I left for five days because I could no longer stand being the servant of my husband’s family.
When I returned, the house was a disaster… but that wasn’t the worst.
The worst thing was realizing who my husband became without me.
It all started with a phone call on a Wednesday afternoon.
I was in the kitchen of our small apartment in the neighborhood, chopping vegetables for a stew, when Diego he interrupted the conversation, covered the phone with his hand and looked at me with that expression that he already knew too well.
— Valeria… It’s my mom —he said in a guilty tone—. They want to come stay a few days. Aunt will also come Lupita and the uncle Raul. And my sister Mariana with the children.
I slowly turned off the stove.
— When?
— On Friday. For a week… maybe a little more.
«One week».
I closed my eyes and counted to ten.
We had been through this twice in the last year. «One week» always ended up becoming three. And «staying a few days» meant that I would cook breakfasts, lunches and dinners for seven people, including two school-aged children who wanted something different every day: tacos today, pizza tomorrow, meatballs with rice the day after tomorrow.
— Diego, we live in a one-bedroom apartment —I said calmly—. Where are we going to put everyone?
— Like last time —shrugged—. My parents in our bed, Lupita and Raúl on the sofa, Mariana with the children on mats. We sleep on the mattress.
On the ground.
I remembered how, after his last visit, my back hurt for two weeks.
How I got up at six in the morning to prepare breakfast for everyone.
How we spent our savings on food without anyone even thinking about contributing anything.
— And the food? —I asked for—. Who is going to pay for the supermarket?
Diego hesitated.
— They are family… It feels uncomfortable to ask for money.
Uncomfortable.
It was not uncomfortable for them to live at our expense, but we were sad to ask for minimal cooperation.
On Friday they arrived with three huge suitcases. Not with food, but with clothes.
Diego’s mother, Mrs. Carmen– went straight to the kitchen, looked inside the refrigerator and snorted:
