“You have to help me, you’re my mum,”
“Katie, you’re back again,” sighed Evelyn, shrugging off her coat as she watched her daughter rummage through the fridge. “Why did you move out if you keep coming back? Maybe it wasnt the right time…”
Katherine spun around sharply, clutching a packet of sliced ham to her chest.
“Mum! You scared me half to death, creeping in like a ghost!” she protested, but then broke into a disarming grin. “I just popped in to see how youre doing.”
Evelyn set her shopping bags on the table and studied her daughter. At twenty-four, Katherine looked every bit the grown woman, but there was still something childlikesomething helplessflickering in her eyes.
“Here to see me or raid the fridge?” Evelyn asked gently.
Katherine flushed, dropping her gaze to the floor. She hesitated, gathering her thoughts, then blurted out in one breath,
“Look, Mum, my paycheque vanished suspiciously fast. Ive got a whole week to get through, and theres nothing in the flat. Thats the long and short of it.”
Evelyn suppressed a deep sigh. Her daughter had rushed into moving out, desperate to prove her independence. But could she really have stopped her? Young people always charge headfirst into freedom, never thinking of the consequences.
“Dont say ‘I told you so,'” Katherine cut in, raising a hand to silence any objections. “I just miscalculated a bit. Everythingll be fine soon, Mum! Ill be the one bringing *you* gifts and ordering your groceries. Youll see!”
Evelyn shook her head. That same youthful stubbornness hadnt faded over the years.
“Take whatever you need, love. Dont worry about it.”
She watched as her daughter systematically emptied the fridgeham, cheese, cream, vegetablesall vanishing into Katherines oversized tote. Next went packs of rice and pasta from the cupboards, followed by a hefty bag of potatoes from the pantry.
“Thatll last me the week!” Katherine cheered, planting a loud kiss on Evelyns cheek. “Thanks, Mum! Youre the best!”
Evelyn saw her to the door, giving her shoulder a gentle squeeze.
Silence settled over the flat. Leaning against the wall, Evelyn thought back to herself at her daughters agework, a husband, and a small child to care for. How had she managed it all? Now, even a trip to the shops left her drained.
“Where did my youth go? Gone in a blink, no promises of return,” she murmured, catching her reflection in the hallway mirror.
Wrinkles at the corners of her eyes, streaks of grey in what had once been thick chestnut hair. Time was relentless. Her best years had slipped away in a blur of responsibilitiesstudy, work, raising her daughter. She had no regrets, but sometimes a loneliness gnawed at her so deeply it ached.
A week later, Evelyn called Katherine herself. A mothers worry never rested.
“Do you need me to transfer some money? Anything youre short on?” she asked the moment Katherine answered.
A carefree laugh crackled down the line.
“Mum, Ive been paid, dont fret. Im a big girl now!”
“Big girl, my foot,” Evelyn muttered. “Who was it last week with no food in the cupboard? Katie, listenmaybe you should just come back home? Itd be easier for both of us.”
Silence. Then Katherine exhaled sharply, irritation barely contained.
“Mum, Im an adult! I *want* to live on my own. Sure, its not perfect yet, but Ill manage. Why dont you believe in me?”
Evelyn faltered. She hadnt meant to upset hershe just worried.
“Sorry, love. I cant help it. To me, youll always be my little girl.”
The conversation fizzled out, leaving an uneasy tension. Evelyn sat with the phone in her lap, lost in thought. Raising Katherine had been hard, but letting her go into the world alone was harder still.
…Three days later, Evelyn returned from a friends later than usual. The moment she stepped inside, she heard noises from the kitchen. Her heart lurchedburglars? But noit was Katherine, standing by the open fridge, devouring a sandwich.
“Back already? Just helping myself to a few bits. Paid the rent today, realised Id be skint before payday. Same old story…”
Katherine smiled, but Evelyn saw none of the old warmth. Something had shifted in her gazesomething calculating.
“And who was it saying they were all grown up and independent?” Evelyn sighed, sinking into a chair.
Katherine tossed her hair, shoving food into her bag.
“I *am* grown. But youre my mum. That means I can come to you when I need help. Its your *job* to look after me,” she said sweetly, the words landing like a blow. “Im just giving you the chance to do your duty.”
Into the bag went fruit, veg, a tub of pasta salad, and five yoghurts. Evelyn watched in silence. A *duty*? Since when was a mothers love an obligation?
…Katherines raids became routine. New shoes blew her budget, her phone needed urgent replacing, the landlord hiked the rent. There was always a reason to drop by and strip the fridge bare.
Evelyn bore it quietly. How could she scold her own child? But each visit weighed heavier. Katherine stopped even pretending this was a social call. No asking after her mums health, no interest in her life. Just in, out, and away with the groceries.
…One evening, Evelyn came home soaked to the skin. An autumn downpour had caught her halfway from the shops. Shrugging off her sodden coat, she headed to the kitchen.
“Need to defrost that chicken,” she muttered, yanking open the freezer. “Roast it with potatoes and peppers. Maybe a salad…”
Her hand froze. The compartment gaped empty. Four shelves, packed that morning with meat, pies, and frozen veg, were stripped clean. She flung open the fridge door. A lone jar of mustard sat on the middle shelfKatherine *hated* mustard.
Hands trembling, Evelyn dialled her daughter.
“Mum, what?” Katherine snapped.
“Katie, did you take *all* the food?” Evelyns voice shook.
“Yeah!” came the breezy reply. “Thought Id save myself the trips. No point wasting time!”
Evelyn shut her eyes against the sting of tears. How could her daughter be so thoughtless?
“Katie, how could you? Why didnt you say? I just got in, wanted to make dinner”
“Mum,” Katherine cut in, exasperated. “Just nip to the shops! The walkll do you good. Doctors say we need the exercise. Anyway, gotta dashbye!”
The line went dead. Evelyn slumped into a chair, staring at the blank screen. A bitter weight settled in her chest. Had she become nothing more than a free grocery service?
…After that, the emptied fridge became routine. Every fortnight, Evelyn found bare shelves. Katherine didnt even bother with excuses anymore.
Then one night, the sound of shattering glass jolted her awake. She rushed to the kitchen to find Katherine on her knees, mopping up spilled mustard amidst broken shards.
“Even took the mustard? The one thing you hate?” Evelyn snapped.
Katherine looked up, indignant.
“Oh, *Mum*, dont start. Less nagging, more helping!”
“Katie, why didnt you wake me? What are you doing here in the middle of the night, sneaking about?”
Katherine threw down the cloth, leaving yellow streaks on the tiles. She stood, arms crosseda mirror of Evelyns own stance when displeased.
“Ive got a key, *Mum*. Or did you forget? This is *my* home too, you know! Why should I announce myself? Or am I not welcome at all now?”
Evelyn shook her head.
“Youre always welcome. But you dont come to see *me*you come for the fridge. Katie, Im not made of money. I cant feed both of us, especially when you take everything in one go!”
Katherine slammed the fridge door. Anger flashed in her eyes.
“Begrudge your own daughter food? *You* said I could take what I needed!”
“I thought itd be a one-off!” Evelyns voice rose, breaking. “But you treat this place like a free supermarket! I never know if Ill have dinner or go to bed hungry. Thats not right, Katie!”
Katherine backed toward the window, stepping carefully around the mess.
“Regretting that first helping hand, are you? Just say it! And here I thought you were my *mother*! That youd always be there! You *owe* me that… You *have* to!”
“Katie, youre twenty-four!” Evelyn interrupted. “I dont *owe* you meals! Youre an adultact like one! If you cant manage, move back home. Contribute to the food shop, the bills. At least you wont have rent to pay.”
Katherine went very still. Her face twisted with fury before she spat out:
“I dont *want* to live with you! Get it? Things are serious with Anthony. Weve moved in! But I didnt realise hed eat like a horse!”
Evelyn froze. Her daughter was living with a boyfriend and hadnt even told her. Yet shed been stealing groceries to feed him.
“And whats that to do with *me*?” Evelyns voice turned to ice. “Hes your boyfriend, your responsibility.”
“But you *have* to help! Youre my *mother*!” Katherine was nearly shouting.
“Let your Anthony raid *his* mothers fridge!” Evelyn sank onto a chair, drained. “Or let him get a second job if moneys tight. If the two of you cant feed yourselves, maybe the problems *you*? Ive dipped into my savings! For what? To feed your greedy boyfriend?”
Katherines face blotched red.
“How *dare* you? Anthonys wonderful! And youyoure a *terrible* mother! A good one would support her daughter, help with money! But no, you throw every bite back in my face!”
Evelyn cradled her head in her hands. Hurt tightened her throat.
“Katie, go. Please,” she said thickly. “For six months, Ive just been a free grocery dispenser to you. I need time to think. Youve lied, youve used me. Take whatevers left. Consider it a parting gift. And go.”
She didnt look up as Katherine filled her bag. Only the slam of the front door made her flinch. The kitchen clocks ticking was the only sound.
Evelyn rose slowly, moving to the window. Somewhere out there, in the sprawl of the city, her daughter was heading back to Anthony with the last haul from her mothers home.
“Changing the locks tomorrow,” she whispered. “Time they learned responsibility. Let them live within their means…”
…Evelyn changed the locks. Katherine didnt call, didnt text. Shed taken offence. But it was better than being a free larder for her grown daughter and her boyfriend.
A month passed before the phone finally rang.
