«I have nowhere to go!»
«I wont go back to that old dog! Id rather live in a basement than with him!»
«Mum, then go to the basement! Ill be divorcing you soon myself!» snapped Emily, stirring her porridge angrily.
«Youd throw out your own mother?» Lydia clutched her chest. «Ive given my whole life for you, and this is how you repay me! Thanks for the care, daughter!»
With a huff, Lydia stormed off to their shared bedroombecause the four of them lived in a cramped one-bedroom flat where privacy had been a distant memory for three months.
Emily never imagined shed be caught in such a mess. People divorced and remarried all around her, but her parents had always been the picture of stability. Just weeks ago, Lydia and Oliver celebrated their ruby anniversaryforty years togetherand now her mother couldnt stand the sight of him.
Then, one «wonderful» day, Lydia arrived at her daughters door with suitcases, announcing she was leaving him.
«Can you believe it? He cheated on me with some floozy of a nurse!» Lydia gasped, still catching her breath from the climb up the stairs. «Fancy thatgoing after some forty-something tart. What a charmer!»
«Mum, seriously? Are you sure? Maybe you misunderstood?» Emily stared at her, baffled.
Lydia had always been dramatic, twisting gossip into grand conspiracies. But this time, it was real.
«Oh, I misunderstood, did I? The photos on his phone werent exactly family snaps! The old fool should be winding down, not chasing skirts!»
Emily decided to get to the bottom of it later. First, she needed to calm her mother downtea, a seat, reassurances that life wasnt over, that these things happened, that shed help her through it.
Little did she know Lydia would take that literally. Emily had no idea what she was signing up for.
From that moment, Lydia moved in. It wouldnt have been so bad if Emily didnt already have a familyhusband Henry and five-year-old Alfie, whose curiosity knew no bounds.
At first, Emily tried to see the bright side. Help with Alfie? She worked remotely and managed fine. Cooking? Lydia loved greasy meals Emily avoided for her figure, and Henry for his health. Cleaning? Their standards of «clean» were galaxies apart.
And that was just the start.
«Right, time to change the bedsheets. Alfies too, though you can do his in the morning,» Lydia announced at eleven at night, just as they settled in for a film.
«What, now? Mum, Alfies asleep! How are we supposed to do it in the dark?»
«Not my problem. Theres light from the hallwaythatll do. Change them quietly, then off to bed. Shouldve done it earlier. Youd live in filth if I werent here!»
Lydia would plant her hands on her hips, eyes darting for more chores to assign.
Emily sighed but obeyed. She knew her mothers quirksarguing meant hours of guilt-trips. Lydia never backed down, always ready for a fight, while Emily had grown up bending to keep the peace.
Henry didnt share her patience.
«Love, cant you just say no?» hed ask when they were alone.
«Its Mum. You know how she is.»
«I do. But this is our home, our rules. Im starting to lose my patience.»
«Just a little longer. She and Dad need time. Itll sort itself out»
But Emily didnt sound convinced. Shed already spoken to her father. Hed admitted ityes, thered been a fling.
«I dont know what came over me Maybe I just wanted to compare. Your mothers the only woman Ive ever been with. Now I dont know where to put myself. I love her, but will she ever listen?»
Truthfully, Emily understood her mother. She wouldnt forgive cheating either, even if it was just a fling. Lydia had every right to leave. But she wasnt leaving. She just waited, as if the problem might vanish on its own.
Things only got worse. Lydia decided Henry was too relaxed.
In her parents home, chores were split. Oliver hoovered, scrubbed the bathroom weekly, did dishes, even made Sunday roasts. He helped with spring cleaning, polished windows, shopped at the marketall the things most men left to their wives.
Not in Emilys house. Henry would sit with Alfie for handwriting practice or take him swimming, but the rest fell to her. It made sensehe was the main earner, now supporting Lydia too. Emily worked remotely, a few hours a day, her wages covering little luxuries.
But Lydia saw no difference.
«Youve let him off too easy!» shed scold. «He should be doing more, not lounging about. Lazy men start looking where they shouldnt.»
«Mum, thanks, but well handle it.»
Lydia didnt listen. She launched a campaign to «reform» her son-in-law.
«Sit down,» shed order when Emily stood to clear the table. «Henry, shes been rushing around all dayexhausted. Too proud to ask for help. Be a dear and wash up.»
Henry would glare but comply. His patience wasnt endless, though. Soon, arguments eruptedalways in private, to keep things civil.
And he was right. Emily knew it. But what could she do?
«Mum, you cant live like this. Whats the plan?» she asked after two months.
«Dunno. Ill figure it out. Ive nowhere else to go.» Lydia tensed, sensing where this was headed.
«Hows that? You and Dad own the flat. Split it, move on. You have to do something.»
«I dont want a thing from him!» Lydia snapped, arms folded. «Ill manage alone. Wont speak to him.»
«Managing» fell to Emily and Henry. And they were tired of it. Emily dropped hintsthey missed their evenings alone, the flat was too smallbut Lydia ignored them. Then she said it outright. Lydia didnt take it well.
Finally, Emily snapped. She found Lydia a room, packed her bags while she showered.
«Whats this? Are you going somewhere?» Lydia asked, towel-drying her hair.
«No, you are. Weve rented you a place. Best we could afford. Happy couples only exist on tellyreal people need space.»
Lydia argued, screamed about being thrown out, but in the end, they convinced her. Theyd help for two months, but no longer.
«Or do you want us splitting this flat next? Where do we all go then?» Henry asked.
Lydia gave in. But the peace didnt last.
«What kind of hovel is this?» she shrieked over the phone after one night. «The place is crawling with cockroaches, and the neighbours couldnt care less! The kitchens filthylooks like it hasnt been cleaned in a decade! Dont get me started on the loo!»
«Mum, we did what we could. Youre free to rent somewhere else.»
But the places Lydia liked were beyond her means. Slowly, her tune changed. She muttered about seeing a solicitor, gathering documents. Then one day
«Thats it. Im home. Back where I belong,» she announced, as if it were Emilys fault.
«Really? What about Dad?»
«My feelings havent changed,» Lydia sniffed. «But Id rather suffer his face than that dump. Someone nicked my purse while I popped to the shops! Ill tolerate him. At least my rooms mineno extra tenants with whiskers and six legs.»
Emilys heart lifted. Whether theyd reconcile or divorce didnt matter. Let them fight it out in their own home, not hers. For the first time in months, her flat wasnt a battleground.