— Hello, dear! I have a big surprise for you! Prepare your signature dish for dinner tonight! — What happened? — Svetlana was worried.
— Everything is great! I’ll tell you in the evening! The call ended, and the woman looked out the window doubtfully. It was a chilly October. Her husband’s call did not lift her spirits, as in their twenty-five years of marriage, he had never made surprises, let alone big ones.
The doorbell rang just as she was taking her signature meat with secret sauce out of the oven. — Hello, housewife! It smells delicious! — Nikita said enthusiastically, slamming a bottle on the table. — Set the table! The hunter has come home!
— Why are you so fired up? Oh, hunter? — the woman squinted at her husband.
— I’ll wash my hands and then I’ll tell you under a toast.
Pouring wine into glasses, Nikita pompously began, — I raise this glass to the best husband and father in the world! Also to us and… to two weeks of wonderful relaxation at the best three-star hotel on the ocean shore.
For a moment, Svetlana was even happy, but her husband continued:
— You don’t know, but Misha can dive with a scuba?
— Who? — the woman was confused.
— What, mom?! Misha, the husband of our beloved daughter Polina.
— What do Misha and Polina have to do with it?
— What, Svetlana? Stuck at home? We’re all going together, as one big family.
The woman put down her glass, without even sipping. She tiredly looked at her husband.
— Who paid for the trip?
— Me, of course! — Nikita proudly thumped his chest.
— So, you fed me promises of a trip to a paradise island, saved for twenty-five years, and now you want us to fly with our daughter and her son-in-law?! I see them every day already! They don’t cook at home because they can always eat at our place! You even buy groceries for them and pay their rent. Because they don’t understand these ‘adult papers.’
— But Polinochka… — Nikita began.
— What about Polinochka?! I gave birth at eighteen! I consoled myself that I’d live later! And now what? I’m forty-five. I’ve seen nothing and been nowhere. I work from home. I never leave the stove and the sink.
Tears welled up in her eyes. Resentment was choking her.
Svetlana loved her daughter but was completely indifferent to her son-in-law. She believed that adults should live independently. When she got pregnant and married at eighteen, no one helped her. From her husband, who worked at a research institute, help was minimal. After mastering accounting, she still consulted and managed several businesses. Often, the responsibility for the family’s well-being lay solely on her shoulders.
— Svetlana! — her husband’s voice sounded stricter. — What’s with the dampness? We spend so much time together anyway, and the kids are still finding themselves, they need help.
— Have you ever thought about me?
— Of course! You’re going too! What’s the problem?
— Apparently, the problem is me… — the woman whispered and, rising from her chair, went to her room.
The next day, Polina came over.
— Hello, mom! And I didn’t come empty-handed, — she waved a box of frozen pizza.
— Hello. The microwave is over there. — Svetlana pointed toward the kitchen, sitting down in a chair in front of the computer.
— What’s up, mom? Misha will be here soon, I thought you’d whip up some soup for the pizza and something for tea.
— The kitchen’s that way, — the woman pointed again, not looking up from her work.
— Why are you so angry? Dad complained that you didn’t appreciate his gift.
— To understand me, you need to be me, — Svetlana quietly replied.
— What are you muttering under your breath? Your daughter came to visit, and you act like I’m not here! I thought we’d go through the wardrobe and then head out for vacation shopping. I even called Misha to carry the bags!
Svetlana couldn’t take it anymore and stood up from her chair.
— Listen, daughter, if you haven’t noticed, I’m working. And I’ve been working for you for twenty-seven years! So that your father could comfortably sit on his backside without prospects and a decent salary. So that my daughter could use me as a cook and a shopping card in the store.
She took a deep breath to continue, but then someone rang the doorbell. It was Misha. A thirty-year-old guy with a thick beard, mustache, and his ever-present scooter.
— Hello, Aunt Svetlana! I’ve got a present for you! From the whole team, so to speak. Nikita Sergeyevich is also in on this! — He said and pulled out of his backpack… a blender. — Sorry, it didn’t fit in the box. But I have all the attachments here.
— Isn’t that great, mom? You love cooking, it’s a perfect gift for a housewife!
Svetlana just smirked bitterly and walked into her room.
— What’s with her? — Mikhail whispered, puzzled.
— God knows. Dad might have messed up something. Let’s get out of here.
— And what? We’re not even going to eat anything?!
— Take the pizza. Eat it at home.
— I hate frozen pizza. I’d rather have fresh pies.
— Then bake them yourself! — Polina snapped back.
As the guests left and the door closed, Svetlana covered her face with her hands and whispered:
— Maybe I’m a bad mother and wife…
A troubled sleep enveloped her tense mind.
She dreamt of little Polina, who had a stomachache. Then, of boys bullying her in the yard, and Svetlana protecting her daughter. After that, she dreamt that Nikita’s salary was cut, and Svetlana consoled her husband and took on extra work. Then she was running somewhere. Misha was chasing her on a scooter.
And suddenly… it was very peaceful and quiet. She was standing on top of a hill. A river meandered below, a chain of mountains was visible in the distance, and the setting sun illuminated their peaks.
Waking up, Svetlana knew what to do.
— Hello, dear! I’m home! How are you? Are you feeling well? Polina said you didn’t want to go to the store and didn’t like your gift.
— I don’t need anything from the store.
— What about a swimsuit and a hat, for example. And I need to buy shorts and a T-shirt.
— Then go and buy them. I’m not going anywhere with you! Not to the store, not to the beach! I have my own ocean. Handle the shopping and preparations yourselves. Don’t bother me! I have a lot of work.
Nikita froze.
— What about the money? I’ve already paid for everything.
— Consider it payment for my nerves.
Nikita snorted loudly, indicating his extreme level of offense. And stopped talking to his wife. Svetlana was quite fine with that.
Two days later, she finished important tasks and, packing warm clothes and her laptop, called her husband.
— Hello. Changed your mind? I’m not angry anymore.
— I don’t care about your grudges, Nikita. — Svetlana said calmly. — I’m calling to say that I’m going on a business trip, for how long I don’t know. Don’t forget to check the mail and pay the rent. That’s all.
Ending the conversation, the woman felt it was easier to breathe. Smiling at herself in the mirror, she left the apartment.
The long flight did not overshadow the encounter with the beautiful. Checking into the hotel, getting acquainted with the schedule and services flew by like a blur.
And there it was! The very moment! Smoking volcanoes on one side! The raging ocean on the other! Svetlana took a deep breath and watched with awe as the setting sun painted the majestic beauties of Kamchatka in crimson-red colors!
On the other side of the world, on a warm beach, Nikita Sergeyevich and Mikhail had been suffering from diarrhea for four days. Polina, as best she could, took care of them, scolding her father for his greed. After all, the hotel where they stayed was nothing like the chic resort depicted in the girl’s fantasies. She expressed everything she thought to her father, who in return accused his daughter of selfishness. Mikhail just suffered. Besides the digestive problems, something in his beard was itching terribly…
— Do I really have to shave?! — he whined, scratching and running to the bathroom. — Do something!
— What?!
— Give me some medicine!
— I don’t know which…
— Call mom! She knows!
— Mom turned off her phone.
Many times they all lamented the absence of Svetlana and her turned-off phone. The vacation was flushed down the toilet, quite literally in this case.
Svetlana returned a month later. She was greeted at home. On the table stood sushi rolls and a burnt pie.
— I’m moving to live in Kamchatka. — Svetlana declared. — If someone wants to come with me, we can discuss it. The rest is not up for discussion.
— No… We’d better visit, mom… — The daughter was a bit offended but let Svetlana go.
Nikita tried to talk, threaten, and be offended. But Svetlana no longer lived in the past. Two months later, they divorced.
At the edge of the earth, life acquired a real taste! The taste of salty wind in the face… And maybe she would still find her true happiness…