**”This is my room now,”** declared my sister-in-law, shoving my things out into the hallway.
**”Emma, do you honestly think this soup is edible?”** Lisa wrinkled her nose, poking at the murky liquid in her bowl. **”The potatoes are practically raw.”**
**”Eat what youre given,”** Emma replied flatly, not looking up from her own plate. **”This isnt a Michelin-starred restaurant.”**
**”Im not just nitpicking for fun. Id like a proper meal after work. Back at Mums, Dad always had hot roast waiting when he got home.”**
Emma clenched her jaw. Here we go again. Lisa had been living with them for six months since her divorce, and every single day, she found something to complain aboutthe soup, the dust, the telly being too loud.
**”Lisa, if you dont like it, cook for yourself,”** Emma said, dropping her bowl into the sink. **”No ones stopping you.”**
**”When am I supposed to cook? I finish work at seven, then its an hour and a half on the Tube.”**
**”So Im meant to play housekeeper, am I?”**
Her husband, James, wandered into the kitchen, his hair tousled from an afternoon nap, wearing a crumpled T-shirt.
**”Ladies, at it again?”** He stretched and yawned. **”The whole flat can hear you.”**
**”Were not arguing,”** Lisa flashed her brother a suddenly sweet smile. **”Just discussing dinner.”**
Emma side-eyed her. The way Lisa flipped her tone the second James walked insuddenly all charm and innocence.
**”Jim, could you talk to the landlord about the heating?”** Lisa pressed on. **”My rooms freezing. Im shivering all night.”**
James rubbed the back of his neck.
**”Its the same for everyone. Its winter.”**
**”But maybe the radiators need bleeding? There must be something.”**
Emma silently cleared the table. **”My room.”** As if the lounge had always been Lisas. Theyd agreed shed stay a month, topsjust until she found a place.
**”Emma, wheres the blue throw? The one from the sofa?”** Lisa asked.
**”In the wash,”** Emma replied curtly.
**”When will it be dry? Im cold now.”**
**”Tomorrow.”**
**”What am I supposed to do tonight?”**
Emma turned to face her. Lisa wore that helpless, doe-eyed look that worked so well on men.
**”Lisa, there are other blankets. In the cupboard.”**
**”Where, exactly? I dont know where you keep things.”**
Emma marched to the bedroom and pulled out a thick woollen throw.
**”Here. Take it.”**
**”Thanks. And maybe dont wash this one straight away? Just in case I need it again.”**
**”Lisa, we have a washing machine. Things get cleaned.”**
Lisa hugged the blanket to her chest. **”I get it. Im just used to things being… proper. At home, we always had spares of everything.”**
Emma felt something tighten in her chest. Another dig about how their flat wasnt up to Lisas standards.
**”Jim, have you thought about asking for a raise?”** Lisa perched next to her brother on the sofa. **”Tom at my office just got a fifteen-grand bump.”**
James shifted awkwardly. **”Yeah, well, Im not Tom. Different job.”**
**”But its worth a shot, isnt it? With prices these days, every bit helps.”**
Emma decided to leave before she said something shed regret. She slipped into the bathroom, running the tap to mask the sound of Lisas soft, persuasive voice next dooralways so reasonable, always making Emmas objections sound petty.
Half an hour later, James knocked.
**”Emma, come out. We need to talk.”**
She dried her hands and stepped into the lounge. Lisa sat smugly on the sofa, while James stood guiltily in the middle of the room.
**”Whats going on?”** Emma asked.
**”Weve been talking…”** James began. **”Lisas really struggling with the cold in there. Our rooms much warmer.”**
Emmas stomach dropped.
**”And?”**
**”Maybe we swap for a bit? Let her have the bedroom, and well set up in here?”**
**”James, are you serious?”**
**”Think about it. Were young, healthy. Lisas had a rough time since the divorceshes run down.”**
Emma glanced at Lisa, who sat with downcast eyes, the ghost of a smirk at her lips.
**”Thats our bedroom, James. Our bed, our wardrobe, our things.”**
**”Its temporary. Just until Lisa finds a place.”**
**”Is she even looking?”**
Lisa lifted her head. **”Of course! But have you seen rent prices? Its impossible.”**
**”How much longer, then?”**
**”A month or two. Max.”**
Emma knew that meant six. Or more.
**”James, lets talk alone,”** she said.
They shut the kitchen door behind them.
**”Do you hear what youre asking?”** Emma kept her voice low. **”This is our home.”**
**”I know. But shes my sister. Shes in a bad spot.”**
**”And what am I? A stranger?”**
**”Dont be daft. Shes just… fragile right now.”**
**”And Im not? Ive lived like a guest for half a year. I cant watch telly, cant have friends over, cook for three, clean for three”**
**”Emma, dont exaggerate.”**
**”Im not! And now you want to give her our bedroom?”**
James rubbed his forehead. **”Its temporary. A few months.”**
**”And then what? Shell take the whole flat?”**
**”Dont be selfish.”**
Emma nearly choked. **”Selfish? For not handing over my own bedroom?”**
**”Keep your voice downshell hear.”**
**”Let her! Its my flatIll say what I want!”**
A knock. **”Am I interrupting?”** Lisas voice was syrup-sweet.
James opened the door.
**”I dont want to cause trouble,”** Lisa said, stepping in. **”Maybe I should stay with a friend instead?”**
**”No,”** James said quickly. **”Well sort it.”**
Emma watched, defeated. Lisa was a master at playing the victim, and James always fell for it.
**”Fine,”** Emma relented. **”Take the bedroom.”**
**”Really?”** Lisa beamed. **”Thank you! Ill be so careful, promise.”**
The next day, while Emma was at work, Lisa moved in. When Emma came home, her belongings were dumped in bin bags in the lounge.
**”Lisa, what is this?”** Emma stared at her dresses piled haphazardly.
**”Oh, your things,”** Lisa called from the bedroomEmmas bedroom. **”I moved them. Needed the wardrobe.”**
**”We said temporary.”**
**”It is! But I need somewhere to put my clothes, dont I?”**
Emma pushed open the door. Lisas creams and perfumes crowded the dresser. Her dresses filled the wardrobe. Her bedding was on the bed.
**”Lisa, wheres my bedding?”**
**”I washed it. It was dirty.”**
**”It was clean!”**
**”Well, it didnt look it. I like things tidy.”**
Emmas blood boiled. **”And your bedding? Whered that come from?”**
**”Bought it today. Bamboo fibreso good for your skin.”**
**”This is my room now,”** Lisa declared, folding another blouse into the drawer as if Emma werent even there.
At dinner, Lisa was sickeningly sweet.
**”Emma, thank you so much,”** she gushed, helping herself to potatoes. **”First proper sleep in months. The bedrooms so much warmer.”**
James nodded. **”See? All that fuss for nothing.”**
**”James, when does Lisa plan to move out?”** Emma asked.
Lisa coughed. **”Emma, really?”**
**”Just asking.”**
**”Im trying,”** Lisa said, voice wobbling. **”But rents are insane, and my salarys not great…”**
**”What about your ex? No maintenance?”**
**”We… havent finalized things yet. Courts take ages.”**
