The day before my birthday I started to prepare the dishes for the celebration. I asked my husband to peel my vegetables and chop salads finely, while I baked the meat myself, boiled the cold, and peeled the herring. As it seemed to me, I prepared a wonderful hearty table to feed my large family. Already on my birthday, my husband and I went out in the morning and stood in a big line at the candy store to get a big, and most importantly, fresh cake that my grandchildren would surely love.
My son and daughter-in-law and grandson were the first to arrive at the party, then my eldest daughter and her two children, and lastly my middle daughter and her husband and children. They all sat around the table together, banging and clattering their spoons and forks. Everyone seemed to enjoy everything, there was enough to go around. The grandchildren were so full that with their dirty hands they soiled the wallpaper and the adults also managed to spill the clean tablecloth. And at tea my eldest daughter said to me:
– You’ve set the table very poorly… We’ve eaten, but what will you put for us?
I was struck by her words. Even though it was a joke, which the others laughed at, I was offended. It’s true that I always try to pack something for the kids, but it’s hard to cook with supplies for a big family. I have small pans and an oven, and I can’t spend my entire pension on the table, because then I have another month to live.
– Do not pay attention, my mistress – said my husband gently to me in the kitchen, when we went away to get the cake – everything was very good, so they do not have enough. You can just share the recipes with them, since they have time, let them cook for everyone. And in general, next time, let them bring something with them. There’s so many of them, and there’s only two of us, how are we going to have time to cook everything?
