— Where are you?! I’m standing with the kids at your door! Mom said you have to let us in!
— We’ve left, — Egor repeated firmly. — We won’t be in town for seven days.
— How could you?! — Kristina screamed. — Mom can’t watch the kids, her blood pressure is bad! You have to come back!
Yulia had always been a friendly and open young woman. She had been happily married to Egor for a year now, and everything would have been fine if not for the weekly Sunday gatherings at her mother-in-law Lyudmila Ivanovna’s place.
Lyudmila loved to set the table, invite her son and daughter-in-law, and also her daughter Kristina with the children. Kristina, after her divorce, lived alone with two kids — her husband, as it turned out, was unreliable, and beyond child support payments, they didn’t expect any help from him.
That evening, as usual, the table was groaning under the food, and the bottle of wine was quickly emptying. Yulia refused alcohol for the first time ever. She had work tomorrow and knew she wouldn’t get enough sleep again.
—I don’t really feel like it, — she smiled, pushing the glass away. — Have to get up early tomorrow.
Her mother-in-law snorted, Kristina pursed her lips in disapproval, and Egor just shrugged and didn’t insist. He had once tried to joke about it, but Yulia quickly gave him a look, and he never repeated such behavior.
While the adults discussed neighbors, politics, and reminisced about “how good things were before,” Yulia quietly turned her attention to the children. Four-year-old Nikita and six-year-old Dasha sat in the corner, buried in their mother’s phone.
— Want me to teach you how to make paper frogs? — Yulia offered.
The children looked up in surprise. It was obvious few ever played with them, let alone suggested shared activities. Half an hour later, paper swans and frogs adorned the table, and Nikita was carefully drawing a “portrait of Aunt Yulia” with a pencil. Kristina, noticing the liveliness, nodded approvingly:
— Oh, you handle them so well! Dasha usually doesn’t let anyone near her.
— They’re wonderful, — Yulia replied sincerely.
But she had no idea that this innocent evening would become the start of a new “tradition.”
The week passed quietly. On Wednesday evening, as Yulia and Egor were finishing dinner, she cautiously suggested:
— Maybe we should go to the movies this Sunday? Instead of the usual gathering at your parents’.
Egor raised his eyebrows, surprised by the suggestion:
— To the movies? What about Mom? She’ll be upset.
— You said yourself you’re tired of those forced evenings, — Yulia gently reminded him. — Let’s do something for ourselves at least once.
Egor frowned, scratched the back of his head, but promised to think about it. Yulia didn’t pressure him and gave him time.
On Friday morning, during breakfast, Egor unexpectedly smiled:
—I’ve thought about the movies. Let’s go to the evening screening. I’ll call Mom during the day and tell her.
Yulia was happy, but the joy was short-lived.
During the lunch break, Egor went outside to make the call.
— Mom, I wanted to talk about Sunday, — he began carefully.
— How nice you called, son. I was just about to call you. Kristina is leaving for the whole weekend and leaving the kids with me. So we can’t get together on Sunday like usual.
— Well, that’s great, Yulia and I were planning to… — Egor started, but his mother immediately interrupted:
— Perfect! That means you’ll come to me and watch the kids. I’m so tired of them, and you, Egorushka, shouldn’t it be easy for you to help your own sister?
— Mom, I didn’t finish…
— What else is there? — Lyudmila Ivanovna’s voice turned icy. — What scheme has that tramp thought up this time?
— Why call her a tramp right away? We wanted to go to the movies together.
— What are you saying?! You only want to have fun. You’re not young anymore!
— What are we then? Old? — Egor asked directly.
— No! But you should be thinking about the children, not going to the movies! — the woman shouted. — That’s it, I’m expecting you Sunday morning! — she added and hung up.
Egor looked at the phone. The familiar struggle was clear in his eyes — between the desire not to upset his mother and the fatigue from constant obligations. He didn’t know how to tell his wife that they would spend the whole Sunday at his parents’ place.
Yulia was eagerly waiting for the workweek to end. On Friday, their salaries were due, and that evening she and Egor had a long-awaited trip to the movies planned. She had already downloaded the electronic tickets and even tried on a new dress she planned to wear on a date with her own husband.
When the doorbell rang, she happily ran to open it but froze when she saw Egor. He stood on the threshold looking darker than a storm cloud.
— What happened? — Yulia sensed trouble.
Egor silently went to the kitchen, threw his phone on the table, and only then exhaled:
— Mom said Kristina left. The kids are with them. So she needs our help with Dasha and Nikita on Sunday.
He told everything without hiding a word, recounting their recent conversation verbatim. With every word Egor spoke, Yulia grew angrier. When he finished, her fingers nervously drummed on the countertop.
— So here’s the deal, — Yulia stood up sharply. — We’ll go to your mother’s in the morning and help with the nieces and nephews. And at exactly five o’clock, we leave. Just in time for the six o’clock screening.
Egor looked up in surprise. He expected hysteria, scandal, tears — but not such cold, calculated calm.
— So you’re not angry? — Egor asked.
— No. The kids aren’t to blame, — Yulia answered calmly. — But this is the first and last time. Next time you either say “no” to your mother right away or go there alone.
She turned to leave, but Egor suddenly jumped up and hugged her from behind, pressing his lips to her neck.
But Sunday did not go according to plan.
Lyudmila Ivanovna met them at the door with a triumphant look:
— Finally! I’m so tired. They wore me out so much. I can’t keep up with cleaning after them!
The children were indeed restless. Dasha was crying that Mom left her again, and Nikita was running around the apartment like crazy. Yulia clenched her teeth and took control — she got colored paper and clay, turned on children’s songs on the phone, and prepared a light soup with meatballs for the kids.
It was four o’clock when everyone finally calmed down, and Lyudmila Ivanovna suddenly declared:
— My head hurts. I think I’ll lie down…
— Let me go to the pharmacy while we’re still here? — Egor offered.
— What do you mean “while we’re still here”? Don’t you see how bad I feel? — the woman dramatically put her hand to her forehead. — I think my blood pressure is high…
Yulia looked at the clock, then at her husband.
—I’ll measure your pressure now.
— She quickly went to the bedroom and got the blood pressure monitor.
A few quick moves, and Yulia was attentively watching the numbers on the display.
— 130/90, — she said calmly. — You’re fine, but you better lie down until we leave.
Lyudmila Ivanovna flushed at how skillfully her daughter-in-law had seen through her plan. Some time passed.
— Egor, — Yulia said quietly. — We should go, or we’ll be late.
But as they got ready, Lyudmila Ivanovna literally grabbed her son:
— Where are you going?! The kids will be alone?!
— They won’t be alone, but with you and Dad, — Egor said firmly for the first time that evening.
— But I’m sick! You saw it yourself, — she yelled.
Yulia silently took Dasha’s hand, led her to the couch where the “sick” mother-in-law lay, and said:
— Grandma is sick. Be quiet and watch cartoons until Mom returns.
Then she turned to Egor:
— We’re leaving.
Outside, Egor took a deep breath for the first time in a long while.
— Sorry, — he said. — I…
— Not now, — Yulia interrupted. — We’re late for the movies.
They almost ran down the street like two teenagers who had sneaked away from their parents. In the cinema, in the dark, Yulia suddenly felt Egor take her hand.
The movie turned out surprisingly good. Yulia laughed at the jokes, Egor squeezed her hand secretly at touching moments, and when the lights dimmed before the screening, he unexpectedly kissed her on the temple — just like on their first date.
After the movie, they stopped at a small cafe across the street. Yulia ordered a cappuccino, Egor an iced latte. They chatted about the movie and plans for their upcoming vacation. It seemed that the monotony of days had made them forget that they were still young. And now, finally, they remembered.
— You know, — Egor suddenly smiled, — I realized today that…
At that moment, his phone vibrated. A message from Kristina appeared on the screen.
“Hi, brother. I just left Mom’s, and she was in tears. You and Yulia are the biggest selfish people. The kids cried when you ran off, and I was counting on you to watch them ALL day, like we AGREED. Thanks for letting us down!”
Egor frowned, showed the phone to Yulia. She read it, shrugged, and took a sip of coffee.
— We didn’t discuss anything with Kristina, — Yulia said calmly. — And she didn’t personally ask us for anything.
— But… — Egor looked at his wife confused.
— No, — Yulia put her palm on his hand. — I’m not going to apologize for spending time together. You saw how suddenly your mother “got sick.” She just didn’t want to let us go.
— Yeah… you’re right, but I still feel uncomfortable.
— Uncomfortable being uncomfortable? — Yulia asked directly and smiled, while Egor stayed silent.
Lyudmila Ivanovna didn’t call her son all week. It was strange — she usually called at least once every two days to ask how he was, what he ate for lunch, and what he was wearing.
Yulia even asked Egor a few times:
— Are you sure your mother is okay? Maybe you should call her?
— If something happened, I’d already be told, — Egor waved it off, but his voice sounded uncertain.
It was their last workweek before the long-awaited vacation. They told no one but had rented a cozy riverside cottage — a small wooden house with a porch, sauna, and its own dock. A dream. Just a week without calls and obligations, only nature.
On Friday, Yulia was let off work early. She rushed home, kicked off her shoes, and immediately started packing. Suitcases stood open on the bed, fresh brewed tea steamed in the kitchen, and light music flowed from the speakers.
— Swimsuit, sunscreen, the book I can’t finish… — she muttered, folding things.
Egor was supposed to come home by eight. Yulia wrote him a list of groceries to buy in advance that evening. And he honestly fulfilled his part of the vacation preparations.
Egor and Yulia woke up at eight by the alarm. The sun shone brightly outside, but the city was still asleep. They had a leisurely breakfast — Yulia made ham omelets, and Egor poured coffee.
— Today begins our first week of vacation, — Yulia smiled, finishing her coffee.
Egor nodded, but worry showed in his eyes. Standing at the door with suitcases, he suddenly felt awkward.
— Something wrong? — Yulia frowned.
— None of my relatives know we’re leaving, — he said quietly. — Maybe I should call Mom when we arrive? So she doesn’t worry…
Yulia agreed.
— Okay, I think you definitely should call.
They left the house, loaded their things into the car. Egor started the engine, and they set off.
The road was empty — Saturday morning, few were driving this early. Yulia turned on her favorite playlist, lowered the window to feel the fresh wind. Egor glanced at his phone from time to time to stay on course.
They had passed more than half the way when his phone suddenly lit up. The screen showed a call from Kristina.
— Don’t answer. You’re driving. Not far now, — Yulia said softly.
Egor nodded. The call stopped but rang again a minute later. And again.
— She won’t calm down, — Egor muttered.
Then “Mom” appeared on the screen.
Egor sharply pulled over and stopped the car.
— I have to answer.
Yulia nodded silently.
Egor took the phone, but before he could say “hello,” a yell came through the speaker:
— Have you lost all shame?! Why won’t you let Kristina with the kids in?! They’ve been standing outside your apartment for fifteen minutes! Shameless!
— Mom, we… — Egor tried to say, but Lyudmila Ivanovna didn’t let him speak.
— She’s with two kids at the door! And where are you?! Probably sleeping, lazybones?
— We left, — Egor finally said.
— WHERE?! — The scream was so loud Yulia flinched.
— To the dacha, for a week.
Dead silence on the other end. Then a click — Lyudmila Ivanovna hung up.
Egor put the phone on his lap and took a deep breath.
— Call your sister, — Yulia said quietly. — You should have told them about our vacation plans right away…
Egor dialed Kristina’s number. She answered immediately, and her shrill voice filled the car:
— Where are you?! I’m standing with the kids at your door! Mom said you have to let us in!
— We left, — Egor repeated firmly. — We won’t be in town for seven days.
— How could you?! — Kristina screamed. — Mom can’t watch the kids, her blood pressure is bad! You must come back!
— We don’t have to. And the house is already paid for, — Egor said.
— You… you… — Kristina gasped with rage. — I hope you fail! I hope it rains all the time during your vacation!
She hung up.
Silence reigned in the car. Even the music stopped — Yulia had turned it off at the start of the call with Lyudmila Ivanovna.
Egor started the engine again, and they drove on.
— Are you okay? — Yulia asked after a few kilometers.
Egor was silent, then nodded.
— Yes. It’s just… I’ve never done this before. Now both of them will be mad at me. And I do everything for them… everything… I even forgot how to relax properly.
Yulia reached out, covered his hand with hers.
—I understand… We’re almost there.
Ahead, around the bend, the river was already visible. The car turned onto a dirt road leading to the dacha. The sun played on the river’s surface, and the scent of pine and freshly cut grass filled the air. When they reached the small wooden house with the blue porch, Yulia couldn’t help but smile.
— Beautiful, — she whispered.
Egor turned off the engine and closed his eyes for a moment. For the first time in a long while, his shoulders seemed relaxed.
After unloading the things, they silently walked around the property. The dacha was even cozier than in the photos: a neat garden with raspberry bushes, a hammock between two pines, a small dock with a boat.
— Shall we go swim? — Yulia suggested, already taking out towels.
They spent the whole day by the river — swimming, sunbathing, laughing at Egor’s failed attempts to catch fish. In the evening, they lit a grill and had dinner amid the crackle of firewood and the chirping of crickets.
— You know what I realized? — Yulia leaned back in the wicker chair. — We could do this every weekend.
He nodded. There was no doubt in his eyes anymore — only determination.
The phone lay turned off in the suitcase. And for the first time in their marriage, this was a conscious choice.
The next morning, as the first rays of sun pierced the curtains, Yulia woke with the feeling she was being watched. Egor sat on the bed, looking at her and smiling.
— What? — she stretched.
— Just… thank you. For this trip. For making me remember that we have our own life.
Yulia sat up and kissed him.
— This is only the beginning.
Outside, the river flowed, and for the first time in a long time, they truly felt free.