Times may stay the same, but people change.
“Tina, have you got any shred of decency left?!” Olivia asked her younger sister, her voice trembling.
“Livvy, you’re hardly one to talk about decency! Mum and I have done our bit—now it’s your turn. Take her in with Rob and see what it’s like living with an elderly person. We’ve had enough!” Tina spat the last words before slamming the phone down.
Olivia listened to the dial tone for a moment, then muttered under her breath:
“The nerve of her. Absolutely shameless…”
Olivia and Tina were sisters, born to Gregory and Helen, who married young while still at university. A year after the wedding, their first child, Olivia, arrived. Money was tight back then—they barely scraped by on essentials.
Years later, Gregory secured a two-bedroom flat through the company he worked for, and life eased up a little. Helen, too, started earning well, teaching piano at a local music school and giving private lessons in the evenings. By the time Olivia turned ten, Tina was born.
From the start, Tina was the apple of her parents’ eye. Every whim, every demand was met instantly. It didn’t take long for Tina to notice—soon, she made a habit of twisting situations in her favour.
“Livvy, you’re older—let your sister have it!” Helen would scold whenever Olivia protested.
“Mum, why does she need that notebook? I bought it for myself! She’s too young anyway!”
“But I waaant it!” Tina would wail theatrically, and within minutes, the coveted item would be in her hands. Tina refused to learn to read, refused speech therapy—she wanted everything her way. Any resistance sparked a full-blown tantrum.
When Olivia turned sixteen and Tina was six, tragedy struck: Gregory collapsed at work from a sudden heart attack. He was only forty. Friends, neighbours, colleagues—everyone mourned. But no one grieved more than Helen. Something in her broke that day. She withdrew, barely acknowledging even Olivia. All her love and attention poured into little Tina, who looked just like her late father.
“Mum, my jeans are falling apart, and you keep buying Tina new dresses! Her wardrobe’s bursting!” Olivia fumed.
“Oh, Liv, must you always fuss? You’re nearly grown—soon you’ll finish school, go to uni, get a job, buy whatever you like. But poor Tina… losing her dad so young. He adored her…” Helen would sigh, dabbing her eyes.
Olivia graduated, left for university.
“You know, Liv, I thought I’d miss you—but it’s actually a blessing! I’m redecorating Tina’s room. A proper princess suite!” Helen chirped.
“So you’re tossing out my sofa the second I leave? I was planning to visit weekends…”
“Of course I am! That old thing? You can sleep on the fold-out in my room or the kitchen. Tina needs her own space—she’s got all of school ahead!”
That September, Olivia left. Soon after, Helen tore the flat apart for renovations.
“Liv, I should’ve sent you off sooner! Tina’s desperate for her own room—she can’t wait!” Helen complained over the phone.
“Why even bother? It was fine before. Speaking of—I need money for Freshers’ Week.”
“If you want extras, earn them! This reno’s costing a fortune—I took out a loan. Tina’s outgrown her clothes, needs new ones, plus cinema trips, ice creams… it never ends!”
“You buy her everything. Why not me?”
“You’re an adult—time to stand on your own feet!” Helen snapped.
Olivia visited rarely, working weekends to get by. She met Rob, they moved in together, married modestly, took out a mortgage.
“Love, I’d help, but things are tight…” Helen sighed.
“How?”
“Tina’s tutors cost a bomb!”
“I managed without tutors!”
“Different times! She wants to study translation—likely a paid course, so I’m saving. You’ll manage. Should’ve thought before borrowing!”
Olivia stopped arguing. She knew—Tina ruled Helen’s world now.
When Olivia and Rob had their first son, she called: “Mum, could you come help with Ben, just for a bit?”
“Liv, how can I? Tina’s revising for her A-levels! She needs me—good meals, support…”
“I sat mine right after Dad died.”
“That was then! I want better for Tina!”
Tina graduated (paid course, naturally), married quickly, moved in with Helen. Two years later, her son Noah arrived—Helen’s new favourite. Olivia kept her distance but agreed on one thing: Noah was Tina reborn—spoilt, demanding, never denied.
“Mum, did you quit your job?” Olivia once asked.
“Yes. Noah’s at school now—someone’s got to take him. And his grammar school’s across town!”
“That’s a twenty-minute bus ride! You’ll wear yourself out! Let me talk to Tina—”
“No! Noah’s brilliant! That local school’s beneath him!”
Years passed. Noah grew; Tina and her husband bought a new flat, prepared to move. The stress crushed Helen—she had a heart attack.
“Tina, either take Mum in or stay with her. She’ll need care,” Olivia said.
“You joking? After the fortune we’ve spent on this place?!”
“So you’re leaving her alone?”
“Your turn! We’ve done our bit!”
“After all she’s done for you?!”
“Her flat’s there if you refuse!” Tina hung up.
Helen came home to silence—Tina had already left.
“Liv, Tina’s not answering… everything alright?” Helen fretted.
“Fine. They’ve gone to Spain. Rest—doctor’s orders.”
Olivia and Rob took Helen in. It broke Olivia’s heart—her mother, used and discarded. Only then did Helen see the truth.
“Livvy, I’m so sorry… I pushed you aside your whole life… There’s no forgiving me…”
“Mum, it’s done. Take a few pupils—you’re a wonderful teacher.”
“Won’t I be a bother?”
“Rob, Ben, and I love having you.”
Weeks later, Tina called. Olivia hoped it was remorse.
“Liv. Mum’s staying with you permanently?”
“Yes. She’s recovering, even teaching again—”
“Good. I’ll rent her flat out. Noah’s tutors cost a fortune these days…”
“Tina—” The line went dead.
