A Fracas in Greendale: The Shadow of Family Feuds
“Sophie, Mum just rang. She and Dad are coming over to visit Lily,” said Thomas, stepping into the room where his wife was putting their one-year-old daughter to bed.
Sophia’s face stiffened. The news struck her like a blow. Relations with Margaret had soured after Lily’s birth, though they’d once been warm. It infuriated Sophia how her mother-in-law seized every chance to sneak the baby treats, ignoring her pleas.
Every visit ended in a row. The last time, three months ago, Margaret had fed Lily chocolate cake. Sophia had left her alone with the baby for just five minutes—long enough for her to strike.
“What on earth are you doing?” Sophia snapped, wrenching Lily from Margaret’s arms. “She’s only nine months old! Cake? Really?”
Furious, she whisked the baby to the bathroom to scrub her face and hands clean of frosting. From there, she heard Thomas storm into the kitchen, berating his mother:
“Why can’t you just listen?”
“It’s harmless! You ate sweets as a child—you turned out fine,” Margaret huffed.
“You never listen!” Thomas shot back. “Some mother you were!”
“I don’t see the fuss,” Margaret muttered, arms crossed.
By the time Sophia returned with Lily, her patience had snapped. “Just leave if you can’t behave properly!”
Margaret gaped at her, then at Thomas, waiting for backup. His silence said everything.
“Oh, please! Back in our village, we fed kids whatever we liked before all this internet nonsense. You’re making a mountain out of a molehill!” With that, she flounced out.
Once the door slammed, Sophia turned to Thomas, anger simmering.
“She’s not setting foot here again,” he answered her unspoken question.
After that, Margaret kept her distance. She called for updates, asked for photos, but never visited—until Lily’s first birthday.
“She’ll pull something again,” Sophia grumbled.
“No, I warned her this time!” Thomas insisted. “She won’t dare.”
Sophia eyed him skeptically. She doubted stubborn Margaret would ever listen.
The in-laws arrived just ten minutes after Thomas’s call—proof they’d assumed they’d be welcomed. Margaret barged in, crowing,
“Where’s my darling? Where’s my sweetheart? We’ve brought presents!” She thrust a bag at Sophia.
His father, Geoffrey, lugged in a cake and a bottle of champagne, hastily handing them to Thomas.
“We brought our own refreshments!” Margaret declared, implying the treats weren’t just for the hosts.
Sophia saw right through it. She passed Lily to Thomas and set the table in the sitting room while the in-laws cooed over the baby in the kitchen.
“Open the champagne, then—cost us twenty quid,” Margaret whispered to Geoffrey.
He popped the cork and handed her the bottle.
“In a glass, you fool! I’m holding the baby!”
Geoffrey obeyed, filling a flute. Margaret took a sip, smacked her lips, and nodded. “Lovely!” Then she glanced down at Lily. “Go on, darling, just a taste while no one’s looking,” she murmured, tilting the glass toward the baby’s mouth.
“Your missus catches us—there’ll be hell to pay!” Geoffrey chuckled.
Hearing this, Sophia peered in from the sitting room—and froze.
“What in God’s name are you doing?!” she shrieked, snatching the champagne away. “I told you—nothing! How could you?!” She clutched Lily, shaking with rage.
“Oh, for heaven’s sake! We gave Thomas sips as a baby—it’s harmless!” Margaret laughed, bracing for the storm. “Might even do her good—”
“Out!” Thomas roared, storming in. “Enough! First cake, now champagne—have you lost your mind?!”
“Don’t yell at your mother!” Geoffrey barked. “It was just a drop—”
“Not a drop! Not ever again!” Thomas bellowed. “Get out, and don’t come back! What’s next—whisky?!”
“You two are melodramatic as ever,” Margaret sniffed. “Perfect match, you are. Come on, Geoffrey.”
The door slammed behind them. Sophia held Lily tight, still trembling.
“I don’t care what you say—your parents aren’t setting foot here again. What kind of madwoman gives a baby champagne?”
“Fine by me,” Thomas muttered.
After that, contact with his parents ceased. Margaret and Geoffrey nursed their wounded pride, while the young couple couldn’t forgive such reckless stubbornness.
