Its not convenient any longer, she said, and Stanley shook his head.
Youll never earn love that way, he replied.
Do I need to earn love after twentyplus years of marriage? Olivia asked, her voice tinged with sarcasm. How fascinating!
Youre a clever woman, Stanley snapped, his face twisted. Is it really that hard to see what I meant?
When a woman is called clever, Olivia retorted, people usually intend the opposite compliment!
Youve misunderstood again, and your little manipulation wont count. In this case youre wrong, not I!
Ah, in this particular situation, Olivia mused, what a curious predicament we have!
Youre exhausted after work and need a rest, and I, as a considerate wife, should not only stay out of your way but also bring dinner to the settee?
Olivia, you talk as if Im a tyrant! Stanley pressed his lips together. But as a reasonable man, you understand Im weary, dont you?
I understand youre tired, Olivia nodded, but you can still get to the kitchenyoure not crippled or dying!
So youll only serve food if I cant reach the kitchen yourself? Stanley huffed. Perhaps youd like me to become an invalid, orGod forbidsomething worse?
Less talk, more action, Olivia replied, pointing toward the kitchen.
Come now, Olivia! Cant you see Im a normal bloke and Im knackered?
Enough of the pleading, Stanley! Im spent at the office too, and I have no desire to scuttle about with trays.
Next youll be asking me to fetch the salt, the ketchup, the cream, the mayo, the bread, or any other garnish. Everythings within arms reach in the kitchenjust get up, grab it, and youre satisfied!
Indeed, Stanley said, shaking his head, that kind of behaviour wont win my love, and he trudged toward the kitchen with the gait of a dying swan.
Drama queen! Olivia snorted, settling more comfortably into the armchair. She waitedlong, expectant, and finally, the moment arrived.
Olivia! Whats that? Stanleys shout echoed from the kitchen.
Olivia didnt even bother to rise. Not a muscle twitched.
Olivia! he burst into the sitting room. Whats that youre doing?
The pots in the fridge, the plates are drying, the microwave is where it should be, she said calmly.
Honestly! Stanley spat through clenched teeth. Thats absurd!
For the record, Olivia smiled sweetly, Im also knackered from work. The point?
Stanley stared at his wife for a minute, cursed under his breath, and slipped back to the kitchen.
It could have sparked a fullblown marital row with tragic fallout, but the next day a family visit was on the agenda.
Olivias mother, Mrs. Lillian, decided to gather the relatives, claiming, Its been ages since weve all seen each other! The excuse was thin, and theyd postponed the reunion many times before.
Mrs. Lillian simply wanted the family together, not for any particular reason, just to chat.
Stanley resolved to lodge a complaint with his motherinlaw. Let the motherinlaw have a word with her own daughter!
He barely waited for the formalities to end before the dessert was served, then blurted out, I understand, Mrs. Lillian, but somethings awry with your daughter!
Whatever changes are happening seem headed toward divorce papers! he continued, If you could intervene, perhaps things would be different.
Good heavens, whats happened? Mrs. Lillian gasped, clutching her chest.
Yesterday I came home utterly exhausted. I earn what I can for the family, yet the week was brutally demanding. I was drained! I asked my wife to feed the provider, and she merely pointed at the fridge and didnt budge an inch!
Mrs. Lillians eyes filled with shock, outrage, despair, and horror.
Olivia met that gaze with quiet composure, almost detached.
I didnt mean to start this, interjected Colin, Olivias brother, but somethings off with Oliva. Im a Sundaydad, you know. You remember my exgirlfriend Annano shame, no conscience! I only get my weekend allowance once a month. I earn child support for my daughter, so Ive no time to tidy! Olivia asked me for help, and she never refused because she knew where I was and where the chores lay. Then she pointed me to a broom, tossed a rag at my feet, and told me not to be a pig!
Shes fallen ill, apparently, their son Dennis added, and I simply asked her to iron my shirt!
Going out on a date, I needed a shirt, and she handed me the iron, played a video on her tablet showing how to press it, and thats that!
Olivia absorbed both complaints without a flicker of anxiety.
Her mother, however, was not amused.
Olivia, what does this mean? Mrs. Lillian exclaimed, offended. You were such a good girlkind, polite, helpful! Im ashamed of you!
Im not ashamed of myself, Olivia answered firmly.
There are sunny spots on an old photograph, just as patience once praised is now taken for granted, and people now speak of it with a sour note.
Why endure?
Why put up with it for so long?
I would not have tolerated it!
I wouldnt have endured!
Resentment multiplies when someone shows patience, as if it were a flaw, while burning bridges at the first chance is hailed as clever. Yet dialogue is lauded when problems are solved with words rather than wreckage.
Delicacy had always been Olivias nature. Shed been raised to see each person as a world of their own, and to impose ones own yardsticks on another was, at best, foolish, at worst, disastrous.
To understand another, you must step into their shoes, view through their eyes, think as they think before passing judgment.
By that rule Olivia grasped why her friend had taken her boyfriend. It hurt; first loves are always a sting. She placed herself in the boys position:
He wanted more, and I wasnt ready. Ksenia was both willing and eager. If Kirill had been ten years older, his hormones would have settled. His decision, then, was logical.
Then she saw things from her friends side:
She came from a large family, always short of money, with parents who demanded she watch the younger siblings.
Kirill, on the other hand, had wealthy parents and was an only childa ticket out of a familial nightmare.
That was just one episode; countless others dotted her life. She never threw up her hands at the first hurdle but always tried to discern what drove a persons actions.
At work she could spot when colleagues set her up, and she often proved herself right and restored fairness. She never blamed the offender; she merely uncovered the motive. Every motive, unless truly insane, has a legitimate claim to existence and can excuse behaviour.
For Stanley, Olivia became a treasurean invaluable gem. Most of his flaws were forgiven, turned into harmless quirks. Not that everything was perfect, but it went unnoticed.
Not every man knows how to compliment or court a lady, Olivia mused, so I wont abandon him because he didnt bring flowers or open the door. Ill push my own chair at a restaurant if that makes me comfortable.
She applied the same tolerance to his inability to tidy. His mother had always handled the housework. He couldnt cook, couldnt operate the washing machineessentially, he knew nothing of domestic chores. Olivia realised not all men are wired for that.
She asked, taught, and guided him where she could, but most of the time she did it herself.
Similarly, when Stanley showed little fatherly flair toward their son Dennis, she understood the science: men generally begin to engage with a child around the age of three, when they can interact, play, and teach. A squalling newborn is a mystery that scares many fathers. Hence Stanleys irritation when Dennis wailed, or when Olivia spent more time with him than with her husband, was rooted in fear and jealousyeasy to fathom.
When the marriage reached its tenth anniversary, Olivia accepted Stanleys growing coolness. Habits have set in, and were no longer spring chickens with raging hormones.
She also accepted his social outings with friends. Work and home, home and work. He, too, craves a change of scene, a fresh picture to look at.
A strange thought crossed her mind: how would she react if Stanley took a lover? She never had to answer, because he never looked left.
Olivias life was not defined by her husband alone. Their son Dennis followed his fathers footsteps, preferring computer battles over chores, and that sparked a genuine connection between father and son. Olivia realised Dennis saw his dad as a role modela natural outcome.
Olivia also had a younger brother, Colin, whose temperament was the opposite of hers. He loved noise, drama, and conflict, feeding off the energy of those around him. As a child, Olivia often wept over his mischief, later recognising his jealousy and need to control others emotions. His marriage was brief; his wife, though strongwilled, could not weather the clash, and they divorced, leaving their little daughter Zina without a full family.
Colin, however, became a Sundaydad, never mastering household tasksanother Stanley in his own right. Before taking Zina for a weekend, he would ask Olivia to tidy his flat and cook something decent, as he subsisted on takeaways. Zinas exwife only dropped her off about once a month, so the responsibility fell lightly on Olivia.
Then there was the mother. People say a mother is sacrosanct, and theyre right. When she asks for help, a child cannot refuse, though extreme demands may be declined. Mrs. Lillian never overstepped; she could clean and cook herself, but she invited Olivia chiefly for companyjust to sit and chat. Olivia obliged, seeing it as a chance to talk while dusting and cooking, not as a burden. Nothing hinted at trouble, yet Olivia eventually uttered a firm No.
Im not ashamed of myself, she said. Perhaps I was foolish, trying to accommodate every flaw and habit, thinking youd notice my efforts because you love and respect me. I never saw that coming.
The room fell silent; they were accustomed to Olivias quiet. Now she spoke up.
Yes, Im no longer a schoolgirl, she continued. Its too late to overhaul my life, but from now on Ill do only what I truly want.
If I feel like feeding my husband after work, Ill set the table and wash the dishes. If not, Stanley, you know where the fridge is!
Youre not a child any longer; you can manage your own meals, and Dennis, at seventeen, you can handle cooking, cleaning, ironingif you want a pressed shirt.
She turned to her brother:
If I wish to see my niece, Ill swing by and straighten up your place. If not, youll learn to manage on your own, or youll hire a cleanerjust not me!
And you, Mother, can host your daughter in a tidy flat and offer her a treat, rather than making me do it all.
Olivia surveyed the sour faces of her relatives, understanding they disliked what they heard. She simply wanted to stop being everyones convenience.
Im going home, she announced, rising. If you dont like the new rules, I wont summon anyone, and I dont expect calls.
Stanley and Dennis returned only for a few belongings. Colin stopped phoning, and his mother called merely to accuse Olivia of selfishness.
Selfishness isnt about thinking only of yourself, Olivia replied, its about demanding everyone think of you first, then yourself. Ponder that.
Perhaps Olivia hadnt intended such a drastic life change, but fate turned the page on its own. A new chapter opened for a new Oliviaa happy one, all because she said No.
