“Find her someoneanyone!”
“I can’t take this anymore. I swear, if this keeps up, Ill end up an old maid. Listen, Emily, just take Mum to live with you, please. Let her fuss over *your* kids instead of suffocating me.”
“Claire You brought this on yourself. You made your bed, now lie in it,” Emily replied, her voice weary, almost indifferent. “No use throwing tantrums now.”
“Fine, I was wrong, I admit it! I was young and stupid. Does that mean she gets to ruin my whole life?”
“She doesnt *have* a life anymorethanks to you. You wanted her to revolve around you? Well, heres your prize. Enjoy.”
“Em, please, *think* of something! Youre the clever one. If she moved in with you, itd solve everything. Shed help with the kids, and I could finally escape this prison!” Claire sighed dreamily. “Or at least talk some sense into her. She listens to you.”
“Sort it out yourselves,” Emily muttered, narrowing her eyes. “Best I can do is advise. You wrecked her chances at a lifenow fix it. Find her friends, hobbies, a *man*. Find her *something*. Get her a puppy for all I care. Just distract her.”
Claire, as usual, wanted others to clean up her mess. Emily *could* have played alongshe and their mum had a different bondbut she refused. Let the one who threw the boomerang catch it.
Their father had walked out when Emily was eleven. Claire was barely three. With no one else to help, Emily grew up fastpicking Claire up from nursery, cooking dinner, cleaning, doing homework long after everyone else was asleep.
Maybe thats why she turned out responsible. Claire? Not so much.
Emily fled the nest early, right after college. She wanted freedom, sick of playing second mum. And she suspected itd be easier on their mother, Margaret.
Emily knew Margaret was still youngshe *deserved* a life. The fewer kids clinging to her, the better.
Margaret took that chance, growing close to Geoffrey, a colleague. Claire, then twelve, acted like it was the end of the world. She refused to share their space, *hated* her new chores.
“Claire, love, wash up when youre done, yeah?” Margaret would ask.
At first, Claire didgrudgingly. Then she dug in her heels.
“No.”
“Why not?” Margaret frowned. “We all pitch in. I cooked, Geoffrey brought the shopping”
“Im not cleaning up after *him*!” Claire snapped, even with Geoffrey right there.
Geoffrey tried. Brought her stuffed toys like she was still a child, asked about school, stayed patient. But nothing worked.
Maybe it was their fathers abandonment. Maybe Claire feared losing Margaret to him. Or maybe she just resented the intrusion. Either way, she fought to drive him out.
She provoked him, accused Margaret of “trading her for some random bloke,” threw fits. She skipped school, went on “hunger strikes”though midnight fridge raids betrayed her.
Margaret hoped shed grow out of it. She didnt. The final straw? News of the wedding.
“Claire, love Howd you feel if Geoffrey officially joined our family?” Margaret asked tentatively.
Cue the meltdown. Claire dug in, accused Geoffrey of scheming for their flat. When excuses ran out
“If you marry him, Im *leaving*! You wont want me anyway.”
“Claire! Dont say that! Youll always be *my* daughterand his.”
“Oh yeah? More like a skivvy! Fetch this, scrub that, now sod off. No thanks. Ill live with *Emily*.”
Margaret was torn. Terrified of losing Clairethen Geoffrey, just like her first husband.
Stuck between a rock and a hard place, she vented to Emily, who just scoffed.
“You think Id open the door on *those* terms?” Emily smirked. “Let her shiver on the stepshell come crawling back. Or better yet, Ill give her a taste of reality. Wants to live with me? Fine. She pulls her weight. Im not her maid.”
Emily was sure Claires threats were empty. But Margaret wouldnt risk it.
“What if she *does* leave? What then?” Margaret fretted. “If you turn her away She could end up on the *streets*.”
Fear won. Margaret ended it with Geoffrey. They drifted apart.
And Claire got her wishMargarets *full* attention. Just not how shed hoped.
Margarets smothering turned monstrous. She escorted Claire to school, banned outings, panicked if she was late.
“Its not safe! You could get snatched! Well see films *together* when Im free.”
Claire thought it was revenge. Truth? Margaret had *nothing* else. Where else could her devotion go?
Claire tried to fleeapplied to a uni up north. Margaret staged a full meltdown: tears, trembling hands, the works.
“Youd leave me *alone*? Ive only got *you*!”
“Mum, I need to *live*!”
“Live *how*? In some grotty dorm? Wholl protect you? Were barely scraping by as it is!”
Margaret clung like Claire was her last lifeline. Claire stayed. Maybe scared of independence. Maybe guilt.
It got worse. When suitors appeared, Margaret guarded Claires virtue like a dragon. Calls, curfews, critiques*too brash, a player, suspiciously smooth*. Every romance fizzled fast.
Yet with Emily? Margaret was *perfect*. No smothering. The ideal mother-in-law, baking pies, never intruding.
No wonder Claire cracked. But Emily wouldnt step in. Not her mess. Not her problem.
ThensomehowClaire *fixed* it.
One day, Emily checked Claires profile. *”In a relationship.”* She rang at once.
“So congrats?” Emily teased. “Or just messing about online?”
“Sort of” Claire said, oddly calm. “Early days. Just hope Mum doesnt ruin it.”
“Whats *Mum* got to do with it?”
Then Claire spilled it all. Shed tracked down *Geoffrey*still singleand invited him to a café. Said she wanted to apologise.
Then shed sent *Margaret* there instead.
Margaret was livid at first.
“You *matchmade* me behind my back? Claire, *warning* next time! I wasnt even *dressed*!”
But something in her had flickered back to life. For the first time in years, she felt like a *woman*, not just a mum.
She and Geoffrey reconnected. No grand romancejust coffees, chats. But it was enough. Margaret stopped haunting Claires every step.
Claire breathed easier. Emily, hearing the tale, thought: *Full circle*.
Claire had shattered their mothers happiness once. Now shed handed it backnot perfectly, but enough. No fairy tale, just lifewith its losses, fears, small wins.
But in the end? Each got what they deserved. And maybejust maybea little hope.
