Insatiable relatives
Alright, dear guests, have you had enough to eat? Enough to drink? Did I manage to please you? Ethel announced, rising to the head of the massive dining table.
Yes, sister, Brian said with a satisfied sigh, youre always on top of things!
Exactly! Mabel chimed in. We learned to cook together when Mum was alive, but Ive never managed to make anything as tasty as this. No wonder I always ask you to handle the cooking at my parties!
Mum, Agnes whispered, and here I am, fresh from the gym, still not ready to quit! But I couldnt just stop!
Mom, Ill send my wife over so you can teach her a thing or two, Charlie blurted.
Thats why I married you! Vince declared, letting out a hearty burp. Excuse me!
So youve done us a favour, Ethel beamed. She paused, the smile fading from her face, and now, my dear and beloved she took a breath, get out of my house!
It was the last dinner she had ever prepared for them, the final time shed bent over a hot stove for their sake. She no longer wanted to see or hear them, let alone think about them.
Grabbing the enormous salad bowl, she hurled it to the floor with all her might.
Enough, you little brats! The dancings over, she said, her grin turning wicked. Im done letting anyone ride on my back especially you lot!
A heavy silence settled over the room, the guests staring in stunned shock. Anyone could have imagined a tantrum from a neighbour, but certainly not from Ethel: ever calm, ever helpful, ever obedient.
Youve lost it? Vince asked, only to be smacked across the cheek by his wife.
Call an ambulance, shes having a nervous breakdown! Mabel shrieked.
Ethel lifted the decanter with the last of the juice and warned, Anyone who reaches for the phone will get a taste of this! She smiled sweetly. Whats the matter? Freeze like statues? Run for it, you ravenous little gremlins!
Ethel! Brian barked. Im your older brother, calm down and pull yourself together!
No! Ethel replied, still smiling. Im done serving you! I wont appease you any longer, nor will I dash around for people who cant do anything themselves! Thats itenough!
Whats got you so wound up? Vince asked, rubbing his reddening cheek. Everything was fine, wasnt it?
I didnt call you all here for nothing, Ethel said, sinking into a chair and leaning back. Your cheekiness has crossed every line for ages, actually! Your last little parade just proved how bold youve become, and Im done with you in my life.
We didnt do anything, Andrew murmured.
Exactly, son! Exactly! Vince echoed.
***
They say you have to live life the right way no argument there. But what does right even mean? Everyone has their own answer.
Ethel, now fortyfive, was convinced shed lived perfectly. At worst, she could only blame herself. Shed been the third child, with an older brother and a younger sister. Her parents were pleased, her brother adored, her sister never bothered her. She finished school, got a job, never dreamed of fame, never chased after anyones tail.
She married, had two children, was a faithful, loving wife, never scolded her husband without cause, a good mother, raised and educated her kids, then sent them out into the world. She kept in touch with her brother and sister, helping, celebrating, solving problems, sharing joys. People called her kind, responsive, smart, understanding.
So she believed shed led a proper life. Then, at fortyfive, she discovered what it meant to be abandoned, alone, in the gloomiest moment of all.
***
Ethel Morris, the doctor said after lunch, all your test results are back, no contraindications. Shall we schedule the operation?
Of course, doctor, Ethel replied sadly, the decision has already been made.
I understand, the doctor said, noticing her downcast tone, but you never know
Schedule it, Ethel waved her hand. The sooner we start, the sooner we finish.
Alright, the doctor noted in her chart. Youll have dinner tonight, nothing tomorrow, and the operation the day after.
He turned to the woman in the next bunk. Dorothy, your results arent all good; well have to sort them out.
Okay, Dr. Oliver, Dorothy replied.
When the doctor left, he asked Ethel, Why so gloomy? Afraid of the operation?
Partly, Ethel nodded. My husband she glanced at her phone.
My husbands been singing his way out of this, Dorothy chuckled. I bet the kids will be with their mother, and hell throw a party! No big deal, hell get back to work. Maybe hes already off on a holiday?
According to his last voicemail, hes already standing tall, Ethel pursed her lips. He knows Im going under the knife. He should at least support me! Instead hes out drinking with his mates!
Ah, men, Dorothy waved a hand. All the same! Cats at home, mice dancing in the garden!
Its still hurtful, Ethel said. Uterus removal is serious. A little support would have meant the world. I told him I was terrified and needed him now, and all he does is send two short texts after Ive left, then disappears!
Dorothy, ten years younger, didnt have enough experience to soothe her, so the conversation faded.
Ethel didnt go out for dinner, taking nothing with her, knowing shed need to fast before the operation. She lay quietly, staring at the ceiling, recalling the time Vas Vince broke his leg at work. Shed visited him in hospital every day, driving after her shift, bringing homemade meals and clean clothes, staying up late to keep him company, only getting home near midnight.
When they finally let him out, she took time off to help, running around like a hamster in a wheel. She never refused her husband a hand: water, feeding, washing, grooming anything.
Why does he treat me like this? Ethel asked when Dorothy returned from her own dinner.
Not just yours, Dorothy laughed. All of them! Theyre consumers! Do they teach them at school how to sit on a ladys lap?
Ive pushed my career for three years, getting the best jobs through connections, Dorothy continued, and he never wants to work unless I threaten divorce and alimony!
My husband works, Ethel replied.
Your mans a different breed, Dorothy gestured. All the same exploiters! If you dont tie them down early, theyll sit on your neck and make a mess of everything.
Ethel began to realize her husband was like a piece of cheese in butter rich but slippery, and she was constantly on her rear legs around him.
Maybe Im overreacting? she asked. Is the surgery just making me nervous?
Both can coexist, Dorothy said. And the fact you hear no kind words from him is plain as day! My bloke, at least, brings me fruit juices, calls, sends heart emojis.
Ethel turned away, pulling the blanket over her head.
***
Going a day without food, even when you need it, isnt easy. Ethel tried to keep busy chatting with Dorothy, but the hospital kept sending her for tests, and Dorothy only popped in briefly between them.
Phone in hand, Ethel thought, Relatives will chat to pass the time. Her son Charlie didnt pick up, just sent a text promising a call later. Her daughter Agnes tried twice, then her number became unavailable.
Good kids, Ethel muttered, bewildered.
Not answering? Dorothy asked, catching her breath.
Can you imagine? Not even a simple Hello, Mum? Ethel replied.
Adults now, living on their own, Dorothy shrugged.
Forget them, love. Youll only hear from them when they need something. Like fledglings leaving the nest, only a gust of wind will bring them back.
My sixteenyearold son no longer sees me as anything special. If they live apart, parents become unnecessary good luck when they show up for a funeral!
No, we have a wonderful relationship! Ethel insisted. So why dont they pick up?
Dorothy hurried off, leaving Ethel to wonder.
Is it really that hard to find a minute to talk to mum? she thought. All their recent visits were just asking for money not a loan, just a little help.
It was heartbreaking. Dorothy summed it up: The fledglings have flown. They live their own lives now, only remembering parents when they need something.
Ethel dialed her husband again. No answer. She typed a message, left it unread.
Ah, Vas you rascal! she muttered. You could have at least pinged me!
That evening he finally replied, Where are our savings? Salarys gone, nothing to live on! Yet his last paycheck had arrived three days earlier.
Ah, the husbands optimism! Ethel thought, A feast of wine and cake! But she didnt answer. If hed hinted he was worried, maybe shed have spoken up. Instead, she let him sort his own mess.
***
Brother Brian finally answered the phone, but said he was busy and hung up.
Typical, Ethel sighed.
She remembered the six months shed spent in two houses after Brians wife tossed him out, leaving his kids behind. Shed looked after them, acted as mum, cook, cleaner, everything, until Brian found a new partner. Shed even mediated conflicts between his new family and his own, never receiving a word of thanks.
Half a year I patched things up, and still no gratitude, she thought. When she called him that night, she got only a short buzz and a click.
Thanks for the blacklist, brother! she muttered.
He also knew about her upcoming operation. When he asked to take the kids for a month, she finally said no, citing the surgery.
***
Sister Mabel gave Ethel only five minutes, and that too to ask about health.
When will you be fit again? My husbands sidefamily is due to arrive ten people, well lodge them in a hotel but need to feed them at home. Were counting on you!
I dont know, Mabel, Ethel answered. The operation is serious. Two or three weeks in hospital, then another fifty days off to recover.
No, no, dear! Youll be back in a flash, like a marching band! The relatives are more important than anything else! Mabel insisted.
Im scared, Ethel admitted.
Stop whining! Chirp chirp and off you go! Mabel snapped. Thats it, Ive got to run!
It hurt. What if the operation goes wrong? Complications could happen! Who knows what the future holds! Ethel stared at her phone. Im almost fifty and still cant cook properly!
Mabel kept calling on the younger sister to whip up meals for her guests colleagues, husbands friends, any celebration. Ethel hadnt left the kitchen for days, yet no one ever invited her to sit at the table.
Are you serious? Mabel snapped. Its a strangers party!
Ethels operation went smoothly, but she stayed in hospital two more weeks. She didnt call anyone, waiting for someone to think of her. Nobody did not husband, not kids, not brother or sister.
She racked her brain until she reached a decisive conclusion.
***
Ethel, what nonsense are you spouting? Brian shouted. Did they take a piece of your brain with the uterus?
Im glad you remembered! Ethel laughed. I thought everyone had forgotten me!
She rose again to the head of the table.
Listen up, my dear relatives! Ive lain in that hospital for two weeks, and not a single soul bothered to check on me. No brother, no children, no sister, no husband who spent all his wages and our savings on a cottage. No kids I raised and gave life to. No one called!
A hush fell over the room.
Ive spent my whole life doing everything you wanted. The moment I needed a crumb of help, a simple gesture, you all vanished. Ive decided IFrom now on Ill be serving myself alone, and that, Ive decided, is the most satisfying feast Ill ever enjoy.
