What miscreants have been here? Call your family, have them come and tidy up, Lily snaps. I wont clean after them. Im already fed up washing the sheets after your friends. Theyve been crashing at our cottage for nights.
Listen, Mum called, Sam says over dinner. The relatives are planning a weekend barbecue.
Good for them, his wife replies. Let them go, what do we need? Ive never liked my motherinlaw, Lily.
They just want to use our cottage, Sam explains. They dont have one of their own, and I have a garage appointment on Saturday. He says it as if it were obvious. I told them we cant go to the cottage this weekend, so Mum asked for the keys.
Lily has no choice but to agree, a decision she later regrets. When the next weekend arrives, she and Sam drive out to the cottage and she freezes at the sight. The place looks as if a herd has run through it.
Berries are strewn about, the floor is filthy, a solitary pot of old soup sits on the stove. The kitchen curtains have been ripped from the window. Lily cant make sense of it. Sams parents are already in their sixties.
She vents to her husband.
What miscreants have been here? Call your family, have them come and tidy up, Lily repeats, angry. I wont clean after them. Im already fed up washing the sheets after your friends. Theyve been crashing at our cottage for nights.
Youre overreacting. Toss it in the washing machine, pull it out, hang it, Sam says.
Then do it yourself next time! Are you satisfied with the state of our cottage and garden?
Sam says nothing. Lily doesnt speak to him, then they reconcile. Theyve been married only two years, wed for love, though Lily sometimes wonders if she rushed. They have no children yet.
Life rolls onwork, house, house, work. Weekends are spent walking or heading out with friends to the countryside. Everything changes when Lilys mother suddenly remarries and moves to another town. The family cottage now belongs to Lily.
Suddenly all of Sams relatives start fawning on her. They constantly ask to visit the cottage. Everyone knows a barbecue tastes better outdoors!
Cousins, aunts, uncles, even Sams grandmother turn up, all eager for the river, the garden, the grill. Sams friends show up too.
Everyone stays overnight. Sam habitually mans the barbecue. Lily is getting fed up, but she doesnt want to alienate his relatives and friends. Something has to be done.
Now the approach of the weekend makes Lily nervous. When Lily and Sam married, his mother was already an older woman. She gave birth to her son quite late. Theres also a sister, Mary, ten years older than Sam, who grew up in a village and treats everything as communal property.
Mary and the motherinlaw raid the cottage for everythingcreams, shampoo, sponges, even Lilys house slippers. Then the motherinlaw calls again, asking Sam for the cottage keys. This time Mary decides to bring her boss along for a weekend and some ribs.
Lily isnt even asked for her opinion.
Well give Mum the keys, Sam says. Of course he remembers Lilys reaction to the previous family raid, but he doesnt bring it up.
Lily realises she must act, and the husband ends up on the opposite side. Weighing her options, she calls her own mother and complains.
Ill call back later, her mother replies briefly.
About twenty minutes later Lily dials again and tells her mother that her sister and brotherinlaw will be at the cottage for a while. Dont worry, Aunt Olivia will sort it out, she says.
Lily gasps. She has always been uneasy about Aunt Olivia; as a child she was sent to stay with her aunt on summer holidays, memories that have lingered. Olivia is a stern but capable woman.
That evening Olivia phones.
Oh, my dear niece, youre finally talking to me. Its been ages since you called. How should we handle thisgive a little scare or be firm? she laughs, already anticipating the showdown.
Lily trembles. Did you tell them the cottage is yours? Olivia asks.
I dont recall, but theyre all convinced its mine, Lily admits.
Dont fret, love, well sort it out properly, Olivia reassures.
On Sunday Sams motherinlaw rings, furious. You sold the cottage? she shouts. Wheres the money? Why didnt anyone tell us?
It turns out that on Saturday Mary, her boss, Sams motherinlaw and Sam arrived at the cottage. A picturesque group of five is already grilling.
Who are you? gasps Mrs. Green, Sams motherinlaw.
And who are you, exactly? the boss asks sharply, stepping forward. Im the owner of this cottage, I dont know you. How did you get the keys?
A tense silence falls over the group. Mary tries to explain the familysharing arrangement and the handedover keys. The owner looks displeased, Mary stumbles, and Mrs. Green stays quiet.
In the end, the keys are taken back, the intruders are politely asked to leave and told not to return, otherwise the matter will be investigated.
From a distance Lily hears Mrs. Green shouting into the phone. Sam is clueless, unable to utter a word.
Hand the phone to your wife, Sam passes the handset to Lily. The cottage isnt yours! Mrs. Green declares dramatically.
Did you even ask? Lily tries to stay calm. Have you decided everything here belongs to you?
Do you realise Mary invited her boss to the cottage? It could have repercussionsher department is facing cuts and she wanted to curry favour. If she loses her job, thatll be on your conscience, Mrs. Green hisses.
What does that have to do with me? Aunt Olivia is the owner, shes just on holiday, you never asked me. Buy your own place and enjoy it, Lily retorts. Youve lived without this cottage before; youll manage without it now.
After this, I wont go back, nor will my relatives, Sam says, trembling.
Its their first serious argument. Sam feels betrayed. Mary loses her job. Ill never forgive you for this, he declares. My family has always treated you with love and care, and youve deceived us.
Lily is convinced Marys dismissal has another cause. She suddenly realises she doesnt truly miss any of them. Their marriage has hit a dead end.
Mum, I think Im divorcing Sam, Lily says.
Its your decision, youre an adult. Where will you live? Ive let my flat go. Stay with Olivia.
Thanks, I guess, Lily replies, stunned. Ill probably rent a flat.
Lily files for divorce, rents a flat, and moves out of Sams house. She never returns to the cottage.
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