My wife and I had been saving for years, dreaming of a cosy cottage in the countryside, and at last, we managed to buy one. For the past year, wed spent our weekends or the whole summer when we could soaking up the peace of our new retreat.
We had a little help from Mother and Father, who wanted us to achieve our dream sooner rather than later. The happiness of those early days was something else; we threw ourselves into repairs and renovations with genuine excitement. We built glasshouses beside the garden for growing things through the chillier months, and in the back, we made a sandpit and swings so the children would have somewhere to play. From the start, friends of ours and my wifes as well were constantly dropping in, almost daily. Often, we wandered down to the river, as it was only a few hundred yards from our door. Evenings were spent grilling meat in the garden, and late at night our guests would head home though some stayed over, since not everyone had a car to get back at such a late hour. On the whole, everyone congratulated us for finding such a wonderful home.
A year later, most of our friends learned the art of moderation. Gradually, they stopped coming round quite so often. Now they generally visit at holidays or when invited. But theres one person who never quite grasped this. If this woman hears even a passing mention of our cottage, shes packed and on her way, invariably ruffling our calm. Whether we actually want guests or not is of little interest to her only her own wishes matter.
It wouldnt be so bad if it were just my wife and me, but were frequently joined by both sets of parents, and our little ones need their own space too. I attempted more than once to suggest she might head home, but nothing worked. She ended up staying with us for a full two months.
Hints about it being time she left never landed. I even tried telling her that my wifes parents would soon be staying and things would be too cramped. All she offered in reply was that shed be perfectly happy sleeping on the cold floor, provided I supplied a mattress.
A typical visit went like this: shed arrive Friday evening and spend the next two days stretched out on the sofa in front of the television, while my wife and I kept busy in the garden, watering plants and maintaining things. Whenever we asked for a hand, her answer was always: Ive come to relax, not to work.
My wife and our parents never said a word about her, and it seemed it was only me becoming increasingly irritated.
Winter crept in, and one evening as we sat in the cottage drinking coffee, she remarked, Ah, pity its winter! If it were summer, Id be over at yours all the time Her words left me uneasy. I thought to myself: this is precisely why I cant simply tell her outright that Id rather not spend every weekend together and how much it tries my patience. What if I offended her and she never spoke to me again?
That wasnt what I wanted. I just wished shed stop turning up week after week. What on earth was I supposed to do?
