«And now pack your bags and out the door,» Alexey told his brother’s wife.

ANIMALS

«Ver! Can you hear me?» Alexey shouted even before he entered the house.

«I hear you,» the woman replied without taking her eyes off the screen she was navigating with a stylus.

«Igor and his wife and daughter are asking to stay over!»

Vera knew well who Igor was—her husband’s brother, a lively guy a couple of years younger. It seemed he was born with a camera, always carrying it around. He liked to photograph everything, but mostly, of course, models—he liked female images. First, he got a job at a newspaper, then at an advertising agency, and somehow miraculously ended up at a beauty contest—it was a real gold mine for him. Of course, Igor didn’t stop there: he shot weddings and presentations, he was everywhere where there was payment. And even at his brother’s wedding, he couldn’t sit still—he kept running after the bride and clicking her all the time.

Vera set aside her electronic stylus and straightened up. Just then, Alexey entered the room. The woman smiled and looked at him.

«So, I give my consent.»

That he asked her about the guests was pleasant. After all, they lived by the sea, everyone tried to visit them. However, Vera didn’t mind, although their house was small, they had just started building a guest house last year.

«We need to finish the renovation,» she reminded her husband, who was not very good at handyman tasks.

«Just some minor things left.»

«When?» Vera inquired.

«Well, if there is consent, I think in about two weeks.»

«Of course, let them come.»

«Maybe we should go for a walk?» Alexey tentatively suggested to his wife.

«A lot of work.»

«I understand, but maybe still…»

Vera rarely left the house, except she liked to garden in the evenings when it wasn’t so hot. Otherwise, she always sat in her room and drew, drew, and drew.

Perhaps that’s why she had put on a little weight, sat on diets, counted calories, but then, breaking down, would binge eat again, scolding herself for her weakness, and it all started over from the beginning.

Outside, the sea roared, roses bloomed in the garden, filling the air with a delicate aroma. On the windowsill, a fluffy cat dozed, occasionally opening its eyes to watch the seagulls flying by.

Alexey left. Vera stood up, massaged her lower back, walked over to the scales, and, sighing, stepped on them. The needles crawled upward.

«Again,» she thought sadly, noticing she had gained another half kilogram.

The woman glanced at the bag of pastries she had brought into her office in the morning, half of which she had already eaten.

«Maybe one more, and that’s it,» she thought. Her hand reached out, wanting to open it, but she felt ashamed. She closed it and, taking the bag, carried it to the kitchen.

If Vera worked from home, only results were required—she illustrated books, while Alexey, who had opened his advertising agency about five years ago, was always somewhere else. It all started when he bought equipment for business cards, then a camera, gradually hired students interested in graphics, then artists, scriptwriters, and somehow everything took off unnoticed. But he didn’t stay in one place, well understanding that the advertising market was changing. Then he hired specialists who created websites and online stores. He had a few employees: about fifteen staff members and as many freelancers.

This brought in good income. They used to live in the north, but when they came south for the summer and were about to leave, the landlady said she wanted to sell her plot. Alexey brushed it off, he was too engrossed in his work, but Vera liked it. She was excited about the land—big, 20 acres, though not in a very good location, on a hillside. However, after consulting with her father, he supported her and sent the money. When the plot became available, Alexey had to admit that they needed to build something. And a couple of years later, they had a three-room house, and when guests came, they decided to make a cottage.

Despite Vera and Alexey getting married earlier than Igor, their daughter Olya was the same age as Natasha, Vera’s daughter. Igor might have stayed single for a long time, but it seemed Julia got pregnant, and he was forced to agree to marry.

At the beginning of summer, Vera sent her daughter to her mother’s. Natasha was 5 years old, soon to start school. Vera wanted her to meet with Olya, so after consulting with her husband, she decided to go for her daughter.

«I’ll be quick, there and back,» she told Alexey. «Entertain the guests and please…» she covered the monitor screen with a special film, «make sure no one goes in here.»

«I’ll lock it,» Alexey joked.

With a calm heart, Vera flew away.
«A couple of days later, Igor arrived with his wife and daughter,» Alexey announced.

«Wow!» exclaimed Yulia enthusiastically. She had heard a lot from her husband about his brother’s house but had never visited before.

«It’s all Vera,» Alexey proudly said, pointing to the garden.

Of course, the garden was mostly wild: there was a pear tree, a hazelnut tree, apples, and plums—a bit of everything, but the grass grew so fast that even with a lawn mower, he couldn’t keep it tidy.

«Olya, there’s a cherry tree over there,» Alexey gently said, pointing to a tree on a hill.

The girl immediately ran off.

«It’s beautiful here,» Igor acknowledged approvingly, dragging their suitcases to the guesthouse.

«What’s over there?» Yulia inquired curiously.

For almost an hour, Alexey walked around the property, talking about each tree, then they descended from the hill and entered the main house. Seeing that the door to Veronica’s room was open, Alexey stepped inside. The girl Olya, acting as the host, had removed the protective film from the screen and was already holding the stylus.

«Stop!» he said calmly but firmly. «You can’t touch this.»

The man approached and took the electronic stylus from the girl, placing it back on the shelf.

«Besides, you shouldn’t enter this room.»

The girl immediately ran out. Alexey dropped the protective film back over the screen, exited, and firmly closed the door behind him.

«Is your wife still as fat?» Yulia asked Alexey with a sarcastic smirk.

The man winced. He knew that Vera wasn’t slim and couldn’t compare her to Yulia, who had been a model.

To avoid offending his brother’s wife, he very tactfully started a conversation:

«Not everyone can be as slim as you.»

In response, Yulia smiled smugly.

«However, please, let’s not talk about it.»

The woman snorted in response:

«To stay slim, you just have to eat less.»

«I understand,» Alexey agreed. «Vera tried many methods, was on diets, counted calories, but…»

«You just need to eat less,» Yulia repeated.

Alexey realized—she didn’t grasp what he was trying to imply, so he said bluntly:

«Don’t say such things in front of Vera.»

Yulia snorted again, shrugged her shoulders, and as she was leaving the house, she said again:

«Just eat less, that’s all. Don’t be a pig.»

Hearing this, Alexey grimaced. He couldn’t understand why these models were so mean. He had to deal with them at work—they were proud of their figure, their looks, which they didn’t earn; nature gave it to them. Instead of using it and enjoying it, they looked for faults in others.

The next day, as promised, Vera returned with Natasha. Alexey greeted her, sighed, sat down, and hugged his daughter.

The girl had clearly gained weight—her cheeks were puffed up, her lips…

«Grandma,» Vera defended her, as if standing up for her.

«It’s okay, she’ll live a few days, run around, swim—she’ll be back to normal soon,» Alexey supported her.

«How are our guests?» Vera asked him.

«They went to the sea, will be back soon.»

«They weren’t starving, were they? Probably just ate pizza?» the hostess asked, entering the house and opening the fridge.

«No, Yulia cooked something, they didn’t starve.»

«Good, I’ll make lunch now,» said Vera and, after changing clothes, went into the kitchen.

An hour later, the guests returned. This time Yulia was silent, but from her eyes and facial expression, Alexey could see that she was not only displeased with Vera’s appearance but also his daughter’s, though she had the wisdom not to express her remarks.

The lunch was hearty. Vera thought the guests were hungry, so she prepared a roast, cut up salads, fruits, and a couple of flatbreads.

The children devoured everything, but after about 10 minutes, Yulia scolded her daughter:

«Don’t eat so much, or you’ll be fat like Natasha.»

Fortunately, Vera and Natasha had already stepped outside at that time, but Alexey heard everything.

His face turned crimson with anger, he was about to make a remark right then, but Natasha ran into the room.

«Dad, dad, dad!» she excitedly turned to her father. «Can I go up the hill?»

The cottage was located in a valley, and behind it began the ascent to the hill, extending to their land parcel—perhaps that’s why Vera managed to buy it so cheaply. The hill was almost entirely covered with hazelnuts, and on the steepest slopes grew wild grapes. You can’t sleep long in the cottage in the morning, no alarm needed—the birds will wake you up. At first, Alexey was annoyed by it, but then he got used to it and couldn’t imagine living without the singing of birds anymore.

«Then take Olya with you,» Alexey suggested to his daughter.

The daughter approached the girl and, extending her hand to Olya, said:

«Come, I’ll show you the nest, and there’s also a cliff and rocks!»

Olya turned her head to her mother, then looked at Natasha with disdain and, as if weighing each word, said:

«I don’t make friends with pigs.»

Alexey stood up, took his daughter, and asked her to go to her mother, who went to water the flowers. The offended girl ran off.

Alexey turned to his brother, who had been sitting next to his wife and Olya all this time:

«You insulted my daughter,» he said bitterly, «allowing her to be called a pig.»

«I didn’t say that!» Igor immediately protested.

«You kept silent, just like your wife,» Alexey slowly shifted his gaze from his brother to Yulia and then to the girl Olya. «You all collectively called my daughter a pig.»

Hearing this, Yulia blushed. Igor had nothing to say—he indeed kept silent and didn’t even make a remark to his daughter. Alexey coldly looked at this family, then, glancing at them with disdain, went outside.
In the evening, when Vera set the table, Igor arrived with his family. Alexey thought someone would apologize, but they acted as if nothing had happened. Vera, as the hostess, prepared a wonderful dinner. Igor complimented the food, and Alexey supported him. After eating, Natasha leaned back in her chair. Vera brought tea and pastries, which she had asked her husband to buy. Yulia took one, cut off the cream, and started to bite into it, Olya did the same. Vera had already picked up a pastry but, remembering her own promise that she had had enough for today, set it aside. Yulia noticed this, smiled, and whispered softly:

«To not be fat, you just have to not pig out.»

Alexey slammed his hand on the table. The sudden noise made Yulia flinch and look at him, puzzled.

«Go for a walk,» Alexey said to his wife.

She took her daughter and went outside. The homeowner was left alone with the guests. He turned to his brother—he was the man of his family:

«This time you insulted my wife.»

«Nothing of the sort!» replied Igor.

«You kept quiet when she,» and he looked at Yulia, «said that my wife is fat.»

«But she is indeed fat!» Yulia defended herself.

At that moment, Alexey’s palm hit the table again, and Yulia flinched. Alexey turned his head to his brother:

«First, you insulted my daughter, calling her a pig.»

«Listen, stop!» Igor, realizing what his older brother was implying, said.

«And now you’ve insulted my wife, calling her fat and telling her ‘to eat less’.»

«But she’s right,» Igor looked at his wife.

«I won’t allow anyone in my home to insult my loved ones,» Alexey fell silent.

«Well, sorry,» Yulia replied dismissively. «I’m not to blame that she’s like that…»

Alexey looked at the woman coldly, then slowly, to make sure they understood, said:

«I’ll allow you to stay the night, but tomorrow morning you’re leaving.»

«What?!» exclaimed Igor.

«And all because I’m right?!» Yulia immediately shrieked. «She is fat, and your daughter is fat too!»

«One more word…» Alexey stood up, leaned on the table, and said: «One more word, and you’ll leave my house right now.»

Yulia jumped from her chair, snorted, and without saying thank you for the dinner, quickly walked to the guesthouse. Olya ran after her.

«That’s all I had to say,» Alexey addressed his brother.

He was silent, probably fully understanding what kind of person his wife was.

At dawn, having skipped breakfast, his brother’s family hurriedly headed for the exit. The air was fragrant with blooming magnolias, and the sun was just starting to heat up.

«Where are they going?» Vera asked Alexey, wiping the kitchen table with a towel. «Didn’t they like the house or my cooking?»

«Everything’s fine,» Alexey hugged his wife, adjusting the curtain.

«But why then?» Vera worried, sitting on the edge of a chair.

«It had to be,» he answered. «You know what I suggest? Why don’t we go to the sea today and spend the whole day there?»

Hearing this suggestion, the spirited Natasha immediately ran to the bedroom, and within a few minutes, returned in a swimsuit and with a large inflatable ring. Her lively steps echoed throughout the house.

«I’m ready!» she declared and headed for the exit, humming a cheerful tune.

«Not so fast!» her mother declared, and also went to change.

Alexey was sad—he hadn’t seen his brother for a long time and thought the two girls would become friends.

Vera, practical and thoughtful, approached him.

«We’ve taken water, fruits, towels, and sunscreen,» she said, packing things into a large beach bag.

«Wonderful, then let’s go,» he replied and, putting aside thoughts of Igor’s family, rushed to his room to change. Within five minutes, they were descending the hill, heading towards the sea. The southern sun was baking more intensely, and the sea breeze carried the salty scent of water and seaweed.