Ksenia! Where have you been? The guests have been waiting for coffee for half an hour already! And cut the cake into bigger pieces! Vasily Timofeevich likes sweets!” — Elena Petrovna’s voice, the mother-in-law’s, echoed throughout the apartment.
Ksenia took a deep breath, holding back irritation. About ten people had gathered in the living room — all of her husband’s relatives. Sergey, as usual, sat contentedly in an armchair telling stories while she rushed between the kitchen and the hall.
“I’m coming, Elena Petrovna! I’ll bring everything right now,” Ksenia called out, pulling cups from the cabinet.
For the past six months, her spacious three-room apartment had turned into a family café for her husband’s relatives. Every weekend someone would call and shamelessly announce their visit. And not just a visit — a full-on feast.
Ksenia set the tray with the coffee pot down and entered the living room. The noise of conversations momentarily quieted.
“Finally!” Elena Petrovna raised her eyebrows. “We thought we wouldn’t get any coffee today.”
The hearty laughter of the relatives washed over Ksenia like a wave of resentment.
“And where’s the cake?” asked her husband’s uncle, Vasily Timofeevich, rubbing his protruding belly. “We can’t just sit with cups.”
“I’ll bring it now,” Ksenia forced a smile.
When she returned to the kitchen, Sergey followed.
“What’s wrong with your face?” her husband frowned. “You look like you’re at a funeral.”
“Sergey, I’m tired. Every weekend it’s the same thing.”
“What do you mean ‘the same thing’? This is my family. They come to visit, and you act like you’re doing them a favor.”
“I’m not against guests,” Ksenia cut another piece of cake. “But why can’t we at least sometimes meet at a café? Or at your mom’s place? She has a spacious apartment too.”
“Ksyusha, don’t start,” Sergey put his arm around her shoulders. “You know how important it is to my mom that the family gets together. Ever since my father…”
“I know,” Ksenia interrupted. “But I spend every Saturday cleaning from morning till night, cooking for the whole bunch, and all I hear in return are complaints.”
“Stop it. Mom just worries that everything is perfect.”
“In my apartment,” Ksenia quietly added.
“In our apartment,” Sergey corrected. “Bring the cake before mom starts again.”
A week later, it all repeated. Elena Petrovna called on Thursday, cheerfully announcing they would celebrate the niece Katya’s birthday on Saturday.
“Elena Petrovna, Sergey and I have plans for Saturday,” Ksenia tried to decline.
“What plans?” the mother-in-law was surprised. “Sergey didn’t say anything. I’ve already called everyone. What kind of table are you planning?”
Ksenia clenched the phone.
“I’m not planning any table. We can’t host guests on Saturday.”
“You’re selfish!” Elena Petrovna was outraged. “Katya is turning eighteen! Is there really no place in your schedule for your husband’s family?”
When Sergey came home from work, Ksenia was already boiling with anger.
“Your mom decided everything again without us!” she blurted out at the doorway.
“Ksyusha, why are you angry?” Sergey wearily took off his jacket. “Katya only has one birthday a year.”
“We wanted to visit my parents! The first time in three months!”
“We’ll go next week,” Sergey waved it off. “Don’t make a mountain out of a molehill.”
On Saturday, the apartment was filled again with relatives. Ksenia, as usual, stood by the stove, cooking, serving, cleaning. Her back ached, her legs throbbed, but no one offered help.
“Ksenia, your salad is too salty,” noted her husband’s sister, Natalia. “Last time it was under-salted. Make up your mind already.”
“Your sister-in-law is picky!” laughed Elena Petrovna. “Ksyusha, bring us some mineral water. And don’t forget the ice!”
The evening dragged on endlessly. Ksenia mechanically fulfilled requests, forcing a smile. Finally, everyone left. Ksenia stayed in the kitchen, washing piles of dishes.
“Mom said you weren’t very welcoming,” Sergey appeared in the doorway.
“Serezha, I’ve been on my feet since six in the morning. I’m tired of being the servant in my own home.”
“What do you suggest? Ban the relatives from coming?”
“No. But at least let them help. Or bring something with them. Your mom always comes empty-handed and bosses around like a general.”
“Mom has a bad back; it’s hard for her to cook.”
“And is it easy for me?” Ksenia raised her voice. “I’m not twenty anymore!”
Two days later, Elena Petrovna called to say she was coming on Saturday with friends for tea. Ksenia just nodded on the phone.
“All right, Elena Petrovna. See you then.”
“And bake those honey pastries you made last time. Galina Stepanovna praised them a lot,” the mother-in-law added before hanging up.
But Ksenia neither cleaned nor cooked. For the first time in a long while, she slept until nine, then calmly drank coffee and read a book.
“Why aren’t you getting ready?” Sergey asked, looking around the apartment in surprise. “Mom and her friends are coming.”
“Yes, I remember.”
“So?”
“Nothing,” Ksenia shrugged.
“What do you mean ‘nothing’?” Sergey’s face tightened. “Are you serious?”
Ksenia stayed silent, not looking up from her book.
“I’m going to work,” Sergey said confusedly. “But watch out… mom will be upset.”
Exactly at twelve, the doorbell rang. Ksenia opened it and found Elena Petrovna on the doorstep accompanied by five women, all with painted lips and dressed in their finest suits.
“Come in,” Ksenia gestured toward the living room.
Elena Petrovna looked around the hallway, frowned, but said nothing. The friends rustled as they took off their shoes.
“Ksyusha, are you feeling unwell?” the mother-in-law asked with feigned concern. “You don’t look so good.”
“No, Elena Petrovna, I’m as healthy as a bull,” Ksenia smiled.
The women entered the living room, and the mother-in-law went straight to the kitchen.
“Where’s the table? Where are the treats?” an outraged voice came from there. “Did you forget we were coming?”
Ksenia entered the kitchen, folding her arms across her chest.
“No, I didn’t forget.”
“Then why is nothing ready?” Elena Petrovna threw up her hands. “The guests are waiting!”
“This is my apartment! And I’m not going to serve you anymore,” Ksenia said firmly.
Elena Petrovna stepped back, clutching her chest.
“What?! How dare you?!”
“I dare, Elena Petrovna. I have tolerated your endless gatherings for too long,” Ksenia straightened up to her full height. “I cooked, cleaned, listened to your complaints. Enough is enough.”
“You… you…” the mother-in-law gasped indignantly. “You’re ungrateful! Sergey pulled you out of the mud! He married someone like you!”
“No one pulled me from anywhere. This apartment is mine, bought long before Sergey.”
From the living room came whispers among Elena Petrovna’s friends.
“We did so much for you!” the mother-in-law continued. “We accepted you into the family, loved you like our own! And you?!”
“And what about me?” Ksenia crossed her arms. “Did I become your maid? Cook? Waitress?”
“Girls, we’re leaving,” Elena Petrovna briskly headed to the hallway. “I won’t tolerate such insults!”
“Those aren’t insults yet,” Ksenia replied. “And yes, leave. All of you. And don’t come again without an invitation.”
Elena Petrovna’s friends hurried to the exit, casting frightened looks at Ksenia. The mother-in-law trembled with rage as she put on her shoes.
“You’ll regret this!” she threw over her shoulder. “Sergey will hear about this!”
The door slammed shut, and Ksenia took a deep breath. Inside her spread a strange calm. She returned to the couch and continued reading.
Sergey burst into the apartment around three in the afternoon. His face was flushed.
“Are you out of your mind?!” he shouted from the doorway. “Mom is crying! Her friends are shocked!”
“Hello, Seryozha,” Ksenia calmly replied, setting the book aside.
“Don’t say hello to me!” Sergey ripped off his jacket and threw it onto the armchair. “Why did you humiliate my mother?”
“I didn’t humiliate anyone. I said I won’t tolerate these constant gatherings in my apartment anymore.”
“In our apartment!”
“No, Sergey. In mine. You live here only thanks to me.”
Sergey paced the room.
“So now my family can’t come to our home?”
“They can,” Ksenia nodded. “But by invitation. And without demands to set a royal table.”
“You’re selfish!” Sergey blurted out. “You only think about yourself! What about family? Traditions?”
“What traditions, Sergey?” Ksenia got up from the couch. “Taking advantage of my hospitality? Demanding treats? Criticizing my cooking?”
“No one criticizes you!”
“Sergey,” Ksenia approached her husband closely, “for the last six months all I’ve heard from your relatives is: ‘too salty,’ ‘not salty enough,’ ‘the pie’s not right,’ ‘the coffee’s cold.’ I’m tired.”
“Sorry my family isn’t perfect!” Sergey waved his arms. “But it’s my family! And you must respect it!”
“And where is your respect for me?” Ksenia quietly asked. “When was the last time you asked what I want? Maybe I don’t want to spend every weekend serving your relatives?”
“A normal wife is happy to host her husband’s family!”
“A normal husband protects his wife, not forces her to be a slave!”
Sergey fell silent for a moment, then muttered:
“Alright. Mom will come here on Sunday, and you will apologize to her.”
“No,” Ksenia answered calmly. “That won’t happen.”
“It will!” Sergey raised his voice. “Or else…”
“Or else what?” Ksenia raised an eyebrow.
“Or else I’ll go to my mom!”
“Great idea,” Ksenia unexpectedly agreed. “Pack your things.”
Sergey froze.
“What?!”
“Pack your things and go to your mom,” Ksenia repeated. “I’ve had enough, Sergey. Enough of being a doormat for your family. Enough of hearing how bad a wife I am. Enough of your reproaches.”
“You… you’re kicking me out?” Sergey said incredulously.
“Yes. And you know what?” Ksenia squared her shoulders. “This is the best decision in years.”
“Well then, you asked for it,” Sergey headed to the bedroom. “You’ll regret it!”
Half an hour later he came out with two bags.
“This isn’t over,” Sergey threw over his shoulder. “I’ll be back.”
“Don’t come back,” Ksenia said quietly, closing the door behind him.
Left alone, she walked around her apartment. For the first time in a long time, the air felt fresh, and the space felt hers. She turned on her favorite music and smiled.
Tomorrow would be a new day. Without yelling, without demands, without the need to please someone else’s whims. And that day would finally belong only to her.