Many years ago, some relatives of ours came to visit. Of course, they had written to let us know beforehand, and I made it quite clear to them that we lived rather modestly, struggling just to keep things afloat.
It wasn’t as though we were starving, but our life was quite simple. I was retired, and my son didnt earn much either, so having guests over was something we could hardly afford. When they arrived, they didnt come empty-handed. In fact, they brought plenty of food and gifts along with them.
My son thanked me for the presents, and I tucked them away without much fuss. As I had already said, they were well aware of our circumstances. For dinner, we served bread with butter, some biscuits, and a pot of tea. Our relatives nibbled their food, wearing rather sour expressions, but they kept silent. I paid it no mind, for I had told them quite plainly that there wasnt any money to spare. We made do with what we had.
That evening, supper was a light broth, more bread, a bit of soft cheese, sandwiches with cold meat, and more tea. I daresay they expected grander fare, as they sat with dissatisfied looks on their faces.
One of them finally asked why we hadnt offered what they’d brought. I listened, not truly understandinghad they brought these gifts for us, or were they meant for themselves? If they wished to eat what they brought, they could have simply asked us to put it in the larder, after all.
There was a good deal of bickering, and by the following morning, they gathered their things and left. To be honest, I didnt much care where they would end up spending the night. I had no wish to have them under my roof any longer. At least we were left with a few treats: some cake, liver pâté, marshmallows, fruitso we didnt come away empty-handed. That evening, my son and I sat down together with a pot of tea and a slice of delicious cake, grateful for a quiet house.
Our Relatives Came to Visit Us and Brought Gifts—But Soon Insisted We Put Them on the Table
