Vedran had imagined a weekend at the lake without phones, guests, or other people's habits. He and Lejla had been married for three months. As he unloaded groceries, a man in muddy boots peered over the fence. "Your fuel hose is leaking," he said, pointing at the boat. Lejla hugged him. He was her first husband, the owner of the neighboring cottage.
Before Vedran could think of a polite response, another man appeared carrying a toolbox. Lejla's second husband kept a spare key because they ran an equipment-rental business together. Vedran knew all of this. On paper, her past had seemed neatly concluded. Now both conclusions stood on the dock and knew where the bolts were kept.
He decided to repair the engine himself. He declined help, removed the cover, and immediately lost a small nut between the boards. The first ex-husband offered a magnet. The second brought coffee. Neither was condescending, which annoyed him even more. Lejla was making lunch and called from the kitchen to ask whether they needed more bread, as though gathering three men from her life were an ordinary weather event.
Only when the engine started and stopped again did Vedran put down the tools. He said he felt like a temporary guest in a story everyone else knew. The conversation fell quiet. The first ex-husband looked toward the house and described how Lejla had wanted to learn to sail for years, while he always said they had to finish work first. The second admitted he thought she really wanted a steady income, so he bought her more equipment. Neither had taken her sailing.
Lejla heard the last sentence. She came outside with plates and reminded them that she had long been able to pay for a course herself. "I signed up last month. You were all busy making assumptions." Vedran laughed before he could decide whether he should. They ate on the dock. They talked about the fuel hose, autumn water, and bad parking, and for the first time he did not measure whose joke held Lejla's attention longer.
The guests left toward evening. Vedran asked his wife whether she wanted to spend the weekend alone together or visit the sailing club. She chose the club, adding that tomorrow she would like a quiet breakfast with just him. As they walked along the shore, she explained where her business with her former husband ended and their shared space began. He did not ask for anyone to disappear. On Sunday, he got up early and set out two plates.