I’m Hozumi. I live with my husband Kyota and our first-grade son, Ruki. Since we both work full-time, weekdays are pure chaos. We barely keep our heads above water by knocking out all the housework in one big push on the weekends. But lately, my sister-in-law, Maya, has been coming over once a month and staying until 11 PM. Having our routine thrown off and having an in-law overstay her welcome is beyond stressful. Still, I appreciate how much she adores Ruki, which makes it hard for me to put my foot down.
With Maya ruining our weekend routine, I was still completely exhausted heading into the new week. Even Ruki was dragging his feet, still sleepy from staying up way past his bedtime. I decided right then: “I can’t go on like this.”
If Kyota wasn’t going to get it no matter how many times I brought it up, he’d just have to experience it for himself. So, I called my younger brother Minato, who’s in college. When I opened up to him and asked for a favor, he immediately caught on to what I was trying to do.
When I mentioned that Minato was coming over this Saturday, Kyota didn’t hesitate to say yes. He’s probably thinking it’s no big deal, just like having Maya over… but I’m going to make sure he finally understands the stress of having his routine completely wrecked.