Weldon, Fay: Weekend

Main characters: Martha, a 38 years old woman, who has 3 children called, Jasper, Jolyon and Jenny. Martha has to do a lot of work every day and so she is always very tried. Martin, who is the husband of Martha, he likes to have all things perfect and fresh. He doesn’t eat frozen meal and he has got a nice secretary, who is a slim lady. He likes slim ladies very much. Colin, who is one of Martin’s friends and his new wife Katie, who is very attractive and female.

Setting/time: The story “Weekend” takes place in Great Britain, London and somewhere in the country next to Stonehenge. In our time.

Plot:
Every Friday evening Martin, Martha and the children drive to their cottage. They usually invite friends to come to the cottage for a weekend. During the week Martha is very busy doing the housework and the shopping and taking care of the children. Martin has got a little sports car for London, but it’s too small for family and so they have to use Martha’s old car, because it’s much bigger than Martin’s. Martha can’t drive with the car, because she lost her driving license for drunken driving. Usually, she doesn’t drink a lot, but on they had birthday dinner and she drunk to much.

Martin drives their car to the cottage, it isn’t a long trip, only two hours from London, but they need an hour more to drive back on Sundays. There they unpack their car. Martin makes the fire, while Martha prepares the meal. After supper the children go to bed and Martha does the washing up.

During the night Martha is thinking about the next day. She fells asleep, very late, but suddenly her weekend guests, Colin and Katie arrive. Martha wakes up, she is going around in her nightie and doesn’t look very attractive. Martha makes mushrooms omelettes for the guests. They have some Whisky and go to bed at 2.00 am. During the night Colin and Katie have a lot of sex and make lots of noise. Martha has to do the washing up again. She misses her friend Janet, who was the former wife of Colin and how had always helped her with the housework and the gardening in the cottage. Janet has also two children, but Colin becomes famous and richer and they separate their life. Colin cuts down the allowance for Janet and the children. He also sold their old house and Janet has now to live in a small flat with her children. Katie doesn’t like Colins children and so only see them once a month.

Katie is younger than Janet, she is beautiful and intelligent and spends her time with the men, because, she thinks that housework is boring and only fools do housework. Of course she doesn’t help Martha. She is very self fish. Colin has a new Lamborgini and looks much younger since he is the friend of Katie. Katie behaves like a teenager and pretends helplessness. The weekend is very stressing for Martha. She has problems with the children and taking care of the guests. There is another couple, Harry and Berys Elder, who are arriving on Sunday. Berys is nice like Martha, she also has children and she tries to stop the drinking of her husband, because he already has car accidents. Later in the afternoon Jenny calls Martha, because she gets her first period. Martha is very tired and starts to cry, because he her daughter Jenny is also becoming a woman.

Personal Comment
This story describes the life of a stressed woman. It also describes the feelings of Martha. I think that Martin is an idiot, because he doesn’t help Martha doing things or taking care of the children. Martha is very poor, because she has to prepare meal for all the guests at the cottage, she hasn’t got enough time for herself and so she is always tired from working. I think that’s a good story and it was a pleasure to read it, but at some parts it’s written like an innermonologue.

A dear, I hate this terrible live. After I wake up I have to prepare the breakfast for the children. Than I have work to earn money for the family, when I come home, I have to leave my house, because I have to do the shopping. When I come home again, I have to clean up the house, because the children always make a lot mess and I have to do the cleaning up, before Martin arrives at home, because he doesn’t like, when there is a mess at home. Than I have to prepare the supper. At this time I’m already tired, but after that, I have to do the washing up and bring to children into bed. At night I have to make love with Martin. The Weekend is very stressing, because we have to drive to our cottage. There, I have to unpack the car and I have to make the meal for my family and the guests. This weekend is very terrible, because Colin and Katie come to the cottage. I’m missing my friend, it’s the former wife of Colin, she was so nice to me. Oh no, what’s going on, Colin and Katie are making a lot of noise, during they make love. Martin most hear that, because he comes to me and make love with me three times. I’m so tired and my daughter Jenny is getting her first period, that’s give the rest. I hope this weekend will be over very soon.