**Diary Entry 5th June, 2023**
I remember the first time Emily fell for Oliver. It was her final year at university, and shed gone and fallen for one of the most sought-after lads on campus. Handsome, well-offthe sort who turned heads. Emily was no fool herselfpretty, sharp, and though she came from a working-class family in Manchester, she never let that faze her. Love, as they say, knows no bounds.
“Emily, youre mad for chasing after Oliver,” her flatmates warned. “Hes got his head in the clouds, acts like hes royalty. Only mingles with his own lot.”
“Well, I know my worth too,” Emily would retort. “Im not some dimwit. I can hold my own in any conversation.”
“Just dont come crying to us later. Bet his mum and dad are proper poshwouldnt give the likes of us the time of day.”
Emily bit her lip. “Honestly, its meeting his parents that scares me mostespecially his mother.”
To her surprise, Oliver took to her straight away. He asked her to the cinema first, and before long, they were inseparable. By summer, he announced, “Emily, were going round to my parents this Saturday. Mum wont stop pestering me about you.”
“So soon?” she stammered. “What if I say the wrong thing?”
Oliver laughed. “Relax. Dads quiet as a mouse, but Mum? Shes a talker. Just be yourself.”
Emily was certain theyd marryif only she could impress his parents. She spent days studying etiquette, terrified of slipping up.
When Saturday came, Oliver met her at the Tube station. His mother, Margaret Harroway, greeted them warmly at the door. “Hello, love! Im Margaret. Come in, come in.”
Olivers father, Thomas, sat at the dining table, nodding curtly. Emily sat stiffly, elbows off the table, cutting her roast beef with precision. She barely ate, afraid of being caught mid-bite if asked a question.
Thendisaster. Her fork clattered to the plush carpet. She froze, but Margaret only chuckled. “Oliver, fetch the poor girl another fork. Honestly, lad, wheres your chivalry?”
“Sorry,” Emily mumbled.
Margaret waved it off. “Relax, sweetheart. This isnt Buckingham Palace. Eat up, or Ill think you hate my cooking.”
“Its lovely,” Emily blurted, “though Oliver said you had a housekeeper?”
Margaret sighed. “We do, but I wanted to cook today. Had to impress my future daughter-in-law.”
Emily nearly choked. “So its not just me on trial?”
Margaret laughed. “Seems not. But Olivers chosen well. Isnt that right, Thomas?”
“Aye,” he grunted.
The visit went better than Emily dared hope. Two weeks later, she and Oliver were engaged. At the wedding, his parents gifted them a flat two floors below theirs in Kensington.
“Gods looking out for you, love,” her mother said tearfully. “Your own roof over your head!”
Emily thought life couldnt get better. Then, in their final year, she found out she was pregnant. Overjoyed, she told Oliveronly for his face to darken.
“A baby? Were barely scraping by on my parents dime! I thought wed wait years.”
“You want me to?” Her voice broke.
“Dont be dramatic. Were too young for this.”
Devastated, she fledstraight into Margaret in the hallway. “Emily! Love, whats wrong?”
Once inside, the truth spilled out. Margaret handed her a cup of tea. “Youre doing right by that baby. Leave Oliver to me.”
An hour later, Oliver shuffled in, shamefaced. “Sorry, Em. I was a prat.”
Margarets words had worked. Emily gave birth to a boy, though Oliver remained distant, coming home late, reeking of beerand eventually, other womens perfume.
When she confronted him, he left without a word.
That evening, Margaret squeezed her hand. “Stay with us. You and the little one. Let Oliver stew.”
Emily swallowed hard. “I dont want charity.”
“Its not charity. Youre family. Get back on your feet, find workkeep your head up.”
Five years on, Emily remarrieda colleague, Daniel. Theyve a daughter now, and though Olivers still in the same building, Margaret dotes on her grandson, taking him to their country house every summer.
Funny, isnt it? The people you least expect become your fiercest allies. Emilys happy nowproperly happy. And if theres one thing Ive learned, its this: life knocks you down, but its the ones who stand by you that make all the difference.
