Dont meddle, this is my life, Emily snapped, her voice trembling with a mix of hurt and fatigue. Youre living off pensions while Im crawling through holes! Youre my grandmother and my mothercould you ever actually help for once?
The absurdity of the moment was stark: Emily sat at her mothers kitchen table, a modest spread laid out in a hurry but with care. Margaret had put together sandwiches with sliced ham, thick slabs of cheddar, and smoked salmon, alongside fresh rolls from the local bakery. A vase brimmed with grapes, pomegranates, and mandarinsno exotic pineapples, but the offering was respectable.
In the living room, her grandson Daniel toddled around in a tiny, brandnew jumpsuitthe very one Margaret had bought just days before.
Emily, stop turning this into a drama, Margaret replied, a note of exasperation in her tone. Im the one who dresses your son, drives him to his earlylearning classes, even buys his medicine. He lives entirely on me. And you still want more?
Emilys cheeks flushed. Its your grandson, after all. Who else would it be? Were already scrambling for cashloans, mortgage, council tax, nursery fees. Whatevers left barely covers bread and pasta.
Margaret bristled. And whats my part in this? Did I force you to take out loans? Did I make you have children? Did you sell the flat because of me? You told me not to interfere, so I stayed out. Now you expect me to owe you something else?
Mother! Emily snapped, frowning. Look at our life! I cant even do my own nails because Ive run out of polish. My boots fall apart, and if I step in a puddle, my shoes soak through, leaving my feet drenched and sick. Daniel has only one decent shirt left. Were surviving, not living. And you decide to raise me like a child! Easy for you, with your daily smoked salmon breakfast!
Margaret listened, her lips pressed together, realizing perhaps shed been too loving, too indulgent. Love alone wouldnt fix the wreckage; consequences would.
Emily, havent I given you enough? Margaret asked, squinting. You had everything. You wanted a touchscreen phone when everyone else still used button phonesyou got it. You asked for a mink coatwe bought it. I provided you with a home. Youre no longer a little girl; you must fend for yourself now.
Emily turned away, puffed up with hurt, like a child denied a new toy because there was no space left in the house.
Margarets mind drifted back to when a young Emily had raced around the flat in a glittery tracksuit, her new computer humming in the corner, a box of film cameras tucked away in a wardrobea New Years gift. Emilys wishes changed faster than the pounds exchange rate: photographer, hairdresser, actress. Margaret kept opening her purse, signing her up for extra lessons, trying to keep up.
Let the girl enjoy her childhood, Peter, her husband, had said with a chuckle.
Peter was a respected officer in the local regiment, a wellknown figure in town. His income meant the family never lacked. Margaret also worked, but more for the pleasure of being useful, of being among people, not just to stay at home.
One day I want to try felting wool! Emily declared after watching a YouTube tutorial.
Margaret took her to a craft shop, handed her a basket, and within half an hour it was overflowing with yarn. Other parents might have handed out just a couple of skeins and a basic needle, but Margaret believed her daughters development was sacred. They could afford it, so why not?
Emily clutched each new hobby with fierce enthusiasm, then dropped it weeks later for another. Margaret found it odd but trusted that her daughter was simply testing herself. Emily grew accustomed to receiving anything with a flick of a wrist.
When Peter died, Margaret was left alone. She mourned, yet felt steadier with the solid ground beneath her feet. Peters estate was sizable; the interest from his savings could have funded a comfortable life, but Margaret kept working until health issues forced her to stop.
Emilys conscience was clear. She funded her daughters studies in London, bought a onebedroom flat in a new development, and oversaw a toptobottom renovation. Margaret thought she had checked every box on the good mother list. Ive given her everything she needs to start, she told herself. Ill help while she studies, then shell fend for herself.
But things went sideways.
Emily had just begun her second year when she announced a boyfriend. Daniel, now a teenager, also owned an iPhonethough not the latest modeland had no cash of his own. Both came from comfortable families, yet they wore smug smiles and seemed illequipped for daily chores.
Emily, finish your studies first, Margaret urged after the meeting with Daniel. If you want to live together, go ahead, but dont rush. Get a qualification, stand on your own feet, then think about a family.
Mother, dont interfere, Emily replied, frowning. This is my life.
Margaret kept her distance, but the tale unfolded unlike Emilys expectations.
At first, life was sweet. They lived in Emilys flat; Margaret paid the council tax and handed over pocket money for food and clothes. The young couple only needed to enjoy evenings, bingewatch dramas, and wander the streets until dawn.
Daniel soon quit university, claiming it was a waste.
I enrolled because my parents wanted me to, he said. Now its just a fancy hobby. I wont follow that path.
Then Emily dropped out too, not for the same reason but for a different one.
Mother, Im pregnant, she whispered over the phone one day. Daniel and I have decided. Ill take a break, maybe an apprenticeship, and well see what comes next.
Margaret sighed, covering her face with a hand before steadying herself. Alright, if youre set, go ahead.
Will you help us? Emily asked, hope flickering.
Ill help the grandson, Margaret replied. Youre adults now. You have more than I did at your age. Figure it out yourselves.
A heavy pause settled.
Fine thats that, Margaret muttered.
Emily hung up.
Hysterics, manipulations, and careful probing followed. Emily complained of a broken fridge, a wornout winter coat, low iron levels from poor nutrition. Margarets only response was to her hemoglobin, and only during pregnancy and breastfeeding.
The grandson shouldnt suffer because his parents are fools, she muttered, lugging grocery bags.
Then Emily dropped another bombshell.
Weve decided to sell the flat and get a twobedroom house.
Emily, think it through. The baby will still be with you.
No, Mum. Weve decided. We want a wedding, a honeymoon, everything proper.
Margaret clenched her teeth but didnt intervene.
Money slipped through their fingers like sand. A wedding with a banquet and photos, the latest iPhones, new laptops, a Turkish holiday, a deposit for a mortgageyoung love drowned in credit cards.
Mortgage payments ballooned. Loans multiplied. Soon Emily was whining about not having enough to get through the month.
Margaret still fed the grandson, buying formula, baby food, nappies. Hed been living with her for the past six months.
Daniel got a job as a camera operator and does courier work on the side. Ill try remote work too, well manage. Can you look after Leo for a while? Emily asked.
Margaret agreed, but only to a point. The baby had everything; she could only offer advice, which they would likely ignore.
Emily stared out the window, then turned to her mother.
If you dont help, Ill take Leo away, she threatened. And youll never see him again.
Margaret laughed, a nervous sound, while anxiety settled deep inside.
Well, lets see how quickly you get fired and what youll survive on. At least you have the money for nursery fees, dear.
Emilys face hardened, her breathing heavy, yet she could not argue. In a few days she would have to return to her mothers doorstep with an outstretched hand, as another bill loomed.
You had everything, Margaret continued coldly. Im not to blame for the mess you made. You even want to drag Leo and me down with you. No. Youre adults; muddle through yourselves.
Emily left her sandwiches untouched, rose, grabbed her coat, and walked out without a word. Margaret didnt try to stop her.
When the door shut, Margaret slipped into the lounge. Leo slept on the sofa, clutching a plush owl pillow. She turned off the television so the child wouldnt wake. For his sake Id move mountains, she thought, but for the two of them let life be the teacher.
