**Diary Entry 20th March**
*”If you dont like my rules, then leave!”* My mother-in-law snapped during Sunday roast.
*”Margaret, perhaps we could try a different recipe for the potatoes? Ive got one with mushroomsreally lovely,”* Emily suggested carefully, stirring the gravy.
*”I dont need your recipes!”* Margaret shot back, not looking up from peeling carrots. *”Thirty years Ive been cooking for this family, and now you waltz in with your ideas!”*
Emily sighed and kept stirring. Six months had passed since she and Daniel moved in with his mother after their flat burned down. Six months of petty squabbles, sharp glances, and comments disguised as concern.
*”Mum, come on,”* Daniel said, kissing Emilys head as he walked in. *”Ems a decent cook. Maybe it wouldnt hurt to try something new?”*
*”Oh, so now youre siding against me!”* Margaret threw her hands up. *”Thirty-two years I raised you, fed you, and now my cooking isnt good enough?”*
*”Mum, thats not what I said”*
*”Then what *are* you saying?”* She slammed the knife onto the chopping board. *”First you move into *my* house, now you tell me how to cook!”*
Emily felt her chest tighten. *”Move into *my* house*”as if they were freeloaders, not a family whod lost everything.
*”Margaret, I wasnt telling youjust suggesting,”* she said quietly, turning off the hob.
*”Suggesting! Who asked you? *My* house, *my* kitchen!”* Margaret stood, hands on hips. *”And *I* do the cooking here!”*
Daniel glanced between them, torn. Emily hated seeing him like this.
*”Ill set the table,”* she muttered, slipping out before she slammed the door.
In the lounge, fourteen-year-old Sophie looked up from her homework. *”Arguing again?”*
*”Just a discussion,”* Emily lied, fetching plates.
*”Mum when are we moving back into our own place?”*
That was the question. The insurance barely covered half the damage. Daniel drove lorries; she taught primary school. Their wages were tight. Savings crept along, but not fast enough.
*”Soon, love. Just hang in there.”*
*”I cant anymore!”* Sophie burst out. *”Shes unbearable! Yesterday she barged in screaming that my music was racket, and this morning she said I walk too loudly! Im tiptoeing already!”*
Emily stroked her daughters hair. Sophie was patient, but even saints had limits.
*”Shes just set in her ways. Its hard adjusting.”*
*”Shes not a proper nan! Proper nans bake cookies and spoil you, not yell over *everything*!”*
A crash came from the kitchenDaniels voice, then Margarets shrill retort. Emily hurried back.
*”What happened?”*
*”Your *husband* broke my mothers china!”* Margaret jabbed a finger at the shards. *”The last set I had from her!”*
Daniel stood frozen with the dustpan. *”Mum, it was an accident”*
*”An accident! Teach your wife some respect for other peoples things!”*
*”How is this *my* fault?”* Emily snapped.
*”Because ever since you came, hes been careless! Never dropped a thing before!”*
Daniel tried to interject, but Margaret rounded on him. *”You used to be a good son. Now its all *her*Im nothing!”*
Emilys hands shook. Six months of this.
*”Margaret, enough,”* she said, voice low. *”We help, we pay bills”*
*”Fifty quid a month! The leccy alone costs double that!”*
*”We offered more. *You* said fifty was fine!”*
*”Oh, so now Im a charity case? Ive got my pensionI dont need your handouts!”*
Daniel dumped the shards, guilt written on his face. *”Lets just eat, yeah?”*
*”Eat? Youve ruined my appetite!”*
*”We didnt start this,”* Emily said.
*”In *my* house, Ill say what I like!”*
*”Fine. Well leave tomorrow.”*
Silence.
*”Where?”* Daniel gaped. *”We cant afford”*
*”Well rent a bedsit. Figure it out.”*
Margaret paled. *”Im not throwing you out!”*
*”No, but youve made it clear were unwanted.”*
Margarets lips trembled. *”I never meant”*
*”Its alright,”* Emily said tiredly. *”Weve all had enough.”*
Later, Emily rang a colleague who had a cheap flat to let. Not ideal, but theirs.
Margaret lingered by the door as they packed the next morning.
*”Youll visit?”* she asked stiffly.
*”Course,”* Emily said, hugging her. *”Once were settled.”*
In the taxi, Sophie grinned. *”Can I play music in the new place?”*
*”Just not too loud,”* Emily laughed.
Daniel squeezed her hand. *”Regrets?”*
*”None.”*
As the cab turned onto an unfamiliar road, Emily exhaled. No more walking on eggshells.
**Lesson learnt:** Sometimes, the kindest thing is to walk awaybefore love turns to resentment. Family shouldnt feel like a warzone.
