Gennady carefully brought up the subject over morning coffee, watching his wife’s reaction. Veronika was turning the pages of a book, enjoying the silence of their lakeside refuge.
“Veronika, I have a favor to ask,” he began, putting his cup down. “My cousin Ulyana wants to come stay with us.”
“Ulyana? I don’t think I know her.”
“She’s a distant relative, we rarely saw each other. Recently she went through a scandalous divorce, after which she fell into depression. The doctors recommend a change of scenery.”
Veronika thought for a moment, looking at the smooth surface of the lake outside the window. This house meant more to her than just a piece of property. Her grandfather had received it back in Soviet times, when he worked as a forest ranger in the nature reserve. Back then the state provided housing to specialists who were responsible for protecting nature. After her grandfather’s death, the house passed to her father, and then to her. Every board, every stone in the foundation held her family’s memory.
“I know this is protected territory and not everyone is allowed to be here,” Gennady went on. “But I think for a short time…”
“That’s not a problem. Guests can come, the main thing is they don’t violate the environmental regulations,” Veronika replied. “But maybe it would be better to offer her our apartment in the city?”
“It’s too noisy in the city, and she’d be bored alone between four walls. And here there’s fresh air, the lake, the forest—exactly what she needs.”
Veronika nodded. She understood the healing power of this place. From here, just fifteen minutes by car—and you could be on the seashore. On foot, the road took about an hour along a picturesque forest trail.
“All right, let her come. When is she planning to arrive?”
“On Saturday. I’ll pick her up at the airport.”
Saturday morning began as usual. Gennady went to the airport, and Veronika busied herself with housework, getting ready for the guest’s arrival. She changed the bed linen in the guest room, bought groceries, and even cut some flowers for a small bouquet.
The sound of a car pulling up made her look out the window. What she saw left her at a loss. Getting out of the car was not only Gennady with a young woman who was obviously Ulyana, but also an elderly lady and another girl with a large amount of luggage.
Veronika stepped out onto the porch, trying to keep a welcoming smile on her face.
“Welcome!” she said as the group approached the house.
Gennady looked as confused as she felt.
“Veronika, this is Ulyana,” he pointed to the fragile blonde. “And this is…” he hesitated, “my aunt Zinaida Petrovna and her younger daughter Kristina.”
“Nice to meet you,” Veronika shook the guests’ hands. “Come in, make yourselves at home.”
While the guests were looking around the house and admiring the view of the lake, Veronika pulled her husband aside.
“We agreed on one person,” she said quietly but firmly. “Where did the other two come from?”
“To be honest, I’m shocked myself,” he admitted. “When I arrived at the airport, Ulyana was standing there with my aunt and Kristina. Turns out Aunt Zina decided that after the divorce her niece shouldn’t be left alone and organized a family trip.”
“And you couldn’t warn me in advance?”
“I only found out at the airport. What was I supposed to do—leave them there?”
Veronika looked at the guests, who had already started to settle in and were discussing evening plans.
“Of course not. But next time, let’s discuss these things in advance,” she tried to speak calmly, although the prospect of hosting three strangers in her protected refuge did not delight her.
“Absolutely. Thank you for being so understanding about the situation.”
Veronika went back to the guests.
In the evening, Gennady went to the bedroom to call his mother. Veronika heard snatches of their conversation through the thin wall.
“Mom, why didn’t you tell me Aunt Zinaida and Kristina were coming?” Gennady’s voice sounded tense.
“Oh, I completely forgot!” Svetlana Yuryevna replied carelessly. “Don’t worry, son. Your aunt goes back to work in two weeks, so they won’t stay long.”
“Two weeks?” Gennady repeated.
“Well yes, her vacation is exactly that long. It’s nothing, you’ll survive.”
Gennady returned to the living room, where Veronika was reading by the fireplace.
“Looks like our guests are planning to stay for two weeks,” he said cautiously.
Veronika looked up from her book.
“Gennady, let’s talk again about the option with the city apartment. Two weeks is a completely different matter.”
“What are you two whispering about?” Aunt Zinaida walked into the living room, having heard fragments of the conversation. “Aren’t you happy to have us here? I can see perfectly well we’re not wanted!”
“No, not at all, what are you saying!” Veronika quickly stood up. “Please, stay. It’s just that we weren’t expecting such a large group.”
Zinaida Petrovna gave her a distrustful look but said nothing.
That evening, Veronika and Gennady were in the kitchen preparing dinner for the guests. They fried fish, made a vegetable salad, and boiled new potatoes.
“It’s very tasty, thank you!” Ulyana said sincerely.
“Yes, you’re a good cook,” Tatiana nodded.
Zinaida Petrovna was also pleased with the dinner, but her mood soon changed.
“And where are we going to sleep?” she asked, looking around the house. “Are we really all three supposed to squeeze into one tiny room?”
“Unfortunately, we only have one guest bedroom,” Veronika explained.
“What if you swap with us?” suggested Zinaida Petrovna. “You have the big bedroom, there’s more room there.”
“Aunt Zina,” Gennady intervened, “we were expecting one person, so we prepared one room. You’ll have to share the guest room between the three of you.”
Ulyana pressed her lips together and turned away to the window in displeasure.
“She still hasn’t recovered from the stress,” Gennady quietly explained to his wife. “Her nerves are shot after the divorce.”
The next day Veronika left early for work. At lunchtime Gennady called her.
“Can you stop by the store on your way home? Buy some groceries.”
“Why?” Veronika was surprised. “There’s plenty in the fridge.”
“Well, just in case. There are a lot of guests, it might not be enough.”
Veronika agreed, but her workday dragged on, and she forgot about her husband’s request. At home she was met with displeasure.
“Where are the groceries?” Gennady asked.
“What are you trying to say?” Zinaida Petrovna flared up. “Are we supposed to sit here hungry?”
“You could have cooked something yourselves,” Veronika replied calmly, opening the kitchen cupboards. “There’s pasta, grains, vegetables in the fridge.”
“We’re guests!” Ulyana exclaimed. “How can we be expected to cook for ourselves?”
“Exactly!” Tatiana supported her. “We came here to rest, not to stand in the kitchen!”
“They’re your guests—sort it out yourself,” Veronika said to her husband and went to her study, closing the door behind her.
“Did your wife really get offended?” Zinaida Petrovna asked in surprise.
“Aunt Zina, let’s just cook something,” Gennady suggested.
“We came as guests, not to some self-service sanatorium!” Ulyana protested.
“Exactly!” Tatiana chimed in. “We didn’t come to strangers!”
“Veronika and I both work. We don’t have time to wait on you,” Gennady explained.
A few minutes later his phone rang. It was his mother.
“How are things? Aunt Zina is complaining that you abandoned them to fend for themselves!” she burst out indignantly.
“Mom, we’re working. Aunt Zina can go into town, call a taxi and buy whatever they need.”
“If you invited guests, you should provide for them! What kind of host are you?”
“I invited only Ulyana, and right now I have three people living here,” Gennady reminded her.
“Stop acting up! And don’t you dare offend your aunt and her nieces!” his mother snapped and hung up.
Gennady went into the kitchen, where he found Veronika frying potatoes.
“Let me help,” he said, picking up a knife.
“Why doesn’t any of your family want to help?” Veronika asked.
“Well, Ulyana had a nervous breakdown…”
“And your aunt also had a breakdown? Or Tatiana?” Veronika turned to him. “Gennady, they just don’t want to do anything.”
Gennady stayed silent, realizing his wife was right.
That evening Veronika decided to take a short walk to the lake to distract herself from the tense atmosphere in the house. She walked along the familiar path, breathing in the cool air and savoring the quiet. But she had barely gone two hundred meters from the house when the silence was shattered by loud music.
Veronika turned around and saw bright light pouring from the windows of their house, with music blaring at full volume. She hurried back and went inside, where she found the guests dancing in the living room. Walking over to the stereo, she turned it off.
“What are you doing?” Ulyana protested. “We’re just relaxing!”
“This is a protected area,” Veronika explained evenly. “Rare birds live here, and loud music disturbs them. It’s forbidden to play music at high volume. You saw the signs along the road.”
“So what?” Kristina snapped. “It’s not like we’re screaming through the whole forest!”
“So there will be no loud music,” Veronika said firmly.
“What, are we supposed to live like in a monastery?” Zinaida Petrovna fumed.
To Veronika’s surprise, Gennady suddenly took their side:
“Veronka, it’s no big deal if we turn the music back on. Let the girls have some fun.”
“Sure, no problem,” Veronika agreed with a barely noticeable smile. “Just be ready to pay a fine of two thousand rubles.”
“What nonsense is this?” Ulyana exploded. “What fine?”
“For violating the environmental regulations. The rangers regularly patrol the area,” Veronika explained.
Ulyana stormed off to her room and slammed the door. Veronika immediately opened it and calmly said:
“In future, don’t slam the doors. This isn’t your house.”
“Whose is it then?” Ulyana snapped. “Gennady is my relative, which means this is his house too!”
Veronika stepped out of the house, angry at herself for not having anticipated such behavior from her husband’s relatives. She couldn’t believe their tactlessness and complete lack of respect for the rules.
She walked down to the lake and sat on an old wooden bench. Along the shore stood about a dozen cottages, with lights on in some of them. Veronika loved this place precisely for its quiet—cars constantly droned in the city, construction sites were working, people shouted. But here you could hear the splash of water, the rustle of leaves, and birdsong.
She spent about an hour by the lake, trying to calm down and gather her thoughts. When it was completely dark, she returned to the house.
After taking a shower, Veronika went to bed. But in the next room someone turned on the TV, and the sound of the program kept her from falling asleep. She nudged Gennady in the side.
“Why are your relatives so tactless?” she asked quietly. “Do they really not understand that we have work tomorrow?”
“I’ll definitely talk to Aunt Zina tomorrow,” Gennady promised sleepily.
“Definitely,” Veronika agreed, pulling the blanket over her head to at least muffle the sound of the TV a little.
The next day Veronika came home from work and froze on the threshold. The kitchen looked like a battlefield: dirty dishes piled up in the sink and on the table, crumbs and wrappers were scattered on the floor, empty bottles stood everywhere, and apple cores and leftovers were strewn across the counters and even the floor.
“Oh, Veronika’s home!” Zinaida Petrovna exclaimed happily, coming out of the living room. “How nice that you’re back!”
“What are we having for dinner?” Ulyana immediately asked without looking up from her phone.
Veronika silently picked up a broom and began sweeping the garbage from the floor.
“Are you doing this on purpose?” Zinaida protested. “We’re sitting here trying to relax!”
“I’m not used to living in a pigsty,” Veronika replied calmly, continuing to sweep. “This is my house, and I like it to be clean.”
“Who do you think you are!” Kristina flared up. “It’s not like we’re making a mess on purpose!”
“Exactly!” Ulyana backed her up, jumping up from the sofa. “You’re completely full of yourself! Think just because this is your house, you can humiliate us?”
“Repeat that, please,” Veronika stopped and looked at Ulyana.
“You’re a spoiled cow!” Ulyana shouted and rushed to her room, slamming the door with a crash.
Veronika turned to Gennady, who was watching the scene from the doorway:
“If your niece slams that door one more time, I’ll ask them to vacate the house.”
“How can you say that?” Aunt Zina rushed to her daughter’s defense. “She’s had a nervous breakdown! She needs to calm her nerves!”
“This is not a sanatorium,” Veronika explained patiently. “This is a protected area. And I’m not a doctor to treat anyone. I agreed to my husband’s request and allowed Ulyana to come. But for some reason, instead of just her, an entire camp turned up.”
“Oh, so now we’re a camp!” Aunt Zina took offense. “You hear that, Gennady? Hear how your wife talks about us!”
“And what are we going to eat?” Kristina asked again.
“Go cook,” Veronika told her husband.
Gennady went into the kitchen and opened the fridge.
“There’s nothing here,” he reported.
Veronika came over and looked inside. Indeed, the fridge was practically empty—only condiments and a bottle of ketchup remained.
“Well then, order food,” she said.
“I don’t have much money!” Zinaida protested. “I didn’t plan on spending money on food!”
“I’m sorry, I don’t understand,” Veronika looked at her in bewilderment. “You’re eating, so you have to buy groceries.”
“We’re guests!” Zinaida objected. “The hosts should feed the guests!”
“Hosts invite people to dinner or for the weekend,” Veronika explained. “But when guests live with you for two weeks, they share the expenses equally with the hosts.”
“I’ve never heard of such a thing!” Zinaida snorted. “What kind of hospitality is that?”
“It’s called common sense,” Veronika shot back. “Four people eat four times as much as one.”
“That’s pure greed!” Kristina shook her head. “Gennady, are you really going to let your wife treat us like this?”
Veronika looked at her husband, who was silent, clearly not knowing what to say.
“Actually, I’m not hungry,” she said at last. “I’ll make myself some coffee.”
She took a pack of cookies from the cupboard, brewed coffee in a small cezve and headed for the door.
“Where are you going?” Gennady asked.
“To the lake. To get some fresh air.”
Veronika sat on her favorite bench by the water and tried to calm down. The lake was still, only a light ripple running across its surface. She remembered how she had met Gennady three years earlier right here, by this lake.
Back then she had come for the weekend alone, to put the house in order after winter. It was early morning; she had gone down to the lake with a cup of coffee when she saw a man trying to pull a small boat out of the water. He was clearly not local—dressed in city clothes completely unsuited for such work.
“Need a hand?” she offered.
“I’d be very grateful,” he replied with a smile. “I’m Gennady.”
“Veronika. Are you on vacation here?”
“I rented a cottage for a week. Friends recommended this place for fishing.”
Together they dragged the boat ashore, and Veronika showed him the best fishing spots. Gennady turned out to be an interesting conversationalist; he loved to travel and read. They talked until evening, walking along the forest paths.
They met every day that week. Gennady told her about his work and plans, and Veronika told him about the reserve and its inhabitants. He admired her knowledge of nature, and she admired his ability to see beauty in simple things.
When the week ended, Gennady didn’t want to leave.
“Can I come again?” he asked.
“Of course,” Veronika replied, realizing she didn’t want to part with him either.
From then on he began to come every weekend. A year later he proposed, and they got married. Gennady moved into her house, changed jobs, and seemed completely happy.
And now his relatives had arrived, and she already hated them for their brazen behavior. And it had only been two days.
Veronika finished her now-cold coffee and looked out at the lake. Somewhere deep inside she understood that this ordeal would pass. But there were still twelve days ahead.
Another two days went by, and every time Veronika came home from work, the first thing she did was start cleaning. She did it demonstratively—turned on the vacuum cleaner, wiped down the tables, put the furniture back in its place. Gennady grumbled, as did Aunt Zinaida, who felt that Veronika was doing it out of spite, to show how messy his guests were.
“Yes, the guests are very unpleasant,” Veronika would say openly, not mincing words.
“Why are you acting like some cleaning lady!” Zinaida protested. “We can see perfectly well that you’re flaunting your neatness at us!”
“I’m flaunting my upbringing,” Veronika replied calmly, continuing to clean.
On Thursday evening, as Veronika was vacuuming the living room as usual, someone knocked on the door. On the doorstep stood a man in the uniform of a reserve ranger.
“Good evening,” he said, taking off his hat. “Mikhail Sergeyevich, senior inspector of the reserve. May I have a word?”
“Of course, come in,” Veronika immediately understood what this was about.
“We received a complaint that loud music was playing here today,” the ranger explained. “Right now is nesting season for the birds, and loud noises disturb them.”
“I understand, and I apologize,” Veronika said. “We have guests who don’t know the rules of the reserve.”
“If it happens again, I’ll be forced to issue a fine,” Mikhail Sergeyevich warned. “The rules are the same for everyone.”
“It won’t happen again,” Veronika assured him.
After the ranger left, Veronika turned to her husband:
“Gennady, explain to your relatives that from now on it has to be quiet. This is the last warning.”
“What nonsense!” Kristina exploded. “I didn’t agree to live in a monastery!”
“No problem,” Veronika replied calmly. “There’s the road—feel free to go.”
“You have an apartment in the city!” Ulyana protested. “Then I’d rather live there!”
She stomped off to her room and slammed the door for the third time.
“Three,” Veronika said, addressing Gennady.
Gennady grabbed her by the hand.
“Come on, let’s talk.”
They stepped outside, and Gennady immediately began to complain:
“Why are you harping on my relatives like this! They’re not doing anything wrong! So what if the music was a bit loud, so what if they left a few things lying around! You should understand that Ulyana has had a nervous breakdown! And my mother is worried about her, and Kristina came as support for her sister!”
“They’re your relatives,” Veronika explained patiently. “You’re the one who should be dealing with them. I’m amazed that you’re attacking me instead of talking to them. And why is it that you don’t clean the house when you come home from work, but I do, and then you just stand there waiting for me to make dinner? What am I to you, a housemaid?”
“Oh, stop complaining!” Gennady waved his hand. “They’re only here temporarily!”
“Two weeks is not ‘temporarily’!” Veronika retorted. “That’s full-time living!”
Gennady turned around and went back inside, leaving his wife standing outside alone.
The next day Veronika came home and found that the guests were gone. A strange silence filled the house.
“Where are they?” she asked Gennady.
For a while Gennady said nothing, avoiding her eyes. Veronika, out of habit, started tidying up, and then her gaze fell on the little shelf by the front door. The keys to the city apartment were gone.
“Where are the keys?” she asked sternly, walking up to her husband.
“As my wife, you’re treating my relatives rudely,” Gennady began. “You’re making them buy groceries with their own money, scolding them for noise and mess. So they decided to live in town.”
“What do I have to do with this?” Veronika asked in surprise. “What does my apartment have to do with it?”
“Aunt Zina and the girls have nowhere else to stay,” Gennady explained. “They can’t afford a hotel.”
“You know what,” Veronika said slowly, “you are not my husband. I’m amazed how quickly you changed.”
She turned and went to the kitchen, leaving Gennady standing in the middle of the living room.
The next day Veronika was sitting in the office sorting through documents when her phone rang. Gennady’s name lit up on the screen.
“Veronika!” he shouted so loudly that she had to move the phone away from her ear. “What the hell is going on! Some Evgeny and Polina with a little girl have thrown Aunt Zina’s things out onto the landing! They say they’re renting the apartment!”
“Yes, that’s right,” Veronika replied calmly, not taking her eyes off the computer. “I rented the apartment out.”
“You what? You rented it out?!” Gennady yelled. “What are you doing! Where is Aunt Zina supposed to live now?”
“That’s not my concern,” Veronika said coolly. “They’re your relatives—sort it out yourself.”
“All right, then transfer me some money!” Gennady demanded. “I’ll bring them back to the reserve!”
Veronika laughed:
“You’ve got it backwards. They’re your relatives—your expenses. And to be honest, I’ve canceled the pass for your car. The guard won’t let it through anymore. Look for a hotel.”
There was silence on the line, then Gennady managed:
“You… you’re serious?”
“I don’t have time for this conversation,” Veronika replied and hung up.
A few hours later Veronika drove up to the city apartment, where Polina greeted her, laughing.
“Veronika!” her friend exclaimed, hugging her. “You should’ve seen the scene! Your Aunt Zina shows up with her daughters, starts screeching that this is their apartment, and then my Evgeny appears!”
They went to the kitchen, and Polina poured tea.
“As soon as Aunt Zina saw a two-meter-tall guy, she immediately quieted down,” Polina continued, giggling. “She grabbed her bags and left without a word.”
“I’m amazed at how disgustingly Gennady is behaving right now,” Veronika said, sitting down at the table.
“Tell me honestly, why on earth do you need a man who betrayed you at the first opportunity?” Polina asked.
Veronika shrugged.
“It’s hard to sort things out when it comes to someone else’s family. I thought I knew him.”
At that moment Veronika’s phone rang.
“Veronika!” Gennady shouted. “I had to leave the car at the checkpoint and walk here with Aunt Zina and the girls to the cottage!”
“And what are you doing there?” Veronika asked in surprise.
“What do you mean—what? We’re here to live!”
“No,” Veronika answered firmly. “I told you this afternoon that the pass was canceled. Which means neither your aunt, nor your nieces, nor you will be living in the cottage.”
“What do you mean, not me?” Gennady gasped.
“I married a man who always promised to protect me,” Veronika explained. “But then some Aunt Zina appears, and you immediately turn one hundred and eighty degrees. No, Gennady, you won’t be living in that cottage anymore. Nor in the city apartment.”
“So where are we going to live together?” he asked helplessly.
“As for where you’re going to live, I don’t know,” Veronika replied calmly. “But I’ll be living either in my apartment or in my cottage. In fact, Gennady, I’ve decided we’ll have to separate.”
“You’re seriously offended?” Gennady didn’t believe it.
“Not anymore,” Veronika answered. “But I’m not going to live with someone like you. Tomorrow I’ll come and pack your things. Tell me where to bring them—I’ll bring them. But I won’t change my mind.”
She hung up.
Gennady stood in front of the locked cottage door. Beside him clustered Aunt Zina, Ulyana and Kristina.
“Well, go on, open it,” demanded Aunt Zinaida.
“I can’t,” Gennady replied gloomily. “It’s an electronic lock, and the code has been changed.”
He turned around and headed back down the road toward the checkpoint where his car was.
“You’re just going to abandon us?” Aunt Zina shouted.
Gennady said nothing and kept walking.
“Useless!” Ulyana screamed after him. “Spineless! You can’t even put your own wife in her place!”
Meanwhile, Veronika and Polina were settled on the sofa in the city apartment with glasses of wine.
“Don’t you think you overdid it a bit when you said you were breaking up with your husband?” Polina asked cautiously.
“No,” Veronika shook her head. “From the moment he ordered me to clean up after them and cook their food, I realized something was wrong. And when he moved them into my apartment without even asking me, he hammered the last nail into his own coffin.”
“You don’t regret it?”
“No,” Veronika said firmly. “By the way, I’d like to invite you, Evgeny, and Svetlana to the lake for the weekend. Let the girl watch the birds; they’re singing at night now.”
“Thank you,” Polina smiled. “We’ll definitely come.”
At that moment Veronika’s phone rang again—it was her mother-in-law, Svetlana Yuryevna. Veronika switched the phone to silent mode.
The screen would go dark, then light up again a few minutes later—Aunt Zina, Ulyana and Gennady were calling repeatedly. But Veronika didn’t pick up a single time. She just sat with her friend, drank wine, and chatted about future plans.
“Hospitality is the art of making people happy in your home; and the true art consists in remaining happy yourself.” — George Sand
