Who on earth has been rummaging around here? Call your family, get them over to sort this mess out, I snapped, feeling my patience snap. Im not going to clean up after them. Ive had enough of constantly washing the sheets after your friends. Theyve been crashing at our weekend cottage for nights on end.
Listen, Mum called earlier, Harry said, setting his fork down. She and the relatives are planning a weekend barbecue.
Good for them, I replied. Let them go, whats it to us? Ive never liked my motherinlaw, Mrs. Green.
They just want to use our cottage, Harry tried to explain. They dont have one of their own, and Ive got a garage appointment on Saturday. He said it as if it were obvious. I told her we cant go up to the cottage this weekend, so Mum asked for the keys.
I had no choice but to agree, and Id later regret it. When we finally drove up to the cottage the next weekend, I was stunned by what I saw. It looked like a tornado had hit it.
The garden was a mess, the floor inside was filthy, and on the stove sat a lonely pot of some old soup. The kitchen window had its curtain ripped off. I couldnt make heads or tails of the chaos. Harrys parents were already in their sixties.
I blurted everything out to Harry.
Whos been wrecking this place? Call your family, get them to tidy up, I said, my voice shaking. Im done cleaning after them. Im tired of washing the linens after your mates, whove been staying over night after night.
Maybe youve overreacted. Toss it in the washing machine, take it out, hang it up, he suggested.
How about next time you do the whole lot yourself? Are you happy with the state of our cottage and the garden?
He didnt call anyone. I stopped talking to him for a while, but eventually we patched things up. Wed only been married two years, fell in love and wed, though I sometimes wondered if Id rushed in. We didnt have any kids yet.
Life went on as usual: work, house, work, house. Weekends wed either go for a walk or head out with friends to the countryside. Everything changed when my mum suddenly remarried and moved to another city. The family cottage ended up in my name.
From then on, Harrys whole side of the family seemed to adore me. They kept asking to pop over to the cottage. Everyone knows a barbecue tastes better in the fresh air!
Cousins, secondcousins, aunts, uncles, even Harrys grandma turned up, all wanting a slice of the countryside, the river, and the grill. Harrys mates showed up too. Most of them stayed overnight. Harry would fire up the barbecuer as usual. I was getting fed up, but I didnt want to alienate his relatives or friends. Something had to change.
Now the approach of the weekend made me nervous. When Harry and I got married, his mum was already well into her later years. Shed had a son pretty late in life and also a daughter, Megan, who was ten years older than Harry. The motherinlaw came from a small village and always acted like everything belonged to the whole family.
Megan would haul anything she needed to the cottageshampoos, creams, sponges, even my house slippers. Then the motherinlaw rang again, asking Harry for the cottage keys. This time Megan wanted to bring her boss over for a weekend getaway and a barbecue.
And, predictably, they didnt ask me a word about it.
Well give Mom the keys, Harry said. He remembered how Id reacted the last time his relatives turned up, but he didnt bring it up.
I realised I needed to do something, and Harry was now on the opposite side. I ran through a few plans in my head, then called my own mum and complained.
Ill call you back, she said shortly.
About twenty minutes later I was on the phone again, telling her that my sister and her husband would be heading to the cottage for a few days. Dont worry about a thing, Aunt Olive will sort it, I added.
Aunt Olive had always been a bit of a mystery to me. As a child Id been sent to her for summer holidays a couple of times, and those memories stuck with me. Olive was good at keeping things in order.
Later that evening Olive phoned.
Oh, love, youre finally calling! Whats the plan? Should I be gentle or firm? she laughed, already looking forward to the chaos.
I was taken aback. Did you tell them the cottage is yours? Olive asked.
I cant recall, but theyre all convinced its mine.
Dont worry, dear, well sort it out the right way.
On Sunday Harrys mother, Mrs. Green, called, furious. Have you sold the cottage? she shouted. Wheres the money? Why didnt you tell us?
Turns out, on Saturday Megan had arrived with her boss, and Mrs. Green had shown up with Harrys dad. A group of five was already grilling on the plot.
Who are you? gasped Mrs. Green.
And who are you, exactly? the boss demanded, stepping forward. Im the lady of the house. I dont know you. How did you get the keys?
Mrs. Green looked bewildered. Megan tried to explain the family connection and the handover of the keys, but the lady of the house glared at her, and Megan was left stumbling. The rest of the group kept quiet.
In the end they took the keys back, politely asked the intruders to leave, and warned them not to return unless they could prove where those keys came from.
From a distance I heard Mrs. Green shouting into the handset. Harry was clueless, unable to say a word.
Hand the phone to your wife, Harry passed it to me. This cottage isnt yours! Mrs. Green declared, sounding almost ceremonial.
Did you even ask? I tried to stay calm. Do you think everything around here belongs to you?
Do you realise Megan invited her boss to the cottage? If her boss gets laid off, youll feel responsible, Mrs. Green ranted.
And what does that have to do with me? Aunt Olive is just visiting, you never asked me. Keep your own place and enjoy it, I snapped. Youve lived without this cottage before; youll manage without it now.
After this Im never coming back, and neither will my relatives, Harry said, his voice shaking.
That was the first real fight wed had. Harry was hurt, Megan lost her job. Ill never forgive you for this, he told me. My family loves you, but youve betrayed us.
I was convinced Megans dismissal had another reason. Suddenly it didnt matter to me if anyone went away. Our marriage had hit a dead end.
Mum, I think Im getting a divorce, I said.
Its your decision, love. Where will you live? Ive already let my flat go. Go stay with Olive.
Thanks, of course, I replied, surprised. Ill probably rent a place.
I filed for divorce, moved into a rented flat, and stopped going to the cottage altogether.
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