You really have no conscience.Dont you see how badly Michael is getting on?Hes your brother; you could have helped him.You only ever think of yourself.
My mother rings me today and asks me to collect all my things from her flat.
We can barely move around here because of your stuff, she says.
She says this after I refuse to give my brother, Michael, a lump sum for a house deposit. Im not lending Im giving because I know hell never pay me back.
When I say no, Michael storms out of my flat, furious. He assumes Ill just hand over all my savings because he has a family and children, whereas I dont.
I need to talk about it, because I feel my family is being unfair to me, especially with the holidays coming.
When I move to Leeds for university, I start a parttime job straight away.
At first I live in a halls of residence, then I rent a flat with a friend. I dont want to rely on my parents, so I make ends meet and also help my mother at the same time.
She never accepts cash directly; instead she always asks me to bring useful things clothes, shoes, household items. And whenever I visit, I arrive with bags full of groceries.
My mother lives in a threebedroom flat with Michael. Our father died three years ago.
Michael never cared much for education. After school he went to work in Belgium, and the only thing he managed to buy there was an old car. Back in the UK he becomes a taxi driver.
Later he marries Charlotte and moves into my mothers flat with his wife.
Theyre always short of money because Michael lives paycheck to paycheck. As soon as they get their wages, they spend it all.
My mother and Charlottes parents regularly pitch in financially. Michael knows there will always be someone to bail him out, so he never makes any effort to earn more or improve his finances.
Now Michael and Charlotte have two children, with a third on the way.
They decide their mothers flat is too small and start looking at buying their own place.
I live with my partner, Thomas, in a rented flat. Were planning to get married, but we agree to postpone the wedding until the timing is right. Our incomes are steady Thomas works as a software engineer, and I run several online shops.
We dont waste money frivolously; were saving for a house of our own so we can live independently after we tie the knot.
My mother knows our plans, yet she still hints to Michael that he can ask me for help.
They want to buy a flat but they dont have any deposit, my mother tells me.
When Michael comes over and tells me outright that he needs money, I refuse.
He erupts, thinking I owe him simply because he has a family and I dont.
Later my mother calls again and says, You really have no conscience.Dont you see how hard it is for Michael?Hes your brother, you could have helped him.You only ever think of yourself.
She adds, Come collect your things from our flat.We cant move around because of your mess.Dont even think about coming for Christmas.Michaels angry with you, and I dont want to see you either.
I dont argue. Ill grab my belongings and find a spot for them in our rented flat, and when Thomas and I finally buy our own house, Ill put them there.
I could have lent Michael money, but I know he would never have repaid it. He never even asked for a loan he just expected me to hand over all my savings because he has kids.
How would you have reacted in a situation like this?
