“Listen, Alice! You have no mother or father left. You dont even have a home,” replied the mother.
Late in the evening, the silence was broken by the ringing phone. Pauline picked it up from the table and heard her daughters voice.
“Mum, its Alice. Ive got a problem My husband threw me out. Ill come to you and Dad first thing in the morning and stay with you.”
“Listen, Alice, you no longer have a mother, a father, or a home.”
“What?” screamed her daughter, as if she hadnt heard. “What do you meanno home? Im your daughter, your only one at that. I have every right to live in this flat!” Alice shrieked hysterically.
“Thats just how it is, my dear,” Pauline answered evenly. “You dont have a flat anymore. We transferred it to Lucyshe owns it now. And as for you, your father and I want nothing to do with you. Youre no longer our daughter.”
The argument dragged on, full of accusations and demands.
“Dont call here again! Youve lost everything!” Pauline ended the call sharply. She believed, after everything Alice had done, she had every right to say it.
Standing by the window, Pauline couldnt help but recall how another story had begun with a phone call.
That callfateful, shattering the early morning quiethad jolted her awake. She snatched the phone.
“Yes? Hello?”
A muffled sob came through the line.
“Hello? Whos there?”
“Its Christine.”
“Christine, whats happened? Why are you calling so early? Do you know what time it is?”
“I do. Today, Im being admitted for surgery. Im terrified for Lucy. Please, dont leave her aloneshes just a child. Dont send her to a care home.”
Paulines sister had always been unpredictable, full of wild ideas and impulsive decisions. But this time, she had outdone herself. Or had something truly serious happened?
Pauline gripped the phone, her hands damp, sensing something dreadful but not yet able to process it.
“Christine, why didnt you say anything sooner? Why now? Whats wrong? Which hospital are they taking you to?”
Christine had been quietly battling illness, brushing it aside. The last month had been unbearableshed grown thin, her face gaunt. The doctors verdict was grim: immediate surgery. Shed hesitated, unsure how to tell her sister, who had always supported herfinancially, emotionally, practically raising her as a second mother. Now, she was asking her to take in her child, too.
“Pauline, the doctors arent making promises. They say to hope for a miracle. Im begging youlook after Lucy.”
Within the hour, Pauline and her husband arrived at the hospital where Christine was being prepped. The operation hadnt started yet, but visiting was forbidden. In the corridor, curled in a corner, sat little Lucy. Pauline knelt and hugged her.
“Will Mum be alright?” the child sobbed.
“Yes, darling. Shell go to sleep, she wont feel a thing, and when she wakes, youll see her healthy and smiling again.”
But four hours later, the surgeon stepped out and delivered the news: Christine hadnt survived.
Pauline took her niece home. She led her to her daughters room to explain that Lucy had no mother now, and Alice had no aunt. The girls would share the space. Her daughter shot her a furious glare but said nothing.
A week later, Lucys belongings were tossed outside the door. Alice refused to share.
“Mum, this is my room! Why should I give her my wardrobe and space?”
To avoid more rows, Pauline and her husband gave Lucy their own bedroom and moved into the living room. Lucy became even more withdrawnshed never known her father, and Christine had taken his name to the grave. Now, her life depended entirely on Pauline and her husband, who tried to split their attention equally between their daughter and niece.
Years passed. Alice graduated university and married a wealthy older man. She packed her things and moved in with David without a second thought. A month later, she announced the wedding.
“Mum, theres just one thingI dont want your niece at my wedding. I dont want to see her.”
“Alice, thats cruel. Shes practically your sister, your only one now. If we dont invite her, itll insult us, too.”
“I dont care! I warned you!” Alice screamed.
“Then your father and I wont come either.”
“Fine! Suit yourself!”
Pauline fought back tears but, steeling herself, decided to book a holiday to Cornwall instead.
“What about Alices wedding?” her husband asked.
“No. Were not welcome. Lucy, help me find a hotelyoure better at this.”
“So were going away?” Lucy asked.
“Yes, love. We deserve it.”
“Oh, thats wonderful!” Lucy beamed.
More years slipped by. Lucy finished school, excelled at universityjust like her mother. On her eighteenth birthday, Paulines husband collapsed suddenly. He was rushed to hospital.
Doctors said only an expensive drug could save him. Desperate, Pauline called Alice, knowing how well-off her husband was.
“Alice, love, your fathers dying. We need a rare medicineits horrifically expensive. Can you lend us the money?”
A long silence.
“Alright, Ill talk to David and call you back.”
Hours passed. Finally, the phone rang.
“Mum, heres the thingDavids promised me a car for ages, and nows the time. Its either the car or giving the money to you.”
“Alice, forget the car! Your father needs thishell die without it!”
“And how will you pay us back? Youd be scraping pennies for years. Id never get that car.”
“Do you hear yourself? This is your fathers life!”
“Get a loan. I cant help.”
Pauline nearly fainted. Lucy rushed to her, holding her tight.
“Auntie, sell Mums flat. I cant live thereits too painful. The money will save Uncle.”
“Sweetheart, we cant. Its your inheritance.”
“All that matters now is saving him!” Lucy cried.
Touched, Pauline agreed. The flat sold quickly, and the money covered the drug. It arrived in timeand worked. Her husband recovered.
In gratitude, the couple transferred their flat to Lucy. They lived together happily, cherishing each day.
Then, one evening, the phone rang again. It was Alice. Her husband had left her for another woman. She begged to come home.
“We only have one daughterLucy,” Pauline said firmly.
Later, Lucy married Alex, a successful farmer with a spacious home. The couple invited Pauline and her husband to live with them, but they only visited, always welcomed in their own cosy room. Alex and his father-in-law bonded over fishing.
Alice was only mentioned on her birthday. Pauline often wonderedhow had her own daughter grown so selfish, valuing possessions over family? And how had orphaned Lucy given everything she had to save them?
