hall, staring at the front door. When he called to her, she turned immediately, a beautiful smile on her lips, but she couldn't completely hide the traces of his nervousness.
She was still beautiful, despite her middle age. Maybe she had gained a few or a dozen kilograms since the wedding, but men still liked her rounded figure, and at the same time the warm gaze could still be youthfully flirty, and even he had to admit that there was something extremely charming about him. So why having this beautiful, alluring woman at home, his father ...?
"Yes, Konrad?"
He wanted to ask how she felt after an argument with his father, but he knew what she would say. She will not admit her suffering. Maybe it was her pride, or maybe she didn't want to bother her son - he wasn't sure, just knew that at that moment he couldn't help her. It frustrated him, but he couldn't find a way to ease her suffering. Instead, he could tease his father and help someone who needed this help desperately.
At least he hoped he would be able to do it.
"Would it be alright," he asked timidly, "if I went away like this… say for a month?"
"As for what your father said ..." she began anxiously.
"No," he interrupted softly but firmly. "I'm just bored at home and I'd like to make a little trip out of town."
"Hmm, no problem. Where do you want to go? Tunisia? One of the Greek islands, or maybe…?"
"No, no, none of these places. Actually, I'd like to tour Poland. Today, while traveling with my father, I found out that it is quite nice here, and I know France better than my own country."
"But there are no decent hotels here," she said.
"Mom, come on! I'm almost nineteen and the spirit of adventure is screaming out loud in me! This is the point of not living in expensive, exclusive and boring hotels."
"But it can be dangerous ..."
The tactic he chose seemed to put his mother into worry mode. Konrad did not want to cause her any additional worries, so he decided to change his tactics.
"Actually, I have already secured a place to stay. Pretty nice house in a quiet neighborhood. It is an agritourism farm by a nice, elderly couple. A colleague just came back from them and could not praise enough. He said that the hostess always prepared hot dinners and breakfasts, and she cooks really well. If you don't believe me, I can give you a phone number for them.
It was obviously a bluff. Konrad made the decision to leave just a moment ago and it was not in his mind to look for a room for himself in a farm. However, he hoped that his mother would trust his words and would not want to test them. He hated lying to her, but this time it was a good thing. He silently prayed that his mother would trust him.
He was not disappointed.
"Go," she said resignedly, but visibly reassured. "You are finally of legal age and you have the right to make certain decisions yourself. After all, Poland is not a country exposed to any acts of terror. I'll give you some money, but promise me that if you run out of them, you will let me know. No," she corrected right away, "don't wait that long. Let me know sooner."
"Fine mom. Thank you."
"When are you going to go?"
"Tomorrow morning."
"What? Morning?"
"Yes, right away at dawn."
She looked at him anxiously and suddenly something touched him to make another spontaneous decision.
"Come with me," he said forcefully.
His mother shook her head sadly.
"But I was just on vacation with you" she laughed, but a little artificially. "And this was supposed to be your own adventure."
"Well, yes, but ... I think it would be good for you to take the time off again."
"From what? I don't work."
"Well, from..."
He couldn't say it out loud, he just wanted to get her out of this place so she wouldn't have to stay with his father.
"My place is at your father's side," she explained softly. "We are marriage."
"You call it marriage ?!" He exploded. "Mom, come on! After all he was doing, any sane woman would leave him. Only you…"
"Honey, you'll be older, you'll understand that."
"Understand what? Mom, do you remember the words of the marriage vow, but so good? How was it going? "I vow love, faithfulness and marital honesty to you"? After all, he has long since broken all the points!"
The woman shook her head resignedly.
"But I can not. I can not…"
Her voice was breaking and Konrad felt his anger give way to remorse. He had hurt his beloved mother, even though he tried so hard not to. She was just honest and sincere, and she loved her husband in her own way, even though their marriage had not existed for several years. She would never have asked for a divorce and, despite her humiliation, would not have agreed to give it to her husband. Konrad did not know if it was wrong or good that his father did not ask for divorce. Only, in the case of the father, it was not about loyalty to the oath or to the woman he had taken it. The usual practical considerations were involved - he didn't want to lose half of his fortune to his wife or his reputation.
"I'm sorry," he said, feeling truly remorseful and touching her shoulder. "I didn't mean to explode like that."
"Never mind," she replied smiling. Konrad knew that she was swallowing tears. "It's hard for you too."
"Not like it is for you. Maybe this trip is not a good idea ..."