Lisa was exhausted. You understand, summer vacation is not always a break. For mothers of many children, summer can become a real test of endurance. How many times had she told her husband, “Let me go to prayer and work for you, and you can rest at home with the kids”? But he always refused even before he found out that the “resting” person was destined to prepare breakfast, lunch, and dinner, since his wife was very busy. He invariably preferred the hard work at the hospital to the “pleasant” pastime with four little ones.
Lisa’s thoughts returned to her happy, carefree childhood. Her mother called her Elizabeth, infusing that name with a dream: Elizabeths were always named queens and princesses, which meant her little daughter was destined for a great future. Lisa often remembered this while wringing out wet rags and scrubbing greasy pots.
She could hire a helper, but who could guarantee that she would wash the dishes as well? Would a housekeeper neatly arrange things on the shelves? Would she prepare a truly healthy dinner for the family?
Every evening, Lisa met her husband exhausted. From the threshold, she yelled that he didn’t see her suffering and treated her like a servant. And Ilya, the surgeon, didn’t know how to respond. He seemed like an educated man, yet the dilemma remained a dilemma. Was he really bringing in too little money? Did their neighbors not envy them? He had so diligently chosen a position at a private clinic just to make his wife happy. How did it happen that she turned into an unhappy servant?
They couldn’t talk heart to heart: after each “explosion,” Lisa would fall asleep in the armchair, not waiting for the war to end. And in the morning, the children were the first to get up…
Meanwhile, many acquaintances began to divorce. Ilya, fearing for the fate of his family, signed up for family counseling. There, Lisa learned for the first time that her husband still hoped to see her as a queen. She herself wouldn’t mind taking the throne, but how could she do that? She couldn’t just put on a crown and let all the endless worries go to waste…
The consultant advised her to gradually get used to her status. Start with a daytime nap — no more than an hour a day. For this, she would have to hire a nanny for an hour. And “his majesty” would return from work a little earlier to share dinner with the royal offspring.
Lisa was torn with doubts. Who goes to sleep in the middle of the day? Where would she find a nanny? There was so much work around, and I would just lie in bed? But the future of the family was at stake. Then she ran into her neighbor Alyona.
— Hi, Alyona. Can I ask you to take my kids outside for an hour today? — Lisa asked, praying to herself: “Just don’t ask why, just don’t ask…”
— Of course, I’d be happy to! — Alyona replied. — But why? I’m not asking out of curiosity. Lisa, I don’t know what you’re planning, but if I were you, I would just lie down and sleep. The kids need a strong, cheerful, rested mom. And you’re getting paler by the day.
— Thank you, Alyona. I will do just that.
It happened. Lisa lay down to rest. For a whole hour, no one “exploded” the kids’ brains. They learned from the neighbor that mom wasn’t made of iron and needed to be given a break. The kids didn’t mind — for them, it became a new project: “Taking care of mom.” No one had ever told them about this before.
After the nap, even the light in the windows seemed warm and cheerful. Her husband returned from work. For the first time in many years, Lisa greeted him with a smile.
— Good evening, Your Majesty!
— Good evening, my Queen!