The wife was busy cooking and then busy feeding the two children. When she returned to the dinner table, the whole family had finished eating, leaving only fish bones. The husband had been away from work for a long time and had just returned home to witness that scene. He did something shocking.
That afternoon, the dinner table in the three-generation house in Varanasi village, Uttar Pradesh state, India was still fragrant with the smell of braised fish, sour soup, and boiled vegetables. Anita – the youngest daughter-in-law – was busy in the kitchen, feeding the two children while wiping her sweat. She was used to the scene of the whole family eating first, then she eating later, because “she had to take care of the children, the adults had to clean up after eating”.

Her husband – Ravi – worked in Mumbai and only came home on the weekend. Today, he had just come home and saw his wife busy, while everyone was already sitting at the dinner table. His mother urged:

– Hey, Ravi, you eat first, your wife is taking care of the children so you can eat later!

He nodded, thinking it was normal as usual.

A moment later, when Anita finished feeding her two children, she returned to the table, looking at the empty tray of food with only a fish skeleton lying in the middle of the plate. Everyone in her husband’s family had also finished eating and stood up. Tears welled up in her eyes, unable to say a word.

She sat down quietly, picked up the bones and put them aside, poured the remaining cold soup over them, and bowed her head to eat.

Ravi sat there, watching the scene, a choking feeling in his heart. He suddenly realized – every time he came home, he saw his wife eating last, and every time it was cold leftovers.

He stood up abruptly, his voice harsh:

– Everyone has finished eating, but you let your wife and children sit here eating fish bones like this? Is there any humanity left in this family?

The whole family was stunned. Ravi’s mother frowned:

– She stays home to take care of the children, she doesn’t work hard, so why does she have to eat a lot? Rice with soup is enough to live on. Because your wife is slow, feeding the two children a bowl of rice and taking a long time to finish, then you have to accept it. You have already defended your wife and yelled at the whole house. You should remember who is a relative and who is a stranger here?

Ravi slammed his chopsticks on the table, his voice trembling with anger:

– No, Mom. It is because she gave it to everyone, because she considered this house her real family. But who in the house considers her a family member? Someone else’s daughter married your son and now she is your family member. She is a stranger when she comes home.

The room was dead silent. Everyone looked at him, surprised. Ravi turned to his wife, saw her eyes red, her hands trembling. He held her hand tightly, saying each word clearly:…From now on, I will take my wife and I to live separately. I cannot let my wife and I live in a house where we don’t even have a proper meal.

His mother exclaimed:

– What are you saying, Ravi? Living alone is unfilial!

Ravi looked straight into her eyes, his voice slow and firm:

– Unfilial is letting your wife and children be treated like strangers in your own home. You can’t do that anymore.

He turned to his wife, his voice soft:

– Let’s go, from now on we’ll live differently.

Anita sobbed. She wasn’t crying because she felt hurt, but because after years of silently enduring, her husband had finally chosen to stand by her.

That night, when the couple packed up their things to rent a place to stay, it was drizzling. Anita looked at the simple meal he had hastily bought – just fried eggs and vegetable soup – but she found it more delicious than any meal before.

Ravi picked up a piece of egg for his wife, smiling softly:

– From now on, you eat first. I want to see you full before I eat.

Anita lowered her head, tears falling into her bowl of rice. But this time, they were tears of happiness, of a woman who knew that – she no longer had to eat the leftovers of her life.