Before I had time to put my aunt on the bus, my mother called me to tell me how bad I received guests.

They don’t choose relatives, everyone knows that. You should always be on your guard when, say, mother's sisterHe's coming to stay. Aunts are generally a peculiar people. Especially when you’re only a few years apart. On the one hand, you need to try to show respect, to appeal to “you”. But deep down, you know you're practically peers. So why all these courtesies?!



It is another thing when relatives from the very beginning begin to build themselves out of ignorance. They stand alone, they come into contact with what is called a creak. But what to do, such also need to be tolerated, to show, albeit played, but politeness. We're all cultural people. And what a sin to hide, with such relatives we still see very rarely, so sometimes you can endure. The main thing is that they do not ask to visit. And the rest is nonsense.

I was 14 years old when my mother and I moved to a small town, away from our home village. I love the place where I was born. But I will not lie, it has become impossible to live there in recent years. My school, the only one in the neighborhood, didn't work the way it was originally intended: teachers don't do their job, the toilet is on the street. In general, nobody cared. The village itself seemed to be slowly disappearing. There is no work, no infrastructure, people drink from despair.

Having collected the last money and some things, we moved and immediately rented a small apartment in a residential area. It was a shock to me: so much new and interesting stuff. And although it has been more than 8 years since then, I still remember the thrill in my heart when I first saw the traffic of cars, high-rise buildings, glowing windows of shops. It was unforgettable! On the other hand, of course, the disadvantages remained. The problems are mainly of a financial nature.



My mother quickly found some kind of hack, but even I felt that we were so short of money. Of course, I tried to help as best I could: all the housework was now on my shoulders. The only thing I didn’t do was cook. Because food now cost money, and I could burn another lunch or dinner very easily. But cleaning, laundry, dishes and other small things, all this was behind me. But after living in the countryside, this kind of work seemed like a normal vacation to me.

Aunt Lida, mother's sister, stayed in the village. She was always one of those women who could say anything to your face. No omissions, cheating or anything like that. Absolutely guileless man. She never had a family, but she always loved talking to her neighbors and getting the news. If she had the TV or the Internet, she wouldn't leave the house, trust me. So, she was the one who persuaded my mother to go to work in another country. Which, of course, not immediately, but gradually happened.

Because of the lack of money, my mother was not herself. Again, our town is not too big, although compared to the village it is heaven and earth. Finding a job here is quite difficult, and a job with good pay is so much more so. Especially without dating or blat. So, year after year, the situation was heating up, and I saw it perfectly. My mom used to say that when I was 18, she would go to work. But she did not wait for a year and after a serious conversation between us bought tickets and flew to the unknown. In general, at that time I was already internally older than many of my peers, so for me her departure was not a tragedy. I could take care of myself. But what daughter doesn't miss her mom?



Then it got better. My mother quickly found a job and we had the opportunity to talk to her via video link. She was also sending money to the neighborhood card, so for the first time, I felt like a person with certain abilities. This is me now a grown girl with a job and an understanding of the rules of the world. And then I fought hard with the desire to buy sweets instead of food in the supermarket and eat them until my pulse is lost.

At the moment, my mother is still working in Sweden, and I live in the same apartment, because I have enough space and I am satisfied with the rent. We are very friendly with the neighbors, I know all the grandparents of my yard. In fact, she was very assimilated. I thought nothing and no one would remind me of my village past. But of course I was wrong. One morning, at seven o'clock, my "beloved" aunt called me. And in her usual manner, without saying hello, even though we haven't seen each other for many years, she asked, "Did your mother tell you that I'm coming soon?" It's Lida, hello!

As it turned out, Mom apparently had nothing to do. And while walking through the expanses of social media, she came across her old village friend. She got in touch with Aunt Lida, and then she went. In short, they agreed before my aunt came to visit me. For a day, no more. What's the big deal, family? Don't forget your roots. “So, honey, get ready. I'll be there in 2 days”. I wish I knew what nerves it would cost me.



As we agreed, I met my aunt at the train station in the morning. I brought it home, set it on the table. From that moment the problems began. I like dairy products, oatmeal and everything low-calorie. But knowing that in the village it is not food at all, I made fried potatoes with meat, vegetables, put a lot of sweets on the table. And, as it turned out, completely missed: “What did you put me here?” Where is your sushi, the sea fish? Couldn't you please your aunt? I eat potatoes at home every day! I had to come up with something quickly, but for lunch I promised myself not to forget to buy rolls.

Then, before I went to work, I handed Aunt Lida the remote control, showed her how to switch channels on the TV, and told her I would be back in a couple of hours. I made a part-time appointment with my boss. When I got home, I wasn’t even surprised that my aunt had been watching the same channel since the morning. Even the ad was something magical for her and she just didn't want to switch it. What do we do, let's go to the table?

Curving and squinting, spitting, Aunt Lida tried to cope with the Philadelphia rolls. I even wanted to shoot a video on my phone, but then I thought it would be too disrespectful. She called acute wasabi too unprintable words, and “rice with fish” was too stupid for this woman. Though I kind of liked the cheese. We ate lunch with fresh potatoes again. My aunt didn't want to walk around town, and I wasn't going anywhere in the rain. So for the next couple of hours, we watched movies, and my aunt reminded me of my childhood and how I was taking dung out of the barn. Pleasant, heartfelt memories.



Then Aunt Lida from idleness, apparently, began to freak out. I locked myself in the bathroom and used every tube of my creams and shampoos. She didn't come out for two hours, and then she asked me to bring her curls. Then, looking at the time, she sent me to the store for “something strong” and scolded me for bringing ordinary wine. After the wine, she began to sing and finished the potatoes left over from dinner. I went to the fridge and took out all my cheese. Cheese sandwiches made her happy, but she didn’t like them. Then there were the dances, where I lost my patience, and I asked my relative to stop all his activities and go to bed. After 15 minutes, Aunt Lida snored like a tired loader. Thank God the day is over.

The morning started at 5:00 a.m. and I hope you understand why. But it was even for the best: I was able to call a taxi to the train station earlier, to take my aunt to the bus earlier. So in that regard, I was satisfied. The bitterness came after we talked to our mother. According to her aunt Lida, her niece first put leftovers on her table, then bought rotten sushi, which is impossible to eat. She ended up scolding her, a grown woman, for taking a long bath. She must have spared the water money. So the city changed me a lot.



Of course, I explained some things to my mother. Somewhere she believed me, somewhere she was on my sister’s side. But that's nothing. The main thing that I did my job, met a relative and spent. Now she should have enough emotions for a long time. I love this woman in my own way, of course, but still. On the other hand, I won’t even try to change it. Who knows, maybe one of my friends in the city tolerates me the same way? What if? You have to be kind and tolerant to everyone. The way will be my credo.