“Am I supposed to greet the guests myself? What do you mean, you’re going on vacation for a whole week?”
Tolya burst through the apartment door looking as if he had just won the lottery.
His cheeks were flushed from the cold, his eyes were shining, and an enormous smile spread across his face. He barely bothered to take off his jacket before hurrying toward the kitchen.
“Lyubash!” he called excitedly.
Lyuba was standing at the counter preparing dinner. She was tired after a long day at work, but she was still trying to finish everything before they ate.
Tolya came up behind her, wrapped his arms around her waist, and kissed her cheek.
“You won’t believe the news! Mom called.”
Lyuba smiled faintly.
“Really? What happened?”
“Mom, Lenka, and Dimka are coming to visit us!”
The knife in Lyuba’s hand stopped in midair.
For several seconds, she didn't move.
Tolya, however, didn't notice her reaction. He was far too excited.
“Can you imagine?” he continued. “We haven’t seen each other in such a long time. They’ve been missing us. They want to stay for a whole week, see the city, go sightseeing, spend time together. Isn’t that wonderful?”
Lyuba slowly put the knife down.
She turned around and looked at her husband.
There was no smile on her face.
“When?” she asked quietly.
“Friday.”
“Friday?”
“Yes! They’ve already bought the tickets.”
Tolya grinned.
“Mom was so happy when I told her we’d be delighted to have them. Lenka is excited too. She says Dimka keeps asking when they’re going to Uncle Tolya’s. He’s apparently counting the days.”
Lyuba stared at him.
“So you already agreed?”
It wasn't really a question.
Tolya shrugged.
“Of course I did. Why wouldn’t I? They’re family.”
Lyuba remained silent.
Tolya frowned.
“What?”
“Nothing.”
She wiped her hands on a kitchen towel and walked out of the room.
“Where are you going?” Tolya called after her. “Dinner will be ready soon.”
Lyuba didn't answer.
She went into the bedroom, opened the closet, and reached up to the top shelf.
A few seconds later, she pulled down a large travel bag.
Tolya appeared in the doorway.
“What are you doing?”
Lyuba placed the bag on the bed and unzipped it.
She calmly began taking clothes from the closet.
A pair of jeans.
Several T-shirts.
Shorts.
A swimsuit.
A light sundress.
She folded everything carefully and put it into the bag.
Tolya stared at her in disbelief.
“Lyuba?”
No answer.
“Lyuba, what are you doing?”
“Packing.”
“Packing for what?”
She finally looked at him.
“For my vacation.”
Tolya blinked.
“What vacation?”
“The one I’m going to take starting Friday.”
He stared at her as if she'd suddenly announced that she was moving to another country.
“What?”
“Tomorrow I’ll ask for time off. Then I’ll look for a last-minute deal somewhere warm. I’ll leave Friday morning.”
“Are you serious?”
“Yes.”
“For how long?”
“A week.”
Tolya's jaw dropped.
“You’re going on vacation for a week?”
“Yes.”
“But… our guests!”
Lyuba zipped the side pocket of her bag.
“Our guests can stay.”
“With whom?”
“With you.”
Tolya put both hands on his head.
“Are you out of your mind?”
Lyuba calmly turned toward him.
“No. I’m perfectly sane.”
“Lyuba, my mother and sister are coming! I can’t just tell them that you’ve disappeared!”
“You don't have to tell them I disappeared. You can tell them the truth. You invited them.”
Tolya stared at her.
“You expect me to host them by myself?”
“Yes.”
“But I have work!”
Lyuba laughed once, but there was no humor in it.
“So do I.”
“That’s different.”
“Why?”
Tolya opened his mouth but couldn't immediately find an answer.
Lyuba crossed her arms.
“You're the one who invited them. You told them we'd be happy to have them for an entire week. You made the arrangements. You promised them everything would be fine.”
“Because I assumed we would do it together!”
“There’s the problem.”
“What problem?”
“You assumed I would do it.”
Tolya frowned.
“That’s not fair.”
“No?”
“No.”
Lyuba looked directly into his eyes.
“Then let’s talk about what usually happens when your family comes to stay.”
Tolya sighed.
“Here we go…”
“Yes. Here we go.”
She walked back toward the kitchen, and he followed her.
“Last year,” Lyuba began, “your mother came three times.”
“So?”
“Three times, Tolya.”
“She likes visiting us.”
“I know.”
“She loves spending time with her grandchildren—”
“We don't even have children,” Lyuba interrupted.
Tolya paused.
“That’s not the point.”
“It is exactly the point.”
She leaned against the kitchen counter.
“Every single time your mother comes, you walk through the door looking like you've just received the greatest news of your life. You announce it as if you've won a prize.”
“Because I’m happy to see my family.”
“And I'm not?”
“I didn't say that.”
“You don't have to.”
Lyuba's voice was becoming sharper.
“Every time they visit, I become responsible for everything.”
“That's exaggerated.”
“Is it?”
She began counting on her fingers.
“I plan the meals. I buy the groceries. I cook breakfast. I cook lunch. I cook dinner. I clean the apartment. I wash the towels. I change the sheets. I make sure your mother has everything she needs. I remember what Lenka likes to eat. I keep Dimka entertained. I take them sightseeing.”
Tolya folded his arms.
“I help.”
“You work.”
“Yes. I work.”
“So do I.”
“I have meetings.”
“So do I.”
“I have deadlines.”
“So do I.”
Tolya became irritated.
“Then what exactly do you want me to do?”
Lyuba looked at him incredulously.
“Everything you expect me to do.”
“That makes no sense.”
“It makes perfect sense.”
She pointed toward the dining table.
“Remember the last time your mother stayed with us?”
Tolya said nothing.
“I was working too. I had two huge deadlines that week. I came home exhausted every evening.”
“I remember.”
“No, you don't.”
“Yes, I do.”
“Do you remember what happened when I came home?”
Tolya remained silent.
“I went straight into the kitchen.”
Lyuba's eyes filled with frustration.
“I cooked for three hours. Three hours, Tolya.”
“Mom wanted borscht.”
“Your mother always wants borscht.”
“She likes it the way you make it.”
“And Lenka wanted that salad I used to make.”
“She likes your salad.”
“Of course she does.”
Lyuba threw her hands into the air.
“Everyone likes what I make because I’m the one making it!”
Tolya sighed.
“Lyuba, you're making this much bigger than it is.”
That sentence changed something in her expression.
She stared at him for a moment.
Then she quietly said:
“That's what you always say.”
“What?”
“You always say I'm making things bigger than they are.”
“Because sometimes you do.”
“No. I make things manageable. That's what I do.”
She picked up the travel bag.
“And then everyone assumes things just magically happen.”
Tolya followed her.
“Look, Mom isn't coming here to make your life miserable.”
“I know.”
“Lenka will help.”
“Will she?”
“Of course.”
“When was the last time she helped?”
Tolya hesitated.
Lyuba continued before he could answer.
“She arrives with two suitcases, her child, and a list of places she wants to visit. She spends half the day on her phone. Your mother sits in the living room watching television. And you sit at your computer.”
“I have work.”
“You always have work.”
“Because someone has to earn money.”
“And someone has to run the household.”
Tolya looked offended.
“I contribute.”
“You contribute financially. I'm talking about everything else.”
He shook his head.
“This is ridiculous.”
“No. What's ridiculous is that you didn't even ask me.”
Tolya froze.
“What?”
“You didn't ask whether I was available.”
“You would have said yes.”
“You don't know that.”
“You love my family.”
“I do.”
“Then what's the problem?”
“The problem is that you confuse loving someone with being responsible for them.”
Tolya fell silent.
Lyuba continued packing.
“I love your mother. I love Lenka. I adore Dimka. That doesn't mean I want to spend my entire week cooking, cleaning, and entertaining them while I'm exhausted.”
“They're staying for only a week.”
“Exactly.”
“What's that supposed to mean?”
“It means seven days.”
Tolya looked at her.
“Seven days?”
“Yes. Seven breakfasts. Seven lunches. Seven dinners. Seven nights of cleaning up. Seven mornings of making sure everyone has what they need.”
She closed the bag.
“And I don't want to do it.”
Tolya's expression changed from anger to confusion.
“So your solution is to abandon me?”
“I’m not abandoning you.”
“You're leaving me alone with three guests!”
“No.”
“You just said—”
“I'm leaving you alone with the guests you invited.”
The room went silent.
Tolya stared at his wife.
For the first time, he seemed to understand what she was saying.
But he still wasn't ready to accept it.
“You can't do this.”
“Why not?”
“Because we're married.”
“Exactly.”
“What does that have to do with anything?”
“It means you should have talked to me before making plans that affect both of us.”
Tolya rubbed his forehead.
“Okay. Maybe I should have asked.”
“Not maybe.”
“All right. I should have asked.”
Lyuba nodded.
“Good.”
“But you don't have to go on vacation.”
“I want to.”
“Why?”
“Because I need one.”
Tolya looked at her carefully.
“Are you really that tired?”
Lyuba didn't answer immediately.
Then she nodded.
“Yes.”
Her voice was quieter now.
“I am.”
She sat on the edge of the bed.
“I've been tired for months, Tolya. And every time I think I'll finally get some rest, something comes up. Work. Your family. The apartment. Groceries. Cooking. Cleaning. Something is always waiting for me.”
Tolya sat across from her.
“You could have told me.”
“I have.”
“When?”
“Every time I've asked you to help.”
“I do help.”
“Sometimes.”
He looked down.
Lyuba continued.
“I don't want a fight. I don't want to punish you. I don't even want your family to feel unwelcome.”
“Then why are you leaving?”
“Because if I stay, nothing will change.”
Tolya looked up.
“What do you mean?”
“I mean you'll never realize how much work goes into having guests unless you have to do it yourself.”
He didn't answer.
Lyuba stood.
“So I'm going to give you that opportunity.”
“You're serious.”
“Completely.”
“What if Mom gets upset?”
“She'll survive.”
“What if Lenka thinks you're offended?”
“Then explain why I'm leaving.”
“What am I supposed to say?”
“The truth.”
Tolya swallowed.
“And what is the truth?”
Lyuba looked at him.
“That you invited them without asking me.”
He lowered his eyes.
For a long moment, neither of them spoke.
Then Tolya quietly asked:
“Where will you go?”
“I don't know yet.”
“You really are going to book something tomorrow?”
“Yes.”
“By yourself?”
“Yes.”
“Won't you be scared?”
Lyuba almost smiled.
“No.”
She picked up the bag.
“I've been taking care of everyone else for so long that I'm pretty sure I can take care of myself for seven days.”
Tolya watched her walk toward the living room.
“Lyuba.”
She stopped.
“I didn't mean for this to happen.”
“I know.”
“I really was happy.”
“I know.”
“I just wanted my family to come.”
“I know.”
“Then why does it feel like I'm being punished?”
Lyuba turned around.
“Because you're finally being asked to carry the same responsibility I've been carrying all along.”
Tolya had no answer.
She went back to the kitchen and began serving dinner.
They ate in silence that evening.
The next morning, Lyuba called her boss and requested a week of leave.
Then she opened her laptop and began searching for last-minute vacation packages.
By lunchtime, she had found a small seaside hotel several hours away.
She booked it.
Friday morning, she would leave.
Tolya spent the rest of the day trying to convince himself that everything would be fine.
After all, how difficult could it be?
He could order food.
He could clean.
He could show his mother around the city.
He could entertain his nephew.
He could manage a week.
Surely it wasn't that complicated.
At least, that's what he believed.
Until Friday arrived.
His mother, sister, and nephew showed up at the apartment with suitcases.
Tolya opened the door alone.
His mother smiled brightly.
“Where's Lyubochka?”
Tolya hesitated.
“She went on vacation.”
His mother's smile disappeared.
“What?”
“For a week.”
Lenka stared at him.
“You're joking.”
“No.”
His mother looked past him into the apartment.
“But why?”
Tolya took a deep breath.
“Because I invited you without asking her.”
Nobody spoke.
Then his mother slowly nodded.
“I see.”
Tolya stepped aside.
“Come in.”
They entered.
For the first time, Tolya noticed all the things Lyuba usually handled without anyone noticing.
There were no prepared meals in the refrigerator.
No freshly baked bread.
No neatly arranged guest towels.
No itinerary.
No list of groceries.
No plan.
Just three guests, one husband, and seven days ahead.
His mother looked at him.
“So… what's for lunch?”
Tolya opened the refrigerator.
He stared inside.
Then he remembered Lyuba's words.
Seven breakfasts.
Seven lunches.
Seven dinners.
Seven days.
He closed the refrigerator.
“I'll make something.”
Lenka raised an eyebrow.
“You can cook?”
Tolya forced a smile.
“I'll learn.”
And somewhere far away, sitting by the sea with a cup of coffee in her hands, Lyuba smiled.
For the first time in a long time, she was doing absolutely nothing.
And she didn't feel guilty about it.
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