“I have nowhere to go!”
“I wont go back to that cheating dog! Id rather live in a basement than with him!”
“Mum, then go to the basement! Ill be divorcing you soon at this rate!” Alice snapped, stirring her porridge with a clatter.
“Youd throw your own mother out?” Lydia clutched her chest. “I gave you everything, and this is how you repay me? Thanks for the care, darling!”
With a huff, Lydia stormed off to their shared bedroombecause thats all they had. The four of them crammed into a one-bedroom flat, where privacy had vanished three months ago.
Alice never imagined shed be part of such a mess. People around her divorced and reconciled, but her parents had always been the picture of stability. Just months ago, Lydia and Oliver celebrated their ruby anniversaryforty years together. Now, her mother couldnt stand the sight of him.
Then, one dreadful afternoon, Lydia arrived on Alices doorstep with suitcases, declaring she was leaving him.
“Can you believe it? He cheated on me with some floozy of a nurse!” Lydia gasped, still breathless from the climb up the stairs. “At his age, chasing after women half hispathetic!”
“Mum, are you sure? Maybe you misunderstood?” Alice stared, wide-eyed.
Lydia had always been dramatic, twisting gossip into gospel. But this time, it was real.
“Misunderstood? Oh, please! The photos on his phone didnt leave much to the imagination! Old fool shouldve known better…”
Alice decided to deal with that later. First, she had to calm her mother down. She made tea, sat her at the table, and tried to soothe her. “Even if its true, its not the end of the world. These things happen. Ill help you through it.”
Little did she know what that promise would cost.
From that day, Lydia moved in. That wouldnt have been so bad, except Alice had her own familyhusband Henry and five-year-old Alfie, a whirlwind of curiosity and chaos.
At first, Alice tried to see the upside. Extra help with Alf? She worked remotely and handled it fine. Cooking? Lydias heavy, greasy meals clashed with Alices waistline and Henrys doctors orders. Cleaning? Their standards couldnt be more different.
And that was just the start.
“Time to change the bedding. Alfies toodo it in the morning,” Lydia announced at eleven p.m., just as Alice and Henry settled in for a film.
“Now? Alfies asleep! How are we supposed to?”
“Use the hallway light. Quietly. You shouldve done it earlier. Dust mitesll take over at this rate!”
Lydia planted her hands on her hips, scanning the room for more tasks.
Alice sighed but obeyed. She knew her mothers waysargue, and the guilt would drag on for days. Lydia never backed down. Alice, ever the peacemaker, always folded.
Henry didnt share her patience.
“Love, cant you just say no?” he muttered when they were alone.
“Its Mum. You know how she is…”
“I do. But this is our home, our rules. Im exhausted, Alice.”
“Just a bit longer. She and Dad need time. Itll sort itself out.”
But she didnt believe it. Shed already spoken to Dad. Hed admitted itthered been someone else.
“I dont know what came over me. Maybe I just wanted to know what Id missed. Your mothers the only one Ive ever been with. Now I dont know where to put myself. I love her, but she wont even listen…”
Honestly, Alice understood her mum. She wouldnt forgive cheating either, even if it was just a fling. Lydia had every right to leave. But she wasnt doing anythingjust waiting, as if the problem would vanish on its own.
Things got worse. Lydia decided Henry was too comfortable.
In her parents marriage, chores were split. Dad vacuumed, scrubbed the bathroom weekly, even cooked sometimes. He did what most considered “womens work.”
Not in Alices house. Henry helped Alf with schoolwork or took him swimming, but the rest fell to her. It made sensehe was the breadwinner, now supporting Lydia too. Alices part-time remote work paid for little luxuries, nothing more.
Lydia didnt see it that way.
“Youve let him off too easy!” shed scold. “Make him pull his weight, or hell end up like your father. Men stray when theyre bored.”
“Mum, were fine.”
But Lydia wasnt listening. She took it upon herself to “reform” Henry.
“Sit down,” shed order when Alice stood to clear the table. “Henry, shes been on her feet all day. Too proud to ask for help. Be a dear and wash up.”
Henry would glare but comply. His patience, though, had limits. Arguments simmered behind closed doors. He wasnt wrong. Alice knew it. But what could she do?
“Mum, you cant live like this. Whats the plan?” she asked after two months.
“Dunno. Ill figure it out. Ive got nowhere else.” Lydia tensed, sensing where this was going.
“Of course you do! Yours and Dads place is half yours. Sort it out legally. Move on.”
“I dont want a thing from him!” Lydia snapped, arms crossed. “Ill manage. Wont speak to him again.”
“Managing” meant Alice and Henry bore the brunt. They were drained. Alice hinted, then outright said they needed space. Lydia ignored her.
Finally, Alice snapped. She found Lydia a rented room, packed her bags while she showered.
“Whats this? You going somewhere?” Lydia demanded, towel-drying her hair.
“No, you are. Weve arranged a place. People need breathing room, Mum. Happy endings are for telly.”
Lydia screamed, accused them of throwing her out, but eventually relented. They sat her down, explained theyd help with rent for two monthsno more.
“You want us splitting this flat next? Wheres that leave Alf?” Henry said.
Lydia gave in. The peace didnt last.
“What hovel have you put me in?” she shrieked over the phone after one night. “Cockroaches! The kitchens filthy, the loos a disgrace!”
“Mum, we did what we could. Youre free to find somewhere else.”
But the places Lydia liked were beyond her budget. Slowly, her tune changed. She mentioned solicitors, paperwork. Then, one day
“Fine. Im home. Back where I belong,” she announced, as if Alice were to blame.
“Seriously? What about Dad?”
“My feelings havent changed,” Lydia sniffed. “But Id rather tolerate his face than that dump. Someone nicked my purse there! At least here, my rooms mineno whiskered freeloaders.”
Alice exhaled in relief. Whether they reconciled or divorced didnt matter. Let them battle it out in their own home, not hers. For the first time in months, her flat wasnt a warzone.
