I want to confess something to you. – It may be late, but I want you to know about it.
– Why?” The man was sitting on the edge of the bed, near his wife, who fell ill, nervously waiting for the ambulance to arrive. “I don’t need to know anything. Now is not the time.
– Why? – the wife asked offended. – Are you not interested in my secrets at all?
– The husband calmly patted her shoulder, – you will definitely tell me. But later. Now the ambulance will come and you will feel better.
– No, I want you to listen to me right now, – the wife insisted in a trembling voice, – before it’s too late.
– What do you mean – before it’s too late? – the husband was indignant. – Be quiet.
– I do not understand you… – the wife looked at her husband in surprise. – Why don’t you want to listen to me?
– I just don’t want to. If you have some secret, there is a reason why you didn’t want to tell me. Let it stay that way. People tell secrets at the last moment. Right?
– Well, – my wife nodded in the affirmative. – Right. So I want to…
– You chose the wrong time, – her husband stopped her. – It’s too early for you to reveal your secrets. You will live very long and happily. Do you understand?
– What if I don’t?” she asked tiredly.
– No suddenly! Happily ever after!
– No, I’ll tell you anyway. – She took her husband’s hand and began to stroke it with trembling hands. – Remember that year when money depreciated three times.
– What? – the man grimaced.
– It was so long ago that I don’t even remember exactly what year it was.
– I don’t remember either, – the man smiled.
– You remember everything. So, I had a huge amount of money until that day.
– Really huge? – the man smiled.
– Yes, it was. With this money we could buy a new three-room apartment with you. And even have some left over… A little… Here.
– So? – The man shrugged his shoulders.
– Why are you not surprised by what I told you? – the wife was wary.
– Why should I be surprised?
– What do you mean? – the woman even froze in surprise for a moment. – We are still huddled together in a small house. We could have been living in the choruses! And it’s my fault. Do you understand?
– My God, you found something to remember… – Now he began to stroke her hand. – Remember Anya, you are not guilty of anything and to anyone.
– No, I’m not! – she insisted. – Yes, you are. I still blame myself for hiding such money from you. After all, we are husband and wife. We shouldn’t have any secrets like that.
– If you are looking for someone to blame, then blame your mother, – the man smiled. – It was she who gave you this money. And she told me not to say anything about it. Like – keep it for a rainy day. Didn’t she?
– Did you know about it? – the woman was upset.
– Well, let’s say… I guessed…
– How could you have known?
– From there.
– Really!
– I knew my mother-in-law’s habits. She always hid money from her husband and taught you to do the same. You were whispering about the money once, and I happened to be behind the door.
– My God… You knew… – the woman closed her eyes – and never told me about it? Not even a hint…
– And what?
– So what? If I had known you had that kind of money… I wouldn’t know what to do…
– Well, women and men are different… – the man hummed. – We, unlike you, do not really want to pry into women’s secrets.
– Why is that?
– Because there is such a law – if you dive deep, you may not swim out. If you save up for something, it’s your business. The main thing is to put bread on the table for the family. And I was able to earn money for that myself.
– But for such money, which disappeared, you could buy so many things. And they turned into pennies. And you, if you knew, why didn’t you reproach me even once after that?
– What if I had, would they have returned? And anyway, what can I say about it now?
– What do you mean? I’ve been worried about it ever since.
– With what?
– Guilt.
– It’s not your fault. It wasn’t you who devalued the money.
– But it was. And it’s gone. It’s my fault.
– It’s your mom’s genes. Okay?
– Okay. But it doesn’t make sense.
– What’s there to understand? You’re just like your mother in personality. Why? Because you have her genes. And that’s a good thing.
– Good? Why?
– Because you’ll live as long as she did. By the way, do you have any more secrets from me?
– No. Why?
– That’s a shame.
– Why?
– How can you be without a secret? Women can’t have secrets.
– Are you kidding, or what? – the wife smiled weakly.
– I don’t know… – the husband smiled. – But still, urgently invent a secret and keep it. You’ll tell me in twenty years.
The doorbell rang.
– Here comes the ambulance! – the man exclaimed happily, got up hurriedly and hurried to the door. – It’s okay, we will live with you. We will come up with so many secrets together…
