Dear, I’ve left!»
«Wait, did you forget anything? Did you take food for the road?» Veronica asked caringly.
«Of course. I’m not going to go hungry for hours.»
«Call me when you get there.»
«Yes, of course,» Igor kissed his wife on the cheek and set off.
Veronica and Igor had been married for over 10 years. It was the third time he had left for a month-long business trip. Of course, she didn’t want to let her husband go, but there was no choice. That was his job.
When Igor had left and called to say he had arrived, Veronica wondered what to do now. All the housework was done. There was hardly anyone to meet. Over time, she had lost her friends because she firmly believed that a married woman didn’t need friends.
So she didn’t even know what to occupy herself with. She could meet with acquaintances. But what was the point? They surely had their own matters.
Then Veronica remembered her husband’s country house, which they hadn’t visited for 3 months. They had never gotten around to it, and the season had just started.
«What are you planning to do?» asked Veronica’s mother, who lived in another city.
«I don’t know yet, I’m thinking of going to the country house tomorrow. I haven’t been there in a long time.»
«And what will you do there without Igor? Aren’t you afraid to stay alone?»
«What’s there to be afraid of? I’m the rightful owner there, and there’s no one to fear.»
«What if some strangers wander around the country houses and steal?» her mother said worriedly.
Veronica just smiled at her words.
«Mom, don’t wind yourself up and don’t make things up. Everything is quiet and peaceful there.»
«Are you staying there long?»
«I thought for a week.»
«Wow, that long? Then promise me you’ll call more often, agreed?»
«Of course.»
Veronica packed all the necessary things and checked the car before the journey. She planned to be at the country house by tomorrow noon.
In fact, the country house was great. A perfect option for relaxation. Just think, some people are willing to pay fabulous money just to relax at a resort.
And here, no extra payment was necessary. Everything was familiar and homely. The only nuance was that the country house required some gardening. However, this didn’t negate all the other benefits.
Some even envied the family for having a country house.
«It’s nice to have such a country house. Lucky!» said Igor’s brother Roman.
«Lucky? Igor earned it himself. That’s why he bought it. Earn it and you can buy one too.»
«Easy for you to say. You know, everyone’s financial situation is different,» Roman sighed heavily.
However, for Veronica, these were just excuses. Because if a man really wants to earn, he looks for all possible ways, and if not, he finds reasons.
Therefore, she was sure that Roman was simply looking for excuses and continued to envy his more successful brother, who really tried to achieve something in life, rather than just sitting idle.
Veronica was approaching the country house when she saw that the gate was open. Clearly, someone was there.
Yes, perhaps her mother’s worries were not in vain. Still, Veronica was very curious to find out who was there. Could it really be thieves? Maybe she should call the police right away?
She was about to dial the emergency number when she saw a familiar silhouette in the distance. Then she bravely walked towards the house.
«Oh, Veronica, what a surprise!» said Lyuba and was about to hug her, but Veronica stood still, like a post.
«What are you doing here?»
«Well, there’s a thing…»
Lyuba didn’t finish her sentence when Igor’s brother Roman appeared nearby.
«And what are you doing here? Explain to me, finally, what’s going on here?» asked Veronica, not hiding her displeasure.
«Oh, Veronica, hello! Yes, we came to live here for a while.»
«What do you mean ‘live here’? What does that mean?»
Roman seemed uneasy but still found an answer.
«Didn’t Igor tell you?»
«About what?»
«That he let us stay here. You know, we just wanted to get away from the city hustle, so we came.»
Veronica couldn’t understand such audacity. Even if they were relatives, they should have asked her. And she also didn’t know why her husband hadn’t deigned to consult her.
«I don’t know what my husband allowed you, but personally, I didn’t allow anyone anything.»
Then Lyuba joined the conversation.
«Veronica, stop quarreling. We’re relatives, after all. We’ll live together just fine. Besides, I’ve fried some potatoes. Let’s go to the table.»
«Stuffed!» Veronica replied and went upstairs.
Roman felt the atmosphere heating up and also tried to smooth things over.
«Veronica, we would like to stay for at least a week. Do you mind?»
«I do mind.»
«Come on, on a familial basis. Besides, Igor himself invited us. You understand, I took a vacation just for this. Lyuba asked me so much, you wouldn’t believe.»
Then Veronica realized that perhaps she shouldn’t have been so heated and agreed. In the end, the relatives stayed on the first floor, and she was on the second.
It seemed they had forgotten about the incident and even managed to have a normal conversation. If not for one main ‘but.’ Roman and Lyuba were still slobs.
They hardly washed the dishes, dirtied the floors, and messed up the pool. To all comments, they just joked or promised to clean up later.
«I’m not joking, I’m already tired of this pigsty!» Veronica said.
However, in response, she heard the same:
«Don’t exaggerate. Think about it, we left some crumbs on the table, so what?» Lyuba shrugged her shoulders.
«So what? I don’t need to breed mice here!»
Eventually, she managed to make them clean up after themselves, but often she had to do it herself. Because it was easier to clean up right away rather than constantly ask and wait another 3 days.
Then, unexpectedly, Veronica had a great idea. The next day she decided to wake up the guests early in the morning.
«Get up!»
«Veronica, why so early? What happened?» Roman rubbed his eyes.
«Now we’ll go work in the garden, while the sun is not too hot. So, you can sleep later. And you, Lyuba, get up too.»
Lyuba lazily stretched in bed.
«Why me?»
«Why? You’ll help too. Since you came, there’s no time to waste, let’s help.»
Eventually, Veronica got her way, and the relatives went outside.
«What do we need to do?»
«Oh, we have a ton of work here. For example, we need to weed the whole garden, then water it, and ideally transplant the flowers.»
By lunchtime, the relatives worked with her in the garden.
«And aren’t you tired, Veronica, of dealing with all this?» Lyuba yawned.
«No, if you want to live at the country house, then you need to work. Or did you think people just relax here?»
Lyuba kept silent, and Veronica already knew her answer.
«Alright, we’ll continue in the evening.»
«What do you mean ‘in the evening’? When will we rest?» Roman asked, surprised.
«When it gets dark.»
Eventually, after lunch, Veronica saw her guests quickly start to pack.
«Where are you going?»
«We’re leaving.»
«How come? You wanted to stay for a week. I thought it would be nice, you could help out.»
Roman and Lyuba’s eyes darted around.
«You know, I got a call from work. So we can’t stay. We have to leave. Maybe another time.»
«Well, alright,» Veronica barely held back a smile.
When the guests had left, she decided to call Igor to clarify the situation.
«What keys? I didn’t give them anything!» the husband claimed.
«Alright, then how did they have them?»
«That’s exactly what we need to find out.»
Then Igor remembered that Roman had once come to visit him and was in the office when Igor received a call. Most likely, he secretly decided to make a duplicate. How dare he?
In general, Igor and his brother had a very serious conversation ahead. And he was also proud of his wife’s cunning. To think, she even managed to make them work. So that, so to speak, it wouldn’t be customary to wander around where they weren’t needed.
