Anna heard the familiar sound of keys turning in the lock and involuntarily tensed. Tuesday, half past six in the evening—Dima was supposed to come home from work alone. But the footsteps in the hallway sounded somehow different, as if someone were moving cautiously, trying not to trip.
“Anya,” her husband called, guilt evident in his voice. “Come out here for a minute.”
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She put her book aside and, sensing trouble, headed toward the hallway. The scene before her immediately explained everything. Dima was standing in the doorway, holding the hand of five-year-old Artyom, the son of his sister Katya. In his other hand was a cat carrier, from which an irritated meowing could be heard.
“I remember that you’re allergic, but my sister wants them to stay with us,” Dima said, avoiding her gaze.
Anna felt her throat begin to itch at the mere thought that Barsik—Katya’s purebred British cat—was sitting inside the carrier. Her allergy to cat hair was so severe that even short visits to her sister-in-law’s home became an ordeal.
“Hi, Aunt Anya!” Artyom exclaimed happily, letting go of his uncle’s hand and running toward her. “Mom said I’m going to stay with you while she’s in Moscow!”
Anna mechanically hugged her nephew, but her eyes remained fixed on her husband. Dima finally looked up, and she saw a mixture of guilt and resignation in his expression.
“When did this happen?” she asked, trying to remain calm.
“Katya called an hour ago. She said she was already at the airport. Her friends suddenly decided to take off to Moscow for the weekend, and she didn’t want to miss the opportunity. Apparently, the tickets were on sale…”
“And of course she didn’t think about the fact that I’m allergic to her cat?”
Dima put the carrier on the floor and ran a hand through his hair—a sure sign that he was confused.
“She said the cat is well behaved and won’t cause any trouble. And Artyom—he’s a good boy. There won’t be any problems.”
“Dima,” Anna said slowly, as if explaining something extremely complicated, “this has nothing to do with whether the cat is well behaved. I have an allergy. I can’t stay in the same room with cat hair for more than half an hour without starting to struggle to breathe.”
“Maybe we could buy you some allergy pills?” her husband suggested hopefully.
Anna stared at him in disbelief. After eight years of marriage, he should have known that antihistamines only slightly eased her symptoms. They did not solve the problem.
“Aunt Anya, where is Barsik going to sleep?” Artyom interrupted. “At home he sleeps on my bed.”
“Barsik will sleep in his carrier,” Anna replied, struggling to suppress her irritation. “And you’ll sleep on the sofa in the living room.”
The boy looked upset.
“But he’ll get lonely! Mom always says Barsik is part of the family and should be allowed to roam freely.”
Anna closed her eyes.
A family member worth fifteen hundred dollars, she thought.
Katya had never hidden how much she had spent on her purebred kitten, just as she never hid how much child support she regularly received from her ex-husband, how much her new sheepskin coat had cost, or the price of her gym membership.
“Dima, we need to talk,” Anna said. “Artyom, go into the living room for now and put on some cartoons.”
When the child had run off, Anna turned to her husband.
“This is too much. Your sister cannot keep dumping her problems on us.”
“They aren’t problems,” Dima objected. “She’s family. We’re supposed to help each other.”
“Helping is one thing. Using us as a free babysitting service and pet hotel is something completely different. Remind me—when was the last time Katya helped us?”
Dima thought about it.
Anna could see him mentally going through the events of the past several months. They had celebrated New Year’s at Katya’s place, but Anna had done all the cooking. For Dima’s birthday, Katya had given him a cheap T-shirt, while for Anna’s birthday she had sent nothing more than a greeting card. When a pipe had burst in Anna and Dima’s bathroom and they had asked to stay at Katya’s place for a couple of days, she had claimed she had important things to do.
“She left her credit card,” Dima finally said. “She said we can use it to pay for food and anything Artyom and Barsik need.”
“Wonderful news,” Anna replied sarcastically. “So she does remember that food costs money. That leaves only my health and our time, but I suppose those are minor details.”
“Anya, why are you acting like this?” Dima tried to take her hand, but she pulled away. “It’s only for a few days.”
“A few days during which I’ll be struggling to breathe in my own apartment? Dima, I can’t do it. Physically, I can’t.”
“But what was I supposed to do? Katya was already at the airport. The tickets were bought…”
“You could have said no. You could have suggested she find a babysitter or a pet hotel. She has money for trips, but not enough money to arrange proper care for her child and pet?”
Dima remained silent.
Anna could see that he understood she was right, but he was unwilling to confront his sister.
“Fine,” Anna finally said. “I’ll solve the problem my own way.”
“What do you mean?”
“You’ll see.”
Anna went into the living room, where Artyom had already settled onto the sofa with the television remote. He was a good child, but his mother clearly had never bothered to establish firm boundaries with him.
“Artyom, are you hungry?” Anna asked.
“A little. Mom said you’d feed me.”
“Of course we will. And what does Barsik eat?”
“Royal Canin food for British cats. Mom said it’s very expensive, but Barsik is used to good food.”
“I see. And where is his food?”
“Mom forgot to bring it… But she said you’d buy some.”
Anna nodded and walked over to the window.
She already knew exactly what she was going to do.
Katya wanted to dump her responsibilities on them? Fine.
It was simply going to cost her more than she expected.
The first thing Anna did was search online for the nearest pet boarding facility. A place for a cat over the weekend cost three thousand rubles per day, plus special food. She wrote down the address and called to reserve a spot.
“Dima,” she called to her husband. “Help me carry the carrier to the car.”
“What are you doing?”
“I’m taking Barsik to a pet hotel. Don’t worry, I’ll pay for everything using your sister’s credit card.”
“But Katya expected him to stay here…”
“Katya expected me to struggle to breathe for her convenience. I decided it would be better to spend her money on professional care for her cat.”
Dima stared at his wife, bewildered.
Anna was calm and collected, which usually meant she had already made up her mind and there was no chance of changing it.
“And what about Artyom?” he asked.
“Artyom is going to stay with your parents. They’ll be happy to spend time with their grandson, and he’ll get to spend time with his grandparents.”
“But they live outside the city. A taxi will be expensive…”
“Katya’s credit card can handle it. If she can afford spontaneous trips to Moscow, she can afford proper care for her son.”
Anna acted methodically.
First, she took Barsik to the pet hotel and paid for four days of accommodation, food, and care. Then she ordered a taxi to Dima’s parents’ country house and explained the situation to them over the phone. They happily agreed to take their grandson.
“Artyom, pack your things,” she said. “You’re going to stay with Grandma and Grandpa.”
“Why?” the boy asked in surprise. “Mom said I was staying here.”
“Plans changed. Grandma and Grandpa have a garden and a swing, and they’ll be able to spend more time with you.”
“What about Barsik?”
“Barsik is in a good place where professionals will take care of him.”
The taxi ride to the country house and back cost more than four thousand rubles.
Anna saved every receipt and payment confirmation on her phone. Altogether, she had spent around seventeen thousand rubles on Katya’s credit card that evening, but at least their apartment was once again safe for someone with a severe allergy.
Dima greeted her at home looking mildly stunned.
“You really did it.”
“I solved all your sister’s problems. Isn’t that what she asked us to do?”
“But she expected us to look after Artyom and the cat ourselves…”
“And I expected to be able to breathe inside my own home. I think my expectation is a little more reasonable.”
Dima sat down on the sofa and shook his head.
“Katya is going to be furious.”
“Katya got exactly what she wanted: someone is taking care of her child and her cat. It just wasn’t free.”
“But fifteen thousand for one weekend…”
“Dima,” Anna said, sitting down beside him, “for that money, your sister got professional care for her cat and the undivided attention of Artyom’s grandparents. If she had hired a babysitter and paid for a pet hotel from the beginning, it wouldn’t have been any cheaper.”
“Yes, but…”
“But she’s used to us doing it for free. She’s used to thinking that our time is worth nothing and that my health can simply be ignored.”
Dima remained silent for a while, considering her words.
“Maybe you’re right,” he finally admitted. “I just feel awkward…”
“You feel awkward setting boundaries with your sister, but you didn’t feel awkward bringing a cat into our home when you knew I was allergic?”
“When you put it like that, it really does sound stupid.”
The next three days passed peacefully.
Dima called his parents several times to ask how Artyom was doing, and every time they told him the boy was delighted. His grandfather was teaching him how to fish, his grandmother was baking pies, and in the evenings they all watched cartoons together.
Katya returned on Sunday evening, tanned and cheerful.
Anna was home alone when the doorbell rang.
“Where’s Artyom?” Katya demanded from the doorway without even saying hello.
“With your parents. Come in.”
“With my parents? Why isn’t he here? And where’s Barsik?”
“At the pet hotel. Would you like some tea?”
Katya walked into the living room and sat down on the sofa, clearly trying to understand what was happening.
“Anya, explain what happened. I left them with you…”
“You left them with us knowing perfectly well that I’m allergic to cat hair. I decided it would be better to arrange professional care for everyone.”
“Professional care?”
Katya pulled out her phone and opened her banking app.
“I see seventeen thousand rubles charged to my card! What is this?”
“That’s the cost of the services you expected to receive for free.”
Anna calmly listed all the expenses: the pet hotel, the taxi, and the cat’s special food.
“But I expected you to just look after them!” Katya protested.
“And I expected to be able to breathe inside my own home. As you can see, our expectations didn’t match.”
“But we’re family! We’re supposed to help each other!”
“Yes, help each other. But when help turns into exploitation, it’s no longer a healthy family relationship.”
Katya stood up and began pacing nervously around the room.
“I don’t understand what’s happened to you. You never used to cause problems like this…”
“I used to stay quiet and put up with everything. Now I’ve decided that mutual assistance should actually be mutual.”
“But seventeen thousand rubles for one weekend! That’s robbery!”
“That’s the price of the services you received. Artyom spent time with his grandparents, who adore him. Barsik stayed at an excellent pet hotel where professionals looked after him. Isn’t that exactly what a child and a pet need?”
Katya stopped and stared at her.
“You did this on purpose. To punish me.”
“I outsourced your problems,” Anna replied calmly. “If you continue treating your responsibilities this carelessly, I’ll be happy to provide similar services in the future. Naturally, they won’t be free.”
“What do you mean?”
“I mean that the next time you try to dump your responsibilities on us, I’ll hire a babysitter and pay for all the necessary services using your card. If you suddenly decide you want to go somewhere, fine. But it will cost you exactly what it would cost any other family.”
Katya remained silent for a while, clearly processing what she had heard.
“You’re serious?” she finally asked.
“Absolutely serious. I don’t mind helping you, but not at the expense of my health and our time.”
“But we’re family…”
“That’s exactly why I’m explaining the rules to you. If you want us to help, you need to take our needs into account too.”
Katya gathered her things and headed toward the door.
“I’ll pick up Artyom and Barsik myself,” she said resentfully.
“Of course. You have the addresses.”
When the door closed behind her, Anna felt a wave of relief.
She knew her relationship with her sister-in-law had changed, but perhaps it had changed for the better.
Dima came home late that evening and immediately understood from Anna’s expression that the conversation with his sister had taken place.
“How did it go?” he asked.
“Fine. I sent her the addresses, and she went to pick up Artyom and Barsik.”
“Is she very angry?”
“She’s offended. But maybe now she’ll understand that our help shouldn’t be unconditional.”
Dima sat down next to her.
“You know, I spent today thinking about what you did. And I realized you were right. We really have allowed Katya to get away with too much.”
“I don’t want to fight with her. I just want her to respect our boundaries.”
“Do you think this will help?”
“I think she’ll think a hundred times before dumping her problems on us again.”
Anna turned out to be right.
The next time Katya planned a trip, she arranged a babysitter in advance and found a pet hotel herself. And whenever she asked them for help, she always checked first whether it was convenient for them and offered to compensate them.
Perhaps it had not been the most delicate way to solve the problem, but sometimes only drastic measures can change long-established patterns in a relationship.
Anna no longer felt like a free service for solving other people’s problems, and Katya learned to take responsibility for her own decisions.
Their family relationships became more honest, even if they were less convenient for those who had grown accustomed to receiving help for free.
