Larisa, come on, let’s go visit my relatives for the May holidays, huh?” Kostya pleaded with his wife in a pitiful tone.
“No way! They’ll pull the same stunt again and make us buy the meat! They’re such cheapskates!” Larisa snapped.
“But Larisa, why just sit at home? The weather’s great!”
“Kostya!”
“At least promise you’ll think about it!”
“Fine, I’ll think about it, since you won’t stop bugging me…” Larisa relented.
Recently, Kostya’s brother Viktor had inherited a small summer property with a tiny cottage. The house was so cramped that even two people barely fit inside. But the plot of land itself was fairly spacious despite its modest size.
Kostya immediately started pushing to visit his brother.
“What’s the big deal? He got the dacha, let him invite us over for a break,” he reasoned to Larisa.
Viktor consulted his wife Alina, and after a brief discussion, agreed to host them—with one condition:
“Fine, come over—but bring your own meat.”
This, of course, irritated Larisa, but she decided to go anyway. She was curious to see how the place had changed under new ownership.
However, as she suspected, the visit didn’t go well.
Viktor and Alina monopolized the grill and barely let Larisa and Kostya near it, yet eagerly devoured the meat the guests had brought. In the end, the hosts left their guests with a measly portion and ate the lion’s share themselves.
Viktor, on the other hand, was generous with alcohol and put homemade moonshine on the table. By evening, the two brothers were so drunk that Larisa had to struggle to get Kostya back home.
After such a “vacation,” Larisa had no desire to ever visit the in-laws again. But Kostya kept insisting, almost breaking her resolve.
Then the phone rang. To her surprise, it was Viktor himself, inviting them over again.
“Come for the May holidays! What else will you do in the city?”
“We haven’t decided how we’ll spend the holidays yet.”
“Well, I’ve decided for you. Come on, don’t say no.”
Larisa started wondering if Viktor had forgotten to mention the meat—but just before hanging up, he added:
“Just don’t forget to buy meat.”
Thank God, she thought. For a second there, I thought he’d gone completely crazy.
She told Kostya about the call. He was thrilled and looked at her expectantly.
Larisa squinted and declared:
“You know, maybe I don’t mind going. Maybe even having a little fun.”
“Fun? You? You can’t stand my relatives!”
“True. But I got an idea when Vitya mentioned the meat again.”
“What kind of idea?”
“Let’s teach them a lesson—buy meat just for ourselves! Let them see what it’s like to be left without kebabs!” Larisa said slyly.
Kostya thought for a moment, then grinned.
“You’re something else, Larisa! Let’s do it. Let’s see what they say this time.”
Decision made, Larisa bought the meat, marinated it in a small lidded bucket, and stored it in the fridge.
The next morning, they got in the car and drove to the dacha. The weather was lovely: bright sun, clear sky, and fresh air even lifted Larisa’s mood. She thought that on a day like this, she could even tolerate her in-laws just to enjoy the outdoors and green grass.
“Finally! How was the drive?” Viktor greeted them at the gate.
“Great, no traffic. And they widened the road—it’s much easier now,” Kostya replied.
“The coals are already burning! I brought a couple bottles of wine!” Viktor rubbed his hands. “So, hand over the meat.”
Alina brought out the wine, plastic cups, and set everything up near the grill.
“Today, we’ll be manning the grill. We brought meat—but only for ourselves,” Larisa said calmly, pointing to the bucket in Kostya’s hands.
“What do you mean, only for yourselves?” Viktor asked, confused.
“Just that. We figured it’s only fair—everyone brings and eats their own.”
“Strange logic. So basically, you came empty-handed!” Alina snapped.
“Not empty-handed. We brought our own meat,” Larisa answered coolly.
“If you didn’t bring any for yourselves, we could share. A few pieces, no more,” Kostya added.
“We don’t need your handouts. We’ll make do with vegetables. And don’t you dare touch our wine!” Alina shot back angrily.
“What a waste of good coals,” Viktor grumbled.
Larisa and Kostya grilled their skewers in peace, while Viktor and Alina sat at the table, drinking wine with tomatoes and cucumbers. They got tipsy quickly and soon dozed off in their loungers.
After finishing their meal and the rest of the wine, Larisa and Kostya decided to nap inside the house. The fresh air and hearty lunch did their job—they slept so soundly that they didn’t notice Viktor and Alina waking up and returning indoors.
“Hey, wake up, it’s already night!” Viktor tried shaking his brother awake, but Kostya just mumbled something and rolled over.
“Now what do we do?” Alina whispered.
“It’s too cold to sleep outside. That’s not an option.”
“There’s no space left inside.”
“Should we drag them outside?”
“Are you kidding? We can’t lift Kostya…”
“You’re right,” Viktor agreed.
Shrugging, Viktor and Alina decided their only option was to ask the neighbors to let them stay over.
Kostya woke up at dawn, feeling more rested than he had in ages. At first, he didn’t know where he was. Then, remembering yesterday, he gently shook Larisa.
“Larisa, wake up! We accidentally spent the night here.”
“Wow… What time is it?”
“Still early. But we should get up and head home.”
They stepped outside and found the yard empty.
“Where are our hosts?”
“No idea. If we slept in the house, where’d they go?”
“We stayed with the neighbors!” Viktor and Alina suddenly appeared.
“Why are you up so early?”
“We didn’t sleep! We were waiting for you to free our house!” Viktor said sternly.
“So how does it feel to mooch off someone else?” Alina added snidely.
“Listen, can we stop with the family drama?” Larisa sighed. “I brought meat only for us to make a point—it’s not fair to expect us to always supply it. Sure, we’re guests, but we could’ve just brought cake for tea. Do you really think we’d come empty-handed?”
Viktor and Alina exchanged glances.
“Okay, maybe you’re right,” Viktor muttered, looking away. “Didn’t realize that request bugged you so much.”
“I’m not mad. I just don’t feel like visiting anymore.”
“Alright, message received…” Viktor waved dismissively.
“All settled? Then shall we go?” Kostya asked.
“Wait,” Viktor paused. “Since you’re already here, how about we go to the market? It opens early. We can split the cost of fresh meat and have a proper get-together?”
“Let’s do it!” his brother said happily.
The women exchanged glances and smiled. It seemed the conflict had finally been resolved.
