In a quiet corner of the English countryside, Lily stood with her hands on her hips, surveying the mess left behind in their cottage. “What on earth happened here? Call your family and tell them to come back and clean up after themselves,” she fumed. “I wont do it. Its bad enough Im always washing sheets after your friends stay over. Theyve made a habit of crashing at our place.”
That evening over supper, her husband James mentioned, “Mum rang earlier. She and the relatives are planning a barbecue this weekend.”
“Good for her,” Lily replied tersely. “Let them go. Whats it to us?” She had never warmed to her mother-in-law.
“They want to use our cottage,” James explained, as if it were perfectly reasonable. “They dont have one of their own, and Ive got to be at the garage on Saturday. I told them we couldnt go, so Mum asked for the keys.”
Lily had no choice but to agreethough she soon regretted it. When they visited the cottage the following weekend, she froze at the sight. It looked as though a storm had blown through.
The berry bushes had been picked clean, the floors were muddy, and a pot of stale soup sat abandoned on the stove. The kitchen curtains had even been taken down. Lily couldnt fathom what had happened. His parents were in their sixties, for heavens sake!
She confronted James. “What kind of riff-raff have been here? Ring your family and tell them to sort this out. I wont tidy up after them. Ive had enough of washing bedding every time your mates stay over. They treat this place like a free inn!”
“Oh, dont make such a fuss. Just chuck it all in the washing machine,” he muttered.
“Next time, you can do it all yourself! Are you honestly fine with the state of our cottage and garden?”
But James never made that call. Lily gave him the silent treatment until they eventually made up. Theyd only been married two years, wed for lovethough now Lily sometimes wondered if shed rushed into it. They didnt yet have children.
Life continued as usualwork, home, home, work. Weekends were for walks or trips to the countryside with friends. Everything changed when Lilys mother suddenly remarried and moved to another town, leaving Lily the family cottage.
Overnight, Jamess relatives developed a sudden fondness for her. Now, someone was always angling for an invitation to “pop round” for a barbecue. After all, didnt food always taste better outdoors?
Relatives materialised out of thin aircousins, aunts, uncles, even Jamess grandmotherall eager for fresh air, riverside picnics, and grilled meats. And, of course, Jamess mates.
They all stayed overnight. James cheerfully manned the grill while Lily fumed silently. She didnt want to sour relations with his family or friends, but something had to be done.
Now, weekends filled her with dread. When Lily and James married, his mother was already getting on in years. Shed had James late in life, and he had an older sister, Mary, ten years his senior. His mother, raised in a village, had peculiar ideas about shared property.
She and Mary helped themselves to everything at the cottagelotions, shampoos, sponges, even Lilys slippers. Then came the call: Jamess mother wanted the keys again. This time, Mary planned to bring her boss for a weekend of relaxation and barbecue.
As usual, no one asked Lily how she felt.
“Well give Mum the keys,” James said, though he remembered Lilys reaction the last time. He simply didnt want to discuss it.
Lily knew she had to actand that James was no ally. After weighing her options, she rang her mother.
“Ill handle it,” her mother said briskly.
Twenty minutes later, she called back. Her sister and husband would be staying at the cottage for a while. “Dont fret, Aunt Helen will sort it.”
Lily gasped. Shed always feared Aunt Helen. Childhood summers spent at her house still haunted her. Yes, Helen knew how to lay down the law.
Aunt Helen rang that evening.
“Why havent you called, dear? Id have sorted this sooner. How shall we proceedlightly scare them, or go all out?” She chuckled darkly.
Lily shuddered. “Did you ever tell them the cottage is in your name?” Helen asked.
“I dont recall, but they all act like its mine.”
“Dont worry, darling. Ill make sure its done properly.”
On Sunday, Jamess mother called in a rage. “Have you sold the cottage? Wheres the money? Why werent we told?”
It turned out that on Saturday, Mary, her boss, and Jamess parents had arrived to find a group of five already enjoying a barbecue on the lawn.
“Who are you?” his mother gasped.
“And who, precisely, are you?” came the commanding reply from a formidable woman who stepped forward. “I own this cottage. I dont know you. How did you get in? Where did you get those keys?”
Stammering, Mary tried to explain about family connections and borrowed keys. The womanclearly the rightful ownerfixed her with a disapproving stare until Mary faltered. Jamess mother stayed silent.
In the end, the keys were confiscated, and they were politely told to leaveand not return. Otherwise, there would be questions about how theyd obtained someone elses property.
Lily could hear her mother-in-laws shrieks through the receiver. James was baffled, unable to get a word in.
“Give the phone to your wife.” He handed it to Lily.
“That cottage isnt yours!” his mother declared.
“Did you ever ask?” Lily replied calmly. “Or did you just assume everything was yoursincluding whats ours?”
“Do you realise Mary invited her boss? There are layoffs coming, and she was trying to impress her! If shes sacked, its on your conscience!”
“How is that my fault? Aunt Helen owns the place. She came to enjoy her own property. You never asked me. Buy your own cottage if you want to holiday there.” Lily stood her ground. “You managed before. Youll manage now.”
“Ill never go there againand neither will my family,” James snapped.
It was their first real fight. James sulked. Mary was later dismissed. “Ill never forgive you for this,” he said. “My family loved you, cared for you, and you deceived us.”
Lily was sure Marys sacking had nothing to do with her. Suddenly, she realised she didnt feel sorry for any of them. And she hadnt started this. Their marriage had reached a dead end.
“Mum, I think Im leaving James.”
“Thats your choice, love. But where will you live? Ive let my flat. You could stay with Helen.”
“Thanks ever so,” Lily said dryly. “Ill rent somewhere.”
She filed for divorce, moved into a flat, and never went back to the cottage.
