Nothing Here Belongs to You
“I don’t want to argue with my mum, you have to understand,” murmured Ian.
“Then I’ll tell her myself. I don’t care what happens next,” replied Laura.
She was completely fed up with the ongoing situation and had no intention of putting up with it any longer.
The entire issue stemmed from Ian being a laid-back person, and his mother was openly taking advantage of this. Unlike him, Agnes was a rather assertive woman.
People like her were said to be best approached with caution.
Oh, if only Laura had realized this much earlier, everything would have been far simpler.
Some time ago…
“How much are you paying for rent?”
“Three hundred pounds,” Ian replied.
“You must be out of your mind! That’s a huge amount! You’ll never save up for your place at this rate,” Agnes remarked.
“So what should we do then? Live in some flea-ridden dump with drunks?” Laura grimaced.
“Certainly not. I have a better idea.”
Ian’s mother suggested they move into her house. There was plenty of room, with a grand total of four bedrooms. They could pick any room they wanted.
“What a brilliant idea! I like it a lot,” Laura said happily.
But it was clear Ian wasn’t thrilled with his mother’s suggestion, although he politely agreed to think about it.
Once the couple returned to their rented flat, Laura started the conversation immediately.
“What do you mean, think about it? What’s there to think about? Ian, we should agree. I’m tired of shelling out three hundred quid every month. We’ll never save enough for a place of our own this way.”
Ian just shook his head.
“Laura, you don’t know my mum! She seems kind and caring on the outside.”
“Oh, come on, that’s just your childhood resentment showing. You’re overreacting.”
From a long time ago during childhood…
“Mum, give it back, that’s my money,” cried a young Ian, just 10 years old.
“Nothing here is yours,” Agnes sternly said, moistening her fingers with saliva as she counted the money.
“But it was given to me for my birthday.”
“Everything in this house is mine. Remember that for good.”
Ian remembered that lesson only too well and didn’t want to live with his mum, but Laura wouldn’t give up.
Ultimately, she persuaded him, leaving him with no choice but to agree.
Surprisingly, at first, Ian and Agnes coexisted quite peacefully. She mostly kept out of their lives.
However, with each passing day, her demands grew. Especially a month later, when she realized the couple had settled in comfortably.
Agnes demanded that they should not only pay for the groceries but also cover part of the living expenses.
“Sorry, my dears, but no one is cancelling the electricity and water bills. My pension can only stretch so far.”
“Ian, your mum has a point. I completely agree with her,” Laura nodded, munching on fried potatoes.
Laura had settled in quite comfortably too. She never enjoyed cooking much, and now Agnes was doing it for her, though this “restaurant” was costing them a lot more.
Yes, Agnes was unashamed to charge for this service. And every month, the cost only increased.
“Laura, don’t you think we’re spending a lot more money now than when we were renting?”
“Why do you think that?” Laura looked at him with surprise.
“Just do the math. Utility bills, food, cooking, miscellaneous expenses. It’s definitely more than three hundred pounds.”
“Maybe…”
“I’m telling you, plus we’re saving a lot less since moving here.”
The decision was made to return to their rented flat. However, Agnes knew what to say.
“Don’t be silly. Stay as long as you like. By the way, I’m going to need some help with the renovation. I can’t hire workers on my pension.”
Indeed, their conscience wouldn’t allow them to leave her. Plus, they had grown accustomed to staying there. They had to help.
Agnes subtly hinted that there wasn’t enough money for the renovation.
“Have you seen the prices? They’ve only gone up over the past six months!”
“Yes, yes, we understand. We’ll definitely help, right Ian?”
“Yes.”
Agnes knew the look on his face all too well.
“Ian, is something wrong?”
“No, Mum, everything’s fine.”
“Good. I’m doing this for us, so we can all be comfortable here.”
In the end, they did the renovation.
But not just in one room—in all four. Agnes insisted it was better to do it now, rather than later when prices would skyrocket even further.
Then she straightforwardly said they needed a new washing machine and that a dishwasher wouldn’t be a luxury either. After all, one’s hands can only do so much.
Of course, they bought everything for her.
However, there was one little problem. Buying an apartment kept getting postponed further and further.
Two years passed.
Ian and Laura understood perfectly well that as the years went by, Agnes’s demands only kept increasing.
If they had lived separately, they would have saved up for their own place by now. Failing that, they could’ve taken out a mortgage, but nothing went according to plan.
“I don’t want to argue with my mum, you must understand,” murmured Ian.
“Then I’ll tell her myself. I don’t care what happens next,” Laura replied.
She was completely fed up with the ongoing situation and had no intention of putting up with it any longer.
“Alright, I understand. I will think of something.”
And then Ian had a brilliant idea.
“Mum, we need to talk.”
“About what?”
“Remember, you said having a whole house is too much for just you?”
“So?”
“Maybe we should sell it and buy each of us a flat. I mean separate ones for both you and us.”
At this, Agnes jumped up, shouting at him:
“Have you completely lost it? No way!”
“But why not?”
“Because it’s my home, and I’m going to live here.”
“And us?”
“What about you? Is anyone throwing you out?”
Ian realized that his mother had a plan from the very beginning.
“No, but we want to live separately.”
“Well, buy a flat then and live separately. If you haven’t managed to save enough, that’s your problem. Work harder, Ian!”
“Yes, so I can give more to you,” Ian thought but kept it to himself.
“So, stay if you want, or leave if you don’t. Just keep in mind, rents have gone up too.”
Laura decided it was time to step in since Ian couldn’t handle his mother alone.
“Agnes, but we invested money into this house, and Ian’s right.”
“Go prove it legally. I own this place, and everything here is mine. If you don’t like it, the door is that way.”
Eventually, Ian and Laura realized that living with Agnes wasn’t the best option. They decided to rent again and save for a home.
Now they aimed to at least save up for a mortgage deposit.
Agnes, on the other hand, was living well. She proudly invited relatives over and boasted about the wonderful renovations. And washing clothes by hand was now a thing of the past, as was washing dishes.
“The key is making the right decision at the right time,” she repeated her favorite phrase once again, continuing to sip tea with biscuits.
