-This is how people live, huh! – admired her husband’s sister Teresa, slamming the door. -Oh, how rich! A huge bathroom, hall, toilet! You can arrange dances in the kitchen – it’s so big…
-Kimberly, the mother-in-law, grumbled with a furrowed brow, “Only a careless housewife doesn’t have everything to spare. Oh, Iris… What a mess she made! Why did my boy do that?
Iris is the wife of Kimberly’s son, Brian. They got married recently. Both are thirty-two years old. They met, fell in love with each other. At that time Iris lived alone in a one-room apartment, which her parents helped her to buy.
Before that they lived with her father and mother in a three-room apartment in a good neighborhood. When the children grew up (Iris and her older brother), her parents saved up some money and started the “big move”.
They sold their large apartment, bought a one-room apartment for the children, and went to live in the village.
Iris’s father had long dreamed of living closer to nature. A garden, a farm – it was his dream. Even in the city he constantly grew cucumbers and tomatoes on the windowsill.
Neither Iris nor her brother could start a family for a long time. Somehow it did not work out, and then Iris met Brian. He came to the city from the village, to work, rented an apartment, worked hard, saved up for his own housing.
They got married quietly. No lavish wedding was arranged and relatives were not invited. Iris’s father and mother could not leave the farm for a long time, so they did not go to the city for the wedding – it was far away, and Brian somehow evasively said about his relatives that, they say, we will visit them one day and get acquainted. There was no need to hurry, they said.
Relatives did not approve of his moving to the city, although Brian helped them with money, faithfully transferred a good amount of money to his mother every month.
His father did not live with them. Only mother and sister Teresa. She is ten years older than Brian. She did not marry, and Brian believed that it was unlikely that she would. With her character, impudence, it was difficult for her to find a mate. And who else could she have? Teresa is an exact copy of her mother.
And now, together with her eldest daughter Teresa, the mother unexpectedly came to visit them.
Although, why unexpectedly? It was quite expected. They had called the day before. It was said that they would come on Sunday morning.
Iris planned everything: shopping, cleaning and cooking festive dishes. After all, she saw her husband’s relatives for the first time. She wanted to put the house in perfect order, to make an impression of a good hostess.
Instead of Sunday, the relatives suddenly arrived on Friday. Late in the evening…
Iris had already changed for bed, made the bed, when suddenly the intercom rang. The man picked up the phone and said that guests had arrived
When Brian opened the door, he saw his smiling mother and sister. In addition to a shabby suitcase, Teresa was holding a handbag with a tiny dog’s face peeking out of it. Iris found out that they would have animals with them only now. She rushed around the apartment, trying to restore at least minimal order. Cleaning was planned for tomorrow. Cooking too. A couple of pots with food, a pack of sausages and a dozen eggs were “bored” in the refrigerator.
First of all, the dog jumped out of the purse and rushed around the apartment, barking.
After walking along the corridor, looking into the bathroom, toilet and pantry, the mother-in-law and sister-in-law sat down on the sofa and began to talk about the difficulties they had overcome to come here. And how tired they were on the trip and complained about the bad people they met on the way, and that they were very hungry and tired…
-It’s a cold welcome, isn’t it, Teresa? – Kimberly said at last, “You should feed your guests from the road. And we’ve been sitting here for half an hour already, talking. And where are we going to sleep? Why didn’t you warn us that it’s a one-room apartment?
The relatives somehow forgot that they arrived two days earlier and did not warn them either. Iris wanted to tell this impudent couple that if they don’t like it, they can leave, no one is holding them. And if they decided to come earlier, they could have called in advance, and not suddenly come late at night and spoil the mood with their tactless statements, and in general…
But the man looked pleadingly at Iris and she remained silent.
-Fried eggs?! Is this any way to greet guests?” Kimberly grimaced, but apparently she was very hungry, and ate the whole portion cheerfully. Teresa did not lag behind:
-God! – the woman said, pushing the empty plate away, -I’m not full. Is there anything else?
Brian gave the guests tea and cut sandwiches.
Then, wiping their oily lips, they looked around and began to discuss the interior, not being ashamed of the hosts.
-“The kitchen is big, I like it! But the wallpaper is tastelessly chosen. And I would not put a shelf here. The refrigerator should be put in the corner, otherwise it is inconvenient. And the table should be oval, as in normal houses. Although it is large, but there is enough space to dance, – Teresa said.
“And most importantly, you need to clean it more often, – the mother-in-law added instructively, – Otherwise, what is it? The dirt here – you can scrape it off with a planer! And buy new curtains, more expensive ones. Throw these away. You earn enough money!
Iris gained air again to express everything to these, if I may say so, guests, but her husband beat her to it and said that it was late and time to go to bed.
Everyone started to fuss and began to think about how to settle down for the night. Iris, naively expected that they would come only for the day, and did not think about any overnight stay. But she was disappointed. The relatives decided to arrange a cultural program and walk around the city for a few days.
Brian brought an air mattress from the pantry. Seeing it, the mother-in-law gasped and sat down on a chair.
-Guests?! Sleeping on an air mattress in the kitchen?! It’s… It’s just…
-Mom! It’s very comfortable, – Brian assured and began to move the table to make room.
Meanwhile, the dog made a puddle in the corridor. The mother-in-law took it in her arms and began to whine:
-Ah, you, my little one! She was scared, poor thing. Everything is new, unfamiliar. Go to mommy, go…
Iris inhaled and went for a cloth. The puddle was wiped, the bed was made, they settled down and went to sleep.
In the morning, Iris woke up to her mother-in-law loudly opening the door of her and Brian’s bedroom and walking into the room. A dog quickly ran after her and began to chew Iris’s new pink slippers, which stood by the bed.
Kimberly opened the curtains and declared:
-It’s daylight! How long can you sleep? The guests are hungry, and the owners are sleeping.
-God! The refrigerator is empty!” Teresa’s voice came from the kitchen.
-Yes. We didn’t want to wake you. We wanted to do it ourselves. And you have nothing to eat. How were you going to meet the guests? – continued the mother-in-law.
The man jumped out from under the blanket, quickly dressed and went to the store to buy food.
The refrigerator was not empty. Apparently, mother-in-law and sister-in-law did not want to eat simple mashed potatoes with cutlet and pilaf with chicken, which Iris had cooked yesterday. Apparently, they were counting on more refined treats…
-Doesn’t your TV work in the kitchen? -Mother-in-law’s curly head appeared in the doorway again. -I wanted to watch the news!
-Are there no towels for the guests? Where can I get fresh ones? We used these yesterday!” Teresa said behind her, “And we need to wipe up the puddle Missy made in the hallway again!
Iris looked around helplessly. The apartment was in a mess. The one that had not been there since the renovation. The dog was running madly around the apartment and barking endlessly, taking breaks only to try everything that got in its way.
The mother-in-law, dressed in a blue silk robe painted with peacocks, stood in front of the closet and rummaged through her things. Teresa was rattling something in the kitchen.
-“What a mess! I can’t find anything!” Kimberly exclaimed. “The closet is upside down! And the rags! Good heavens! How much money do you spend on it? Is it all really necessary?
Iris was silent and silent, and then she could not stand it:
-Enough! You are in my house! You are a guest. And be kind enough to show courtesy and respect! And if you don’t like it, good riddance! Got it?!
At that moment, Brian returned from the store with packages. Seeing his wife in such a state, he was seriously frightened.
He gently but confidently escorted his mother out of the bedroom, carefully put Iris on a chair and closed the door to the bedroom.
At first, Iris heard rustling, fussing and the mother-in-law muttering discontentedly behind the door. Teresa echoed her. Then the front door slammed and everything quieted down. After a while, the man returned and said that he had sent his relatives to hotels, though he had to spend money, but it was worth it.
Then they went to the kitchen and arranged a celebration. Why, the cake had already been bought, why not celebrate the safe release from annoying guests?
They cleaned up together. After the relatives, the apartment was a mess.
And the next weekend Brian and Iris went to visit Iris’s parents in the village – they really wanted to congratulate them on their marriage.
That’s where they rested! They sat at the table, the weather was good, and the table was set right in the garden. They roasted meat, went to the river, caught fish. Iris’s mother baked pies, and they left rosy and happy! All the way back Iris thought about how good her parents are and how much she loves them!
And Kimberly and Teresa decided now only to settle in a hotel, if anything. Let them annoy the staff with their complaints, at least they get paid for it…
