September was coming to an end, and Arina was eagerly waiting for her vacation. For an entire year, she had been saving money for a trip to the sea, reading hotel reviews in Sochi, and imagining herself walking along the embankment, breathing in the salty air, and finally resting from the endless household routine.
On the dressing table in the bedroom lay a stack of printed plane tickets, a voucher for a four-star hotel, and an excursion plan. Arina reread the itinerary every evening the way children read fairy tales before bed. In two weeks, the long-awaited departure was supposed to take place.
Her husband, Viktor, treated her plans with visible indifference. Every time Arina tried to discuss the details of the trip, he brushed her off and changed the subject. When she asked direct questions about what to bring and what clothes to pack, he answered in monosyllables.
“I’m swamped at work right now,” Viktor kept repeating. “We’ll talk about the vacation later.”
Arina attributed his behavior to fatigue and his heavy workload. At the construction company where Viktor worked, a major project was currently being completed, and he really had been staying late. She decided not to insist and took care of the trip preparations herself.
Her colleagues at the medical laboratory where Arina worked asked about the upcoming vacation with envy. Her friend Svetlana even asked her to bring back a magnet with views of the seashore. The women discussed which swimsuit would be best to take and whether sunscreen should be bought in advance.
“You’re lucky,” sighed her colleague Natalya Ivanovna. “My husband and I haven’t gone anywhere for three years. Everything goes into repairs.”
Arina nodded and mentally thanked fate for the chance to finally escape the city bustle. Her work as a laboratory assistant required constant concentration, and the accumulated exhaustion was making itself felt. The vacation was absolutely necessary.
At home, she carefully planned every day of her absence. She filled the refrigerator with semi-prepared food so Viktor would not go hungry, cooked several portions of soup, and froze them. In the wardrobe, she laid out clean linen and hung up her husband’s shirts so he would not have to iron them.
On the evening before submitting her vacation request, Arina finally packed her suitcase. Summer dresses, comfortable shoes, books to read on the beach — everything lay in neat piles. She imagined herself submitting the documents to the HR department the next morning and smiled in anticipation.
Viktor came home late, around ten in the evening. He looked tired, but for some reason he was not in a hurry to share news from work, as he usually did. During dinner he was silent and answered his wife’s questions briefly. Arina felt a certain uneasiness, but decided not to pester him with questions.
After dinner, the spouses sat in the living room in front of the television. Arina leafed through a tourist brochure, while Viktor watched the news. Suddenly, he turned off the television and turned to his wife. His expression was serious.
“Arish, we have a small change of plans,” Viktor began, avoiding direct eye contact. “Mom and Irina are coming to stay with us. Just for a month.”
Arina looked up from the brochure. Her heart skipped a beat. Her mother-in-law, Valentina Petrovna, and her sister-in-law, Irina — that meant a complete restructuring of life in the apartment. Arina remembered her husband’s relatives’ previous visits very well.
“When are they coming?” Arina asked quietly, already guessing the answer.
“The day after tomorrow. Mom has problems with her apartment — a pipe burst there and ruined the whole ceiling. And Irinka has nowhere to live after the divorce. Renting is expensive. Well, you understand, they’re family. Where else can they go?”
Viktor spoke in an everyday tone, as if he were reporting that he had bought bread at the store. Arina remained silent, processing what she had heard. The day after tomorrow — that was exactly the day she was supposed to submit her vacation request to HR.
Vivid images of past visits surfaced in her memory. Valentina Petrovna completely took over the kitchen, cooked only what she herself liked, and criticized every dish Arina made. Her sister-in-law Irina occupied the bathroom for hours, hung her laundry all over the apartment, and never cleaned up after herself.
“What about our vacation?” Arina asked, trying to keep her voice calm.
“Well, the vacation…” Viktor shrugged. “The sea isn’t going anywhere. We’ll postpone it until next year. But we’ll help Mom and Irinka in a difficult moment. They’re family, Arish.”
Viktor shrugged as if the matter were trivial. He got up from the sofa and headed to the refrigerator for water. Arina remained seated with the brochure in her hands, feeling indignation rising inside her.
A year of saving, denying herself purchases, dreaming of a seaside holiday — all of it had been crossed out by a single phrase from her husband. Arina imagined how instead of resting on the beach, she would be washing her mother-in-law’s laundry, cooking breakfasts for her sister-in-law, and listening to endless complaints about life.
“So the honeymoon is canceled?” Arina clarified, looking at her husband.
“What honeymoon? We’ve been married for a long time. And family is more important than entertainment. You’re an adult woman, you should understand that.”
Viktor sat back down on the sofa and turned on the television. For him, the subject of the vacation was closed. Arina continued sitting with the brochure, but she no longer saw the pictures of sea landscapes. Thoughts spun in her head about what to do next.
The next day at work passed like a fog. Arina mechanically performed analyses, but her thoughts were occupied by the situation at home. Her colleagues asked whether she had submitted her vacation request, but Arina answered evasively. She was ashamed to admit that the trip had been canceled.
That evening, at home, Arina discovered that Viktor had already begun preparing for his relatives’ arrival. He had cleared half of the wardrobe and carried an armchair out of the bedroom to make room for a folding bed for his sister. He acted quickly and decisively.
“Mom will sleep on our sofa, and Irinka will sleep on the folding bed in the bedroom,” Viktor explained, as if everything had already been settled. “It’s inconvenient, of course, but what can we do? Family is family.”
Arina watched her husband’s preparations and felt growing irritation. No one had asked her opinion or cared how she would feel about such an arrangement. The decision had been made for her, and she was expected simply to accept it.
The plane tickets and hotel voucher were still lying on the dressing table in the bedroom. Arina picked up the documents, reread the name of the hotel, and the check-in and check-out dates. The deadline for free cancellation of the booking was tomorrow; after that, the money for the room would not be refunded.
The next morning, Arina woke up with a firm decision. She got dressed, took her handbag, and headed for the door. Viktor was still asleep; his alarm clock was supposed to ring in half an hour. On the kitchen table, Arina left a note with a short message.
“Mommy and dear sister are going to live with us for a month? Wonderful! I’d rather go to the sea, and you can be the servant here,” Arina said aloud, rehearsing the phrase for the upcoming conversation with her husband.
At the HR department, she submitted a vacation request starting the next day. The laboratory director, Mikhail Stepanovich, was surprised by the urgency, but signed it without questions. Arina had accumulated overtime, so she was entitled to time off in any case.
Arina returned home during her lunch break. Viktor was sitting in the kitchen with a cup of coffee and a gloomy expression. He had read his wife’s note and clearly did not know how to react to such a turn of events. When he saw Arina, he raised his head.
“Are you serious?” Viktor asked. “You’re going to abandon my mother and sister in a difficult moment because of some vacation?”
“Absolutely serious. I saved money for a whole year and planned this trip. Let your relatives solve their own problems, and I’m going to rest.”
Arina spoke calmly but firmly. Her suitcase had already been packed several days earlier; she only had to add a few last things. The plane tickets were in her handbag, and online check-in for the flight would open in two hours.
“But how will I manage alone? Mom is used to care, and Irinka is depressed after the divorce. They need female support, understanding…”
“Then give them male support. Cook breakfasts, do the laundry, listen to complaints. And I’ll sunbathe on the beach and swim in the sea.”
Viktor stared at his wife in confusion. He clearly had not expected such a reaction and did not know how to persuade Arina. Meanwhile, she took out her suitcase and began checking its contents, adding forgotten items.
All night, Arina lay awake, thinking over the situation. Different possible outcomes ran through her mind, but they all led to one conclusion: if she agreed to this arrangement, her life would turn into endless service for capricious female relatives.
Valentina Petrovna was famous for her particular habits. She woke up at six in the morning and demanded breakfast immediately, prepared only according to her own recipes. Coffee had to be brewed only in a cezve, eggs had to be soft-boiled for exactly three minutes, and bread had to be toasted to a very specific crust. The slightest deviation caused dissatisfaction and lengthy moral lectures.
After the divorce, her sister-in-law Irina was in a state of deep depression, expressed through constant tears, complaints about life, and demands for undivided attention. She could talk for hours about her suffering, not noticing the exhaustion of her listeners. In addition, Irina had a habit of occupying the bathroom for several hours at a time.
By morning, the decision had fully matured. Arina got out of bed, neatly made it, and went to the bathroom. Behind the wall, she could hear her husband snoring — Viktor was sleeping soundly, unaware of his wife’s plans. She took a shower, got dressed, and began her final preparations.
The suitcase had already been packed the evening before. Arina added a few forgotten small items — her phone charger, sunglasses, and favorite face cream. Into her travel bag she put her documents, money, and a small snack for the road to the airport.
Viktor woke up to the sound of the suitcase closing. Sleepily, he raised his head and saw his wife fully dressed and ready to leave. Firm determination was written on Arina’s face. Her husband slowly sat up in bed, trying to understand what was happening.
“You’re really going to leave?” Viktor asked, hoping to hear a negative answer.
“Mommy and dear sister are moving in with us? Wonderful. Only I’m not playing this circus,” Arina answered calmly, zipping up her suitcase.
She went into the kitchen, where she laid out the plane tickets and hotel voucher on the table. Beside them, she placed an envelope with money — part of the vacation savings, which her husband would now need to support the unexpected guests. Everything had been calculated for one person, just as originally planned.
Viktor appeared in the kitchen in his home clothes, his hair sticking out in all directions. He looked confused and did not believe in the seriousness of his wife’s intentions. In all their years of marriage, Arina had never made such radical decisions and had always made concessions for the sake of family peace.
“But people don’t do that,” her husband began, trying to appeal to his wife’s sense of duty. “What will people say? What will Mom say? A woman shouldn’t abandon her family in a difficult moment.”
Arina smirked and turned to him. Her face remained calm, but her eyes showed unshakable determination. The years of silently agreeing to other people’s decisions ended in that moment.
“You wanted a servant for them? Excellent. Now you have a chance to become one yourself,” Arina said, putting on a light jacket.
On her phone, she called a taxi to the airport. The car was supposed to arrive in fifteen minutes — just enough time to go downstairs with her suitcase and bag. Arina had no intention of having long goodbyes or explanations.
Viktor followed his wife around the apartment, trying to find arguments to keep her from leaving. He offered compromises — shortening his relatives’ visit to one week, renting them a hotel at his own expense, postponing the vacation by just one month. But Arina remained unyielding.
“Arin, be reasonable,” her husband pleaded. “I won’t manage alone with Mom and my sister. They need female care, understanding. You know what Mom’s standards are when it comes to order.”
“I know perfectly well. That’s exactly why I’m leaving. Let your mother cook her own breakfasts according to her own recipes, and let Irina wash her own laundry.”
A car horn sounded in the courtyard — the taxi had arrived. Arina looked out the window and saw a yellow car at the entrance. The driver had already gotten out and was waiting for the passenger. The time for farewells had finally expired.
Without raising her voice or making a scene, Arina picked up her suitcase and bag. She took one last look at the apartment where her husband would be staying with his relatives, then headed toward the door. Behind her, she heard Viktor’s confused exclamations.
The door closed softly. Arina went down in the elevator, left the building, and got into the taxi. The driver asked for the destination, received the answer, and pulled away. Through the car window, Arina saw her husband’s figure appear in their apartment window, but she did not turn back.
The road to the airport took forty minutes. Arina sat silently, watching the landscapes pass by. In her chest, she felt a lightness she had not felt in a very long time. The decision had been made, the road back was cut off, and ahead lay the long-awaited rest.
At the airport, check-in went quickly. She did not have much luggage, and there were almost no lines. Two hours later, the plane took off, carrying Arina away from family problems toward the seashore. Clouds flashed past the window, while pictures of beach relaxation were already forming in her mind.
Meanwhile, Viktor rushed around the apartment, trying to get the place in order before his mother and sister arrived. He had no idea how to cook breakfasts according to his mother’s standards, where the clean sheets for guests were kept, or how to comfort a sobbing divorced woman.
By lunchtime that same day, Valentina Petrovna appeared at the apartment door with two enormous suitcases, and Irina arrived with bags and boxes. The women expected to see an apartment ready for guests, a set table, and a welcoming daughter-in-law. Instead, they were met by a flustered Viktor in a wrinkled shirt.
“Where is Arinka?” his mother-in-law asked first, looking around the hallway. “I don’t see a woman’s touch in this house.”
Viktor fidgeted and did not know how to explain the situation. Telling the truth meant admitting he had been wrong in planning the family vacation. Lying meant sooner or later being caught in the deception. He chose a middle option.
“Arina is on a business trip,” Viktor muttered. “Urgent, unexpected. She’ll be back in a week.”
This explanation was enough for the first day. Valentina Petrovna tried to cook dinner to her own taste, but found only semi-prepared meals and frozen food in the refrigerator. Irina burst into tears at the sight of the untidy apartment and demanded an immediate change of bed linen.
Meanwhile, Arina was enjoying her first day of rest. The hotel room with a sea view exceeded all expectations. After lunch, she walked along the embankment, breathing in the salty air and listening to the cries of seagulls. In the evening, she had dinner at the hotel restaurant, reading a book and sipping white wine.
On the second day of his relatives’ stay, Viktor understood the scale of the catastrophe. Valentina Petrovna was dissatisfied with every dish he prepared, Irina cried in the mornings and evenings, demanding sympathy. Laundry piled up in mountains, dishes were not washed, and chaos reigned in the apartment.
“When will Arinka be back?” his mother asked every day. “A man cannot keep a home in order.”
Viktor answered evasively, but with every passing day, it became harder to lie. The deadline of his wife’s supposed business trip was running out, and there was no news from her. He tried calling Arina, but she did not answer.
On the fourth day, Valentina Petrovna discovered a forgotten tourist brochure with views of Sochi on the kitchen table. Beside it lay a receipt from the travel agency in Arina’s name. Everything became clear without any additional explanation. The business trip had turned out to be a vacation at a seaside resort.
“So the daughter-in-law preferred entertainment to family duty,” his mother-in-law concluded, studying the documents. “An interesting position for a married woman.”
Irina threw up her hands and burst into even louder tears. The sister-in-law took Arina’s departure as a personal betrayal. In a difficult moment, close people were supposed to support each other, not run away to the sea for pleasure.
On the seventh day of her vacation, Arina sat in a beach café with a cocktail in her hand and smiled at the sea waves. Her skin had acquired a beautiful golden shade, and her hair smelled of sea salt. The stress of the past months had dissolved under the rays of the southern sun.
Her phone rang periodically — her husband had been trying to reach her for several days. But Arina was in no hurry to answer. Let Viktor deal with the consequences of his own decisions. She had chosen herself instead of other people’s demands, and it was the right choice.
The remaining days of vacation flew by unnoticed. Arina managed to go on excursions, try the local cuisine, and buy souvenirs for her friends. She did not want to return home, but the plane ticket had been bought in advance, and there was no point changing her plans.
On the last evening, sitting on the balcony of her hotel room, Arina thought about what would happen after her return. A scandal was inevitable, reproaches were guaranteed, but she had no intention of regretting the decision she had made. Sometimes you have to choose yourself so you do not lose yourself completely.
“I am ashamed that there is such a peasant woman in our family!” the mother-in-law began her toast.
Lena stood in front of the mirror and checked her hairstyle one last time. The dark blue dress fit perfectly — she had bought it especially for her mother-in-law’s anniversary. It was not the cheapest, but it did not scream its price either. Elegant and restrained, just right for such an occasion.
“Ready?” Pavel looked into the bedroom. “The taxi is already downstairs.”
“Yes, almost.”