“What did you even know? That your mother would want a little nature trip, and Aunt Valya would decide to haul half the house to the dacha? And will our family ever have its own plans for the weekend? As soon as summer starts, the circus begins!
“Yulya, don’t shout like that. The kids are asleep.”
“And you know what? I want to shout. Because I held it in all day. Because once again my weekend, my time, my promises to the kids — all went down the drain. And because of who? Because of your relatives!”
One evening, after spending nearly two hours on the road after work, Yulya, exhausted and angry, stepped over the threshold of their apartment and, without taking off her jacket, announced:
“That’s it, I can’t do this anymore. I’m buying a car. I’m sick of all these transfers and connections. It wastes an enormous amount of time.”
Her husband Nikita didn’t even try to talk her out of it. He knew perfectly well how much time and energy Yulya spent commuting, especially in bad weather. And she had dreamed of having a car for a long time. Yulya’s eyes would light up whenever she saw some cute little bright-colored car on the road.
“Well then,” he nodded, “let’s see what we can get. I think we can find something decent without taking out a loan.”
And so they did. Several evenings in a row, after putting the kids, Olesya and Vanya, to bed, they looked through ads. A small, compact, inexpensive car in good condition — that was exactly what the young couple had in mind. Nikita went out to inspect and check the options.
Finally, they found the perfect one. Yulya took a test drive and fell in love at first sight. They bought the car quietly, without making a fuss. They didn’t tell their parents and didn’t boast to their friends.
During the first week, Yulya was quite nervous, but the weather was great and the roads were dry. In the mornings she managed to drop Vanya off at daycare and Olesya at school’s playground, then calmly drove to work, and in the evening back home. The commute now took far less time.
On weekends, Yulya drove herself to the store and the market, thrilled that she no longer had to lug heavy bags around. Life was getting better, but it didn’t last long.
One Saturday, as the family sat down for breakfast, the phone rang.
“It’s Mom,” Nikita said, glancing at the screen.
Yulya sighed and walked into the kitchen. A few minutes later, Nikita returned.
“Mom needs us to take Aunt Valya to the dacha.”
“What, your mom can’t drive her herself? Or call a taxi, for that matter? How did Aunt Valya get to her dacha before this?”
“As far as I know, by train. But apparently this is some special case. Maybe she needs to bring a lot of stuff…” Nikita shrugged.
“Don’t you remember we promised the kids to take them to the amusement park today while we actually have a rare day off?”
“Of course I remember,” her husband sighed. “I’ll go quickly and then come straight to you. You go ahead with the kids.”
Yulya kept her word — she quickly got dressed, helped the kids get ready, shoved water bottles, wet wipes, and a spare sweater for Vanya into a backpack. On the way, her friend called and suggested meeting up in the evening, but Yulya declined. She knew all too well how this Sunday would end.
Meanwhile, in Aunt Valya’s parking lot, Nikita loaded not only over a dozen boxes of jars into the trunk, but also an old mattress, two bundles of clothes, and even a box of books. He didn’t argue; he just tried to fit everything into the car.
At the very last moment, Nikita’s mother — Tatyana Vasilievna — joined them. She loved nature, even though she didn’t have her own dacha. Tatyana Vasilievna hadn’t worked for years, and any trip outside the city was like a mini-adventure for her.
While the car slowly rolled along the dirt road, Vanya was throwing a tantrum at the park because he wanted to go on the same carousel as his ten-year-old sister. Olesya whined that she was bored because everything was “for babies.” Yulya was torn between her son’s whining and her daughter’s complaints, and then realized that she hadn’t heard from her husband for several hours. The phone was silent — no calls, no messages.
“Of course,” she muttered. “As always… there’s never any reception in that village.”
Her head was pounding. The coffee she’d drunk on the go had long since worn off. And with the kids screaming in the background, it was starting to feel like sheer hell.
Meanwhile, at the dacha, Aunt Valya sat on the veranda with Tatyana Vasilievna. Compote, sandwiches with salami, and endless conversations about their youth. Nikita knew better than to hurry them — these chats could last for hours. He’d already tried standing up and reminding his mother that it was time to head back to the city, but she just waved him off:
“Oh, don’t rush! It’s not even dark yet. What’s the hurry? We’ll sit a bit more and then go.”
“Maybe you should stay here overnight then?” Nikita suggested.
“No, what are you saying! I don’t like sleeping anywhere but my own bed.”
“Mom, but I had plans today too. It’s my day off; I promised the kids…”
“Your kids can wait. They’re too spoiled with attention anyway. Let Yulya remember she’s a mother.”
“She’s never forgotten that,” Nikita retorted.
Tatyana Vasilievna waved her hand dismissively at her son, and Nikita started looking for a spot with a cell signal. At that moment, Yulya was standing in line for cotton candy.
Nikita knocked on the apartment door when silence already reigned inside. The kids had long been tucked into bed, and only the kitchen light revealed someone was still awake.
The door opened almost immediately. Yulya looked at him and, without saying a word, turned and walked into the kitchen. Nikita stepped inside, looking like a guilty schoolboy, and followed his wife. On the table sat a half-empty cup of tea, and nearby lay an open pack of headache pills.
“Yulya… please forgive me. I didn’t think it would drag on like that. Mom first asked to wait, then she and Aunt Valya started chatting… There was no signal at all; I couldn’t even text you. I really—”
“You didn’t think?” Yulya turned, and for the first time all day Nikita realized just how exhausted she was. “I spent the entire day alone with two kids at the park, in case you forgot. One constantly tugging at my hand, the other whining that she’s bored. Lines, screams, tantrums, cotton candy melting in the sun and sticking to everything possible. I couldn’t even drink a cup of coffee in peace. And you… you sat there with sandwiches and chit-chat on the veranda.”
“Well, I didn’t know they’d…,” Nikita began, but Yulya cut him off:
“What did you even know? That your mother would want a little nature trip, and Aunt Valya would decide to haul half the house to the dacha? And will our family ever have its own weekend plans? As soon as summer starts, the circus begins!”
“Yulya, don’t shout like that. The kids are asleep.”
“And you know what? I want to shout. Because I held it in all day. Because once again my weekend, my time, my promises to the kids — all went down the drain. And because of who? Because of your relatives!”
Yulya exhaled heavily, ran her hand over her face, and leaned against the countertop.
“I just wanted to spend the day with the family. With you too. And in the end, I was alone. As always…”
Nikita stayed silent. He understood that any excuse would only make things worse. And it was true: this time, he had let everyone down. Especially Yulya.
“I didn’t realize you were so dependent on other people’s whims,” Yulya added quietly. “I thought you were an adult. But you’re just a boy who’s afraid to say no to his mommy.”
She left the kitchen without another word, leaving Nikita alone under the dim light and buzzing silence.
The week flew by. Workdays with endless tasks, traffic jams, and kids’ tantrums drained all their energy. By Friday, Yulya once again felt completely worn out. When the weekend forecast promised sunny weather, Yulya firmly decided:
“On Saturday we’re going to the pond. Just us. I want to relax too, Nikita. I want to lie on a lounge chair and enjoy the summer sun.”
Nikita had no objections.
Saturday morning came. Yulya, in high spirits, packed everything: inflatable ring and arm floaties for Olesya, sunscreen, sandwiches, spare clothes for the kids, water, and Vanya’s sand toys. Vanya ran around the apartment with the ring pretending to be a fish, and Olesya carefully tucked a book into her backpack. Everything was going perfectly.
Nikita decided to fill up the car in advance so they could leave right away. He closed the door behind him, went down to the car, and had just pulled out his phone to check notifications when it rang — his mother calling.
He didn’t answer right away. His fingers clenched around the phone. Finally, he swiped to pick up.
“Hi, Mom.”
“Hi, son. Listen, I was thinking, last time at Valya’s dacha was just wonderful. So I thought we’d repeat it today. Will you drive us there?”
“Mom,” Nikita exhaled wearily. “We’re going to the pond with the kids. I’ve already promised, so I can’t.”
“What nonsense!” Tatyana Vasilievna exclaimed. “You’re with your family every day. Haven’t you had enough? Can’t you just pick up your mother?”
“It’s not that I can’t, but I won’t. I promised Yulya I’d take them. And I want to spend the day with the kids.”
“I’ve told you before, you spoil them too much. They’ll sit at home; nothing will happen to them,” her voice turned sarcastic. “Besides, I heard from strangers that you bought Yulka a car. For what merits, huh? Let her drive the kids around in her tin can, and you take your mother!”
“Mom…”
But the answer was just the short beeps — she’d hung up.
All the way home, Nikita thought about his mother, Yulya, the kids, and what he should do. When he returned, Yulya met him in the hallway, already holding an inflated arm float and smiling brightly:
“What took you so long? Vanya’s already asking when we’re leaving!”
Nikita sighed and kissed his wife on the temple:
“We’re leaving right now. Let’s go downstairs.”
Of course, going against his mother was hard, but Nikita understood that the kids needed him present in their lives. He didn’t want to become like his own father — a piece of soulless furniture in his children’s world.
The drive to the pond was surprisingly easy. The Saturday morning wasn’t too hot yet, and even the traffic jams seemed to have taken the day off. The car glided smoothly along the asphalt while Yulya softly hummed her favorite song on the radio, glancing back at Vanya juggling the inflatable ring and Olesya studying the clouds, as if looking for fairy-tale animals among them.
The pond greeted them with clear water shimmering under the sun. There were lots of people — families, kids, noise, laughter, the smell of fried pies from some grandma by the entrance. But they still found a cozy spot under the trees.
Yulya immediately spread out a blanket, pulled out a bottle of cool water, and sat down, stretching out her legs. Vanya and Olesya were already running around in the shallows, squealing with delight and splashing each other. Nikita left the backpack by his wife and joined the kids in the water.
Meanwhile, at the bottom of the backpack, the phone vibrated. Once, twice. On the screen: “Mom.”
When the whole family came back to shore to dry off and warm up, Nikita took the phone out. Six missed calls from his mother. He started to get angry, closed his eyes for a second, and then stood up:
“I’m going to get the kids some ice cream.”
“Get me one too,” Yulya called after him.
He nodded and, stepping away from the water and the crowd, called his mother back. She picked up on the third ring.
“Finally!” came her irritated voice. “Where have you been? I even called Valya. She left on the train without your help!”
“Mom, I’ve already left the city,” Nikita said calmly but firmly. “I’m at the pond with the kids. I promised them, and I’m not going to let them down again. I’ll be back only in the evening.”
Nikita patiently listened to everything his mother spewed. He simply waited for her to understand that today she wouldn’t get her way.
“Of course! Once again you’re doing everything for that Yulka of yours! She’s the one coming up with these ridiculous trips. Everyone else is normal, and you two are always running around! I’m your mother, by the way! And you should—”
“Exactly,” Nikita interrupted. “You’re my mother. But I’m no longer a boy you can order around at will. And if you ever again talk about Yulya like that, you won’t see your grandchildren. Ever.”
There was silence on the other end. Nikita even heard someone swallow. He wasn’t used to talking to his mother like that, but the line had been crossed.
“Well… fine,” Tatyana Vasilievna muttered awkwardly. “Do as you wish.”
“Goodbye, Mom,” Nikita said and hung up.
He stood there for another minute, took a deep breath as if shaking off a weight from his shoulders, and then headed to the nearest kiosk. He bought two popsicles for the kids, a chocolate cone for Yulya, and a fruit ice for himself, then returned to the family.
They were sitting on the shore: Vanya rummaging through the bags, Olesya building a tower out of pebbles, and Yulya, eyes closed, tilting her face to the sun.
Nikita handed her the ice cream.
“Thanks,” she whispered, opening her eyes with a smile.
He sat down next to his wife, and together they stared at the shimmering golden surface of the water.
