Dont stick your nose in, its my life, I heard her snap.
Here you are, living on money, while Im scraping by. Youre a granny now and a mum! Could you ever lend a proper hand? Katie huffed, her cheeks flushed with frustration.
The absurdity of the scene lay in the fact that, at that very moment, Katie was sitting at her mothers kitchen table as a guest. Valerie had thrown together a quick but decent spread: sandwiches with homecured pork, thick slices of cheddar and smoked salmon, fresh rolls from the corner bakery. A bowl of fruit grapes, pomegranates, mandarins sat beside the plate. No exotic pineapples or rhubarb tarts, but Valerie was treating her visitor with dignity.
Their grandson was glued to a cartoon in the sitting room, dressed in the tiny jumpsuit his grandma had bought just a few days earlier.
Katie, dont ruin the comedy, Valerie said, irritation cutting through her voice. Im the one who puts shoes on your son, dresses him, drives him to the earlyyears centre, even buys his medicine. Hes wholly dependent on me. And you think thats not enough?
Fine, but what does that have to do with me? Did I ever take out the loans for you? Did I force you to have children? Did I make you sell the flat? You told me not to meddle, so Ive stayed out of it. Now you expect something from me?
Mom! Katies frown deepened. You see how we live! I cant even do my own nails the polish is gone. Im shuffling around in shoes that are falling apart; a single splash in a puddle leaves my feet soaked, and then I catch a cold. Dave has only one decent shirt left. Were not living, were just getting by. And now you want to school me! Its easy for you, you have smoked salmon for breakfast every day!
Valerie listened, lips pressed together. Yes, perhaps shed been overprotective, loving a little too fiercely. But no amount of cash could fix that; consequences had to catch up with them.
Katie, havent I given you enough in life? the woman asked, squinting slightly. You had everything. You wanted a touchscreen phone when everyone still used button phones you got it. You asked for a mink coat we bought it. I gave you a roof over your head. Youre not a little girl anymore; you have to fend for yourself.
Katie puffed up in indignation and turned away, just as shed done as a child when the next toy was denied because there was no room left in the house.
Valerie remembered tiny Katie dashing around the flat in a new tracksuit studded with sequins, a brandnew computer perched in her room, a box with a camera tucked in the wardrobe a New Years present. Katies whims changed as quickly as the pounds exchange rate. One week she wanted to be a photographer, the next a hairdresser, then an actress. Valerie could only open her purse and sign her up for extra lessons.
Let the girl enjoy herself, Paul, her husband, would say with a grin. He was a respected officer in the Territorial Army, wellknown around town. His income meant the family never went short. Valerie also worked, more for the love of it than the money, preferring to stay active in the community.
One day Katie declared, I want to try needle felting! after watching a YouTube clip. Valerie took her to a craft shop, handed her a basket, and in half an hour it was brimming with wools and needles. Most parents would have given her just a couple of skeins and the cheapest needles, but Valerie believed wholeheartedly that nurturing her daughters interests was sacred. They could afford it, so why not?
Katie would dive into each new hobby with gusto, then drop it weeks later for something else. It puzzled Valerie, but she trusted that her daughter was simply testing herself. Katie, meanwhile, grew accustomed to having anything she wanted at the snap of a finger.
Then Paul passed away, leaving Valerie alone. She mourned, but at least she had a solid financial base. Pauls estate was sizable; the interest from the savings could have funded a comfortable life, but Valerie kept working until health issues forced her to stop.
Katies conscience was clear. She paid for her daughters studies in London, bought a onebedroom flat in a new development, and gave it a proper refurbishment. Valerie decided then that shed ticked every box on the good mother checklist. Ive given her everything she needs to start, she thought. Ill help with the tuition, then shell stand on her own.
But things didnt follow the plan.
Katie had just begun her second year when she announced she had a boyfriend. Dave, her boyfriend, owned an iPhone not the latest model and was flat broke, though his parents were welloff. He wore an arrogant grin and seemed utterly clueless about domestic life.
Katie, finish your studies first, Valerie urged after Katie introduced Dave. If you want to live together, go ahead, but dont rush. Get a qualification, stand on your own feet, then think about a family.
Mom, stay out of it, Katie replied, scowling. Its my life.
And Valerie truly stayed out of it. Yet life unfolded far from Katies expectations.
At first everything seemed perfect. They lived in Katies flat; Valerie paid the council tax and handed over pocket money for food and clothes. The young couple could simply enjoy evenings, bingewatch series, and stroll until dawn.
Dave soon quit university, declaring he saw no point in continuing.
I enrolled because my parents wanted me to, he said. Now it feels like a waste of time. I wont go down that path.
Then Katie dropped out too, not for the same lofty reasons, but for another.
Mom, Im pregnant, she blurted over the phone one day. Dave and I have decided. Ill probably take a break from studies and see where it goes.
Katie Valerie sighed, covering her face with her hand, then held back her words. Fine, if youve decided, go ahead.
What about help? Katie asked, hopeful.
Ill help the grandson. You two are adults now. Youve got more than I ever did at your age. Figure it out yourselves, Valerie replied, though inside her chest tightened.
A heavy silence followed.
Right thats how it is with you, Valerie muttered.
Katie hung up.
There were tantrums, manipulations, careful probing of limits. Katie complained about a broken fridge, a wornout winter coat, low iron levels from poor diet. Valeries only reaction was to the last complaint, and that only because it concerned a pregnant womans health.
The grandchild shouldnt suffer because his parents are fools, she grumbled, hauling grocery bags.
Then Katie dropped another bomb.
Weve decided to sell the flat and get a twobedroom, she announced.
Katie think it through. The baby will be with us for a while, Valerie warned.
No, Mum. Weve made up our minds. We still want a wedding, a honeymoon, everything proper.
Valerie clenched her teeth but didnt intervene.
Money slipped through their fingers like sand. The wedding, the banquet, the photoshoot, the newest iPhones, laptops, a holiday in Turkey, the deposit on a mortgage the young couple even took out loans.
Mortgage payments ballooned. Credit cards multiplied. Soon Katie was whining that she barely had enough to get through the month. Valerie still funded the grandsons formula, baby food, nappies; he had been living with her for half a year.
Dave got a job as a camera operator and does courier work on the side. Im going remote, too, well manage. Can you look after little Leo for a bit? Katie asked.
Valerie agreed, but no more. The child had everything he needed. For the adults she could only offer advice, which they were unlikely to heed.
Katie 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.
Valerie only laughed, though anxiety knotted inside her.
Well, then. Lets see how quickly theyll be out of work and what youll live on. At least you have the money for the nursery, right?
Katie huffed, breathing hard, unable to argue. In a few days shed have to knock again, another bill looming.
You had everything. Im not to blame for the mess youve made, Valerie continued. And you want to drag Leo and me down with you? No. Youre grown; fend for yourselves.
Katie left her sandwiches untouched, rose, grabbed her coat, and walked out. Valerie didnt try to stop her.
When the door closed behind her, Valerie slipped into the living room. Leo was asleep on the sofa, clutching a plush owl pillow. She turned off the TV so he wouldnt wake. For his sake Id move mountains, she thought, but for the two of them let life be the teacher.
