The apartment was small, but cozy. It was a one-room flat on the third floor of a brick building from the nineties. Oksana had bought it herself several years before she got married. She had saved for it for a long time, stubbornly and patiently, denying herself many things. During the day she worked in an office, and in the evenings she took freelance jobs.
But when she finally received the keys from the realtor and stepped over the threshold as the rightful owner for the first time, she felt truly free and accomplished. This was her space, her choice, her achievement — and she was proud of it.
When she married Pavel three years later, he moved in with her without hesitation. He had no home of his own. For the last few years, he had been renting a room in a communal apartment on the other side of the city, sharing the place with an elderly neighbor who cooked at night and loved listening to the radio at full volume.
Oksana did not see that as a problem. She loved Pavel. She wanted to be with him and build a life together. The apartment belonged to her, but now it had become their shared home, their small world.
Pavel’s parents lived in a neighboring town, about an hour away by train or forty minutes by car. It was a quiet, sleepy provincial town where everyone knew everyone else. His mother, Natalya Ivanovna, had not worked for the past five years. She had taken early retirement after years of teaching mathematics at school. His father, Viktor Petrovich, was also retired, though he sometimes worked part-time as a night guard at a local factory.
They loved organizing family gatherings almost every weekend, inviting every relative they could. The whole family would come together: Pavel’s parents, his sister Elena and her husband Sergey, and sometimes distant relatives from the village — aunts, uncles, cousins. They would prepare a large table filled with homemade pies and salads, discuss news, share plans, and remember old stories.
At first, Oksana went with her husband regularly, every Saturday without fail. She believed it was the right thing to do. She wanted to maintain a good relationship with his relatives and show respect for his family. Family, after all, was supposed to stay close, gather around one table, and spend time together. That was what she had always believed. That was how her own parents had raised her.
During the first months, everything really did seem pleasant. Her mother-in-law welcomed her warmly, hugged her at the door, set a generous table, and asked about her life with what seemed like sincere interest. Her father-in-law joked, told stories from his youth, and made everyone laugh. Oksana felt like a welcome guest, almost like a part of a big, friendly family.
But little by little, almost imperceptibly, every visit began to end the same way.
After a heavy lunch, when everyone was relaxed and lingering at the table, conversations would begin. At first, they talked about the weather, neighbors’ gossip, store prices, and exchange rates. Then, smoothly and almost casually, the subject would shift to Oksana.
“Oksanochka, how are things at work?” her mother-in-law would begin, pouring tea into porcelain cups. “Everything all right?”
“Fine,” Oksana would answer, trying to keep her tone neutral. “Everything is stable. Nothing much has changed.”
“And what exactly do you do there again? Remind me, I forgot.”
“I work as a manager at a trading company. I deal with equipment sales.”
“Do they pay you well?”
Every time, Oksana felt uncomfortable hearing that question. It seemed too personal, too direct. Still, she answered honestly because she did not want to appear secretive.
“It depends. My income depends on sales volume. There’s a base salary and commission.”
“And how much do you bring home in a month, roughly?”
“Natalya Ivanovna, why do you need such details?” Oksana tried to turn it into a joke, forcing a smile.
“Oh, I’m just curious! We’re family. Why hide things from each other?”
At such moments, Pavel preferred to laugh it off or change the subject. He would get up from the table, suggest that his father take a walk, look at the garden, or discuss repairs to the shed. And he would leave Oksana alone with his mother and her questions.
Week after week, Oksana began to notice a pattern. They did not treat her like a guest they were happy to see. They treated her like an object of close examination. Every detail of her life was discussed behind her back, analyzed, and judged under the magnifying glass of family opinion.
“Are you planning to buy a car?” her father-in-law once asked, leaning back in his chair after a filling lunch.
“Not at the moment,” Oksana replied. “We don’t really see the need.”
“That’s strange. You both work. Your income is stable. You could easily save up for a used foreign car.”
“We have other priorities right now. Other goals.”
“What kind of goals?” her mother-in-law immediately joined in, perking up.
“Well, life, the apartment, the future.”
“But the apartment is already yours, isn’t it? What is there to spend so much on?”
“Repairs are needed from time to time. Utility bills keep rising. We also want to gradually update the furniture.”
“Oh, young people these days,” her father-in-law shook his head with the air of an expert. “In our time, people lived more simply, without all these imported sofas of yours. We didn’t have Italian furniture, and somehow we still managed to raise children.”
Oksana clenched her teeth under the table and counted silently to ten. Explaining for the hundredth time that they were not buying expensive Italian furniture, but simply trying to make the apartment comfortable, was completely pointless.
One Sunday lunch, her father-in-law suddenly started discussing how the spouses should properly manage her apartment. By then, Oksana and Pavel had been living together for six months, and she had hoped the worst was behind her.
“Look, Pasha,” his father said, turning to his son while chewing potatoes. “The apartment is officially registered in Oksana’s name, right?”
“Yes, Dad,” Pavel nodded, not understanding where his father was going with this.
“And you’re registered there as a resident?”
“Of course.”
“Good. That means you have rights. If something happens — a divorce or whatever else — you can demand your share by law. That’s your legal right.”
Oksana froze with a cup in her hands. She felt a chill run through her body.
A share? What share in her apartment?
The apartment had been bought with her money, registered in her name, and acquired long before the marriage. What share could he possibly mean?
Her mother-in-law immediately picked up the topic, adding fuel to the fire with an innocent expression.
“Of course, housing should be used wisely, for the benefit of the whole family. It’s not only the two of you who might need a place to live. What if Vitya and I need help in old age? Or what if Lena and Sergey need somewhere to stay temporarily?”
Lena was Pavel’s sister. She lived in the same town and rented a one-room apartment from acquaintances of their parents.
“Natalya Ivanovna, this is Pavel’s and my apartment,” Oksana said quietly but firmly, trying to keep control of herself. “We will decide ourselves how to use it and whom to allow inside.”
“Well, formally the documents are in your name,” her mother-in-law said, adjusting her glasses and looking over them. “But in reality, you are a family now. And family shares everything equally. Fairly.”
Oksana looked at Pavel with a silent question in her eyes. He was staring into his phone, pretending to be absorbed in the news and not to hear the unpleasant conversation.
“Pasha, what do you think about this?” she asked directly, forcing him to take part.
“Huh?” He looked up with a guilty expression. “About what exactly?”
“About the fact that your parents are discussing how to manage my apartment.”
“They’re just talking,” he shrugged carelessly. “Don’t take everything so personally. They worry about us.”
Just talking. They worry about us.
Oksana said nothing then, but the unpleasant aftertaste stayed with her, heavy and suffocating.
She got up from the table and went out onto the porch to breathe. She stood there in the fresh spring air, trying to calm the trembling in her hands. Ten minutes later, Pavel came out after her, looking guilty.
“Why are you getting upset over nothing?”
“I’m not upset. I’m shocked and angry that you allow your parents to discuss how we should use my apartment — the apartment I bought with my own money.”
“Oksana, they’re not serious. It was just tea-table talk. They had nothing else to discuss.”
“Pavel, your father said directly that you could claim a share in case of divorce. Your mother said the apartment should serve the whole family, clearly hinting that your sister might live there. That is not just talk. Those are specific plans for my property.”
“You’re exaggerating. You’re making a mountain out of a molehill. They’re just interested in how we live and how we’re settling in.”
“Being interested means asking, ‘How are things? How is the renovation going?’ and listening to the answer. It does not mean giving advice about my property.”
Pavel sighed heavily and rubbed the bridge of his nose.
“All right, fine. I’ll tell them not to interfere in our affairs. Will that satisfy you?”
“Yes.”
But the next visit repeated almost word for word. Maybe it was not specifically about the apartment that time, but it was something else — her salary, their plans, their purchases.
A week after that unpleasant visit, Pavel once again casually suggested they go to his parents for the weekend. It was Sunday morning. They were having a slow breakfast in the kitchen while the radio played softly in the background.
“Oksana, Mom called last night. She invited us over next Saturday. Shall we go?”
He said it as if her agreement was already assumed. As if this was not a question to be discussed, but a fact.
Oksana finished her cold coffee and carefully placed the cup on its saucer.
“Pasha, why do we have to go there every week?”
“Well, my parents miss us. They want to see us more often.”
“We were there a week ago. Literally seven days have passed.”
“So what? They’re older people. It makes them happy when their children visit.”
“Pavel, your parents are not old and helpless. They are around sixty. They are healthy, active, and full of energy. And we are not little children. We are both over thirty.”
“What are you getting at?”
Oksana looked at him calmly, without raising her voice. She had already made her decision, and she was ready to say it.
“You can visit your family as much as you want, but without me.”
Pavel froze with a sandwich in his hand and stared at her.
“What did you just say?”
“I am not going to your parents’ house every weekend anymore. That is my final decision.”
“Why all of a sudden? What happened?”
“I’m tired of tolerating it.”
“Tolerating what exactly?”
“Sitting at that table and listening to people discuss my work, my salary, my apartment, my decisions. Listening to unsolicited advice. Watching them evaluate our life as if I’m supposed to report to them every month.”
Pavel put the sandwich back on the plate and wiped his hands with a paper napkin.
“Oksana, they’re family. They’re just interested in our life.”
“No, Pasha. Interest is asking, ‘How are things at work?’ and listening to the answer. But with your parents, every question sounds like an interrogation at the prosecutor’s office. How much do I earn? Where do I spend my money? Why haven’t we bought a car? Why haven’t we done a fancy renovation?”
“Maybe they just express themselves badly. They don’t mean any harm.”
“They’ve been ‘expressing themselves badly’ for six months straight? Every single time?”
“They don’t mean it badly, really. That’s just how they were raised.”
“I’m not saying they mean it badly. I’m saying it is extremely unpleasant for me. And I no longer want to take part in it voluntarily.”
Pavel stood up and walked back and forth across the kitchen.
“So you just decided to stop visiting my parents?”
“I decided to stop going there every week and listening to endless discussions about my personal life and my property. If there is a real celebration, a birthday, an anniversary — I will come. But every weekend automatically? No, Pasha.”
“They will be deeply offended.”
“Let them be offended.”
“Oksana, they’re family! They’re close people!”
“Pasha, your relationship with your parents is your personal business. If you want to visit them every week, go ahead. I do not object and I am not forbidding you. But I will no longer participate in these weekly gatherings. Period.”
Pavel sat back down and rubbed his face tiredly.
“I don’t understand. What do they do that is so terrible?”
“Nothing terrible. Nothing monstrous. Just something constantly unpleasant. You don’t notice because it does not affect you personally. They don’t ask you detailed questions about your income and expenses. They don’t advise you in detail how to live. They don’t discuss your property in front of everyone. But with me, it happens every time.”
“Because you’re their daughter-in-law. Naturally, they want to know you better.”
“Six months of weekly visits isn’t enough to know a person? How much more do they need — a year? Two? Ten years of weekly interrogations?”
Pavel fell silent for a long time. He realized that Oksana was completely serious.
“Fine. Then I’ll go alone next time.”
“Go. I don’t mind.”
“And what am I supposed to tell them? Why you didn’t come?”
“Tell them the truth. That I need to rest at home. Or that I have my own plans. Or that I am tired of weekly trips.”
“They will definitely take it as a personal insult.”
“Pasha, I am not obligated to sacrifice every weekend just so someone does not accidentally feel offended.”
He sighed heavily and finally agreed.
“All right. I’ll think of what to say.”
On Friday evening, Pavel cautiously brought up the topic again.
“Oksana, are you absolutely sure you won’t come tomorrow?”
“Absolutely sure.”
“Maybe just this one last time? And after that, we really can go less often.”
“No, Pasha. I have made my decision.”
“Mom is already making your favorite pies. She expects to see both of us tomorrow.”
“Then call her now and honestly warn her that I won’t be coming, so she doesn’t cook extra portions for nothing.”
Pavel took his phone and went out onto the balcony. Through the slightly open door, Oksana could hear fragments of a tense conversation.
“Mom, Oksana won’t be able to come tomorrow… No, she isn’t sick, everything is fine… She’s just very tired and wants to rest quietly at home… Mom, I can’t force her… Yes, I’ll come as usual… Alone, yes… No, everything between us is absolutely fine… She really is just tired… All right, Mom, see you tomorrow.”
He came back from the balcony visibly upset and gloomy.
“Mom is very hurt.”
“Pasha, your mother is an adult woman. She will survive this.”
“She said she had especially wanted to have a serious heart-to-heart talk with you.”
“About what?”
“She didn’t say exactly. Just said it was important.”
“If she truly needs to discuss something important, she can always call me directly. Or send me a message.”
“She wanted to talk in person, one-on-one.”
“Then we’ll talk next time. When I come for a birthday or another celebration.”
Pavel went to bed early and said nothing more. Oksana knew very well that he was unhappy with the situation. But she was not going to step back from her decision.
On Saturday morning, Pavel got up early and quickly got ready. Oksana walked him to the door.
“Have a good trip. Say hello from me.”
“Thanks,” he said, giving her a brief kiss on the cheek. “I’ll be back this evening. Not too late.”
“All right. I’ll be waiting.”
The door closed behind him. Oksana was left alone in the silence of her apartment.
And for the first time in many months, her Saturday was completely peaceful.
She did not rush anywhere. She slept until half past ten. She had breakfast slowly, making fragrant coffee in a cezve, toasting crisp bread, and taking out her favorite cherry jam. Then she sat by the wide window with a book she had been putting off for ages.
After that, she calmly cleaned the apartment. Not in a hurry before leaving, but carefully and with pleasure. She washed the floors in every room, dusted the shelves, and finally sorted out the overstuffed wardrobe. She turned her favorite music up louder, sang along, and danced with a cleaning cloth in her hand.
For lunch, she cooked something she loved but Pavel refused to eat: baked dorado with fragrant vegetables and lemon. She opened a bottle of good chilled white wine and poured herself a tall glass. She ate very slowly, enjoying every single bite.
In the afternoon, her best friend Masha called unexpectedly.
“Oksana, hi! How are you? What are you doing?”
“I’m at home. Enjoying myself and finally resting.”
“And where’s Pavel?”
“He went to visit his parents.”
“Without you?”
“Yes. I let him go alone.”
“Oh! Finally! I thought you were going to spend every Saturday at their place until retirement.”
“I’ve had enough. I decided I’m definitely not going every week anymore.”
“Absolutely the right decision! Listen, maybe we should meet then? Go see that new movie?”
“I’d love to!”
They quickly agreed on an evening show. Oksana happily dressed up, did her makeup carefully, and left the house. On the way, she bought herself a large ice cream. She walked slowly along the central streets, stopped by shops she liked, and simply admired the beautiful window displays.
At the cinema, she laughed from the heart, relaxed completely, and forgot about every problem. After the movie, she and Masha sat for a long time in a cozy café, drinking cappuccino and talking about work, future plans, and life in general.
Oksana returned home around ten in the evening, cheerful and inspired. Pavel was already sitting on the sofa with a gloomy face, holding his phone.
“Hi!” she said brightly as she entered.
“Hi. Where were you for so long?”
“I went to the movies with Masha. We watched a great film. I really liked it.”
“Mm.”
He was clearly in a bad mood. Oksana took off her shoes and sat beside him.
“How was the visit?”
“Fine, mostly.”
“How are your parents?”
“They’re fine. Mom sent you her regards.”
“Thank you. Send mine back.”
An awkward pause hung in the air.
“She kept asking why you didn’t come.”
“And what did you say?”
“I told the truth. That you were very tired and wanted to rest quietly at home.”
“And how did she react?”
“She said it was very strange. That people can and should rest at their house too — in the fresh air, surrounded by close family.”
Oksana took a deep breath.
“Pasha, I absolutely do not want to rest with your family every single Saturday. I want to rest by my own choice. Alone. Or with you. Or with close friends. But not under watchful eyes and endless questioning.”
“I think you’re exaggerating their interest in your life.”
“No, Pasha. I’m not exaggerating at all. You simply don’t notice because they don’t treat you that way.”
He was quiet for a moment, thinking.
“Mom also mentioned that Lena and Sergey came today too. They even stayed overnight at my parents’ place. We could do that sometimes as well.”
“I absolutely don’t like sleeping there. The couch is uncomfortable and sagging, the walls are too thin, and it’s always stuffy.”
“Then maybe we could go less often, but stay overnight when we do. Once every two weeks, for example.”
“Pasha, I don’t want to go there on a strict schedule every week. Not with overnight stays, not without them.”
“How often are you willing to come?”
“Once a month at most. For real holidays, birthdays, when there is a specific reason.”
“Once a month is very little for parents.”
“For me, it is enough.”
“For me, honestly, it’s too little. I genuinely want to see my parents more often.”
“Pasha, I am not forbidding you to go. Go every day if you want. But I personally will go once a month. That is my final decision.”
Pavel abruptly stood up from the sofa.
“You know, Oksana, I seriously think you just don’t respect my parents.”
“I respect them as people. But I also deeply respect myself. And I do not want to spend every precious Saturday doing something that makes me miserable.”
“They will be very hurt to hear that.”
“I’m truly sorry if they are hurt. But I physically cannot live only to make everyone else comfortable while I feel completely uncomfortable myself.”
He silently went into the bedroom and slammed the door angrily. Oksana remained sitting alone in the living room.
She felt sad about the conflict that was clearly growing between them. But she did not regret her decision even slightly. Her Saturday had been wonderful. She had truly rested, filled herself with positive energy, and done exactly what her soul wanted.
And that was worth any conflict.
Two tense weeks passed. Pavel continued visiting his parents alone. The first time, he packed quietly and left early in the morning with a gloomy face. The second time, before leaving, he asked hopefully:
“You definitely haven’t changed your mind?”
“Absolutely not.”
“All right. As you wish.”
Oksana spent those newly free Saturdays in different ways. Once, she met her cheerful friends at a restaurant. Another time, she blissfully lay at home all day with a thick book. Once, she went to an interesting museum of modern art. Another time, she signed up for an exciting ceramics and pottery workshop.
Every Saturday now belonged only to her. No unsolicited advice. No heavy feeling that she constantly had to justify her normal life to someone.
At first, Pavel openly sulked and felt offended. Then he gradually accepted the situation. And then, unexpectedly, one day he admitted:
“You know, Oksana, to be honest, sometimes it’s hard for me too to go there every Saturday.”
“Then the logical question is: why do you keep going?”
“Well, they’re always waiting and inviting me. Mom gets very offended if I don’t visit for a while.”
“Pasha, you are a grown, independent man. You have your own family and your own life. You have every right to decide how to spend your weekends.”
“Easy for you to say.”
“Just try it once. Call and calmly tell them you won’t come this Saturday, but the next one. See what actually happens.”
He thought seriously about her suggestion.
The following Saturday, Pavel really did not go anywhere. He called his mother early in the morning and said firmly:
“Mom, we won’t come today. We’re both tired after the week. We want to rest quietly at home together.”
Oksana could clearly hear her mother-in-law saying something loudly and indignantly through the phone.
“Mom, we are not obligated to come every single Saturday… Yes, I understand you cooked specially for us… Well, leave it for tomorrow or freeze it… Mom, please don’t be upset… Fine, I promise we’ll definitely come next Saturday… Yes, both of us… All right, kisses.”
He slowly placed the phone on the table.
“Was she very offended?”
“Of course. She said she had cooked since morning, waited all day, and we don’t appreciate her efforts.”
“And what did you feel?”
Pavel thought for a long time.
“At first, sharp guilt. But then I quickly realized it was actually silly. I didn’t ask her to cook in advance. I never promised for certain that we would come.”
“There you go.”
They spent that Saturday entirely together, and it was wonderful. They walked for a long time through a spring park, had a relaxed lunch at a cozy café, and watched an interesting film at home in the evening. They sat close together on the soft sofa, wrapped in each other’s arms.
“This is real happiness,” Pavel said sincerely. “We haven’t rested this well together in a long time.”
“I completely agree.”
“Maybe we really shouldn’t rush back and forth to my parents every week.”
“Maybe we really shouldn’t.”
The next Saturday, they went together to Pavel’s parents. Oksana agreed calmly because three full weeks had already passed.
Her mother-in-law welcomed them openly coldly.
“Oh, so you finally decided to come. I was beginning to think you had forgotten about us completely.”
“Mom, don’t say that,” Pavel said, hugging her warmly. “We were just very tired these past weeks. There was a lot of work.”
“Everyone has work. But not everyone completely forgets their old parents because of it.”
Oksana said nothing and pressed her lips together. When they were called to dinner, she sat quietly at the set table.
Her mother-in-law served hot soup, constantly throwing heavy sideways glances at her daughter-in-law.
“Oksana, you must be a very important and busy person now, since you don’t even have basic time to come visit us.”
“Natalya Ivanovna, I do have free time. I simply prefer not to come here every single week.”
“Why exactly? Are we not happy to see you?”
“Of course you are. But I also need personal time.”
“Personal time,” her mother-in-law snorted contemptuously. “Young people are so strange nowadays. In the past, normal people valued family and gathered regularly. Now personal time is apparently above everything.”
Oksana sighed tiredly. Here it was again.
“Natalya Ivanovna, I do value family. But I also value my own time and space.”
“So we are interfering with your life, is that it?”
“No one is interfering with anyone. I simply do not want to spend every precious Saturday as a guest somewhere, even with very kind people.”
Her mother-in-law pursed her thin lips, deeply offended.
Pavel desperately tried to ease the tension.
“Mom, don’t be so upset. We’re here today, aren’t we?”
“You came only because I spent the whole week persuading you on the phone,” his mother muttered gloomily.
Oksana silently looked straight at Pavel. He guiltily lowered his eyes to his plate.
The whole lunch was painfully tense. Pavel’s father tried to joke and lighten the mood, but none of his jokes landed. His mother remained stubbornly silent, demonstratively offended at everyone.
When they finally left, Natalya Ivanovna deliberately did not come out to see them off at the gate. She stayed in the house.
On the way home, Pavel sighed heavily.
“Well, that’s it. Now she’s seriously offended for a long time.”
“Pasha, she is offended only because she can no longer control our free time. That is entirely her personal problem, not ours.”
“Easy for you to say.”
“And is it hard for you?”
“Yes, of course! She is my mother. It’s painful for me when she’s genuinely upset.”
“Then keep going to her every Saturday as before. I don’t object at all. But I personally will not.”
Pavel remained gloomy and silent. They drove the rest of the way home in complete silence.
A month passed. Pavel continued visiting his parents alone, roughly once every two weeks. Oksana went only once a month, never more often.
Gradually, her mother-in-law accepted the situation. She stopped openly taking offense and began treating the new reality as something settled.
Then one day, she unexpectedly called Oksana directly. For the first time in all the years they had known each other.
“Oksana, good afternoon. This is Natalya Ivanovna.”
“Good afternoon.”
“Listen, I wanted to talk to you honestly. Is now a good time?”
“Of course. I’m listening.”
“I’ve thought a lot, and I’ve honestly realized that Vitya and I may really have been too intrusive. We kept sticking our noses where they didn’t belong. I thought about it seriously and understood that it was completely wrong of us.”
Oksana froze in complete surprise.
“Natalya Ivanovna…”
“No, please let me finish. I honestly just wanted to be closer to you. I wanted to know you better as a person. But I clearly went too far. Forgive me if I hurt you.”
“I’m not offended. I was just uncomfortable.”
“I understand that now. Let’s agree on this: you come when you genuinely want to. No pressure at all. And I will try not to interfere in your personal affairs.”
“Thank you. I really appreciate that.”
“And one more important thing. About your apartment. It is legally and entirely your apartment. No one will ever claim it. I’ve already told Vitya strictly to keep quiet.”
Oksana smiled sincerely.
“Thank you very much, Natalya Ivanovna.”
“All right then. I just wanted to say that. See you soon.”
“See you.”
Oksana slowly put down the phone and exhaled with relief.
That evening, she told Pavel everything about the unexpected call.
“Your mother called. She sincerely apologized.”
“Seriously?”
“Absolutely seriously. She said she realized she had gone too far. She promised not to interfere in our personal matters anymore.”
“Well, that is something. I honestly didn’t expect that.”
“Neither did I.”
“Maybe now you’ll agree to visit more often?” Pavel asked with cautious hope.
“No, Pasha. Once a month is my comfortable limit. But now I will go with genuine pleasure, not out of a heavy sense of duty.”
Pavel hugged her tightly.
“You know, you were completely right to stand firm and defend your boundaries.”
“Thank you for finally understanding.”
And from then on, Oksana’s Saturdays belonged to her again.
Sometimes she gladly visited Pavel’s parents — when she truly wanted to, when there was a real occasion. But never out of obligation. Never out of fear that someone might be offended.
And she spent the rest of her precious weekends exactly the way her soul wanted.
Without mandatory trips.
Without other people’s unsolicited advice.
And without the heavy feeling that she constantly had to justify her perfectly normal life to anyone.