The dream unfolded in a dimly lit kitchen, where the scent of tea and disapproval hung thick in the air.
“Support your sister in her time of need,” their mother had reminded them after the divorce. “Dont you want to help her? Shes struggling,” the woman chided, her voice sharp as a winter wind.
The two sisters sat at the round table, bathed in the flickering glow of a dying lamp, their mothers grievances settling over them like dust.
“That Oliver of yours is nothing but a spoiled child!” Mrs. Whitmore declared, her lips pursed. “Working temp jobs, barely scraping together a few hundred quid a month!”
“Mum, is three thousand pounds not enough for you?” snapped the younger sister, Lily, her cheeks flushing.
“I couldnt care less. What matters is whether he can provide for you,” the mother retorted, fingers drumming impatiently.
“He does,” Lily muttered, folding her arms.
“Does he? Just yesterday you borrowed two hundred from me,” Mrs. Whitmore shot back. “If he cant even feed you, leave him! Find someone betterand honestly, hes a few sandwiches short of a picnic.”
“Mum, thats going too far,” interjected Emily, the older sister, speaking up for the first time.
“Im only stating facts! Hes ginger, for heavens sake, and that lisphonestly, Lily, you deserve better. Divorce him before its too late.”
“Olivers got golden hands,” Emily countered, watching as their mother leaned in, pressing Lily like a bruise. “Looks dont matter. Hes got a flat, a car, and he loves Lily. Isnt that enough?”
Mrs. Whitmore glared, venom dripping from her gaze.
“Youre nearly forty, single, and still giving advice?” she sneered, shoving Emilys concern aside. “At your age, you take what you can get.”
Lily sat silent, eyes darting between them, distant as a ghost.
“And youre fawning over a man with a shoebox flat and a rustbucket of a car? Nothing to boast about!” Mrs. Whitmore scoffed.
“Lily, what do you think?” Emily pressed. “You have a say in this, dont you?”
“I dont know maybe Mums right,” Lily murmured, her voice thin. “He told me recently I should look for work”
“There, you see!” Mrs. Whitmore crossed her arms in triumph. “This is just the beginningimagine whats next!”
“And why shouldnt Lily work? Hardly anyone gets by on one income,” Emily argued.
“Why do you defend him?” their mother snapped.
“Because I fear youre ruining her life,” Emily said softly.
“This isnt your business!” Mrs. Whitmore snarled. “If Oliver truly loved her, hed do more. No looks, no moneywhats the point?”
Lilys lips parted, her mothers words sinking in like hooks.
Soon, the poison spread. That evening, Lily turned on Oliver.
“Are you happy with your salary?” she demanded.
“Its fine. Why?”
“Its not enough,” she said coldly. “You should find something better.”
“I like where I am.”
“Well, I dont!” Lily hissed. “Tiny flat, shabby carnothing to impress the neighbours!”
“Odd. It never bothered you before,” Oliver mused. “What changed?”
“Nothing. I just see clearly now. Love blinded me.”
“Fine,” he muttered, thinking it would end there.
But under her mothers shadow, Lily kept pushing.
“Your naggings wearing thin,” Oliver finally growled. “I cant magic money out of thin air.”
“I want a man who grows, not stagnates.”
“Sorry to disappoint,” he said flatly, walking away. “Pack your bags.”
“Where am I supposed to go?” Lily scoffed.
“Somewhere with a mansion and a sports car,” he shot back. “God forbid you waste your life with a loser like me.”
Mrs. Whitmore was the first to hear Lily had been kicked out.
“That utter swine! Who knew he had it in him?” she raged, spewing curses.
“I only asked him to do better,” Lily sobbed.
“Useless man. Youll find someone richer, and hell crawl back begging!”
Homeless, Lily moved into her mothers spare room.
“What now?” Emily asked gently.
“Nothing,” Lily murmured, glued to her phone.
“Any thoughts about finding work?”
“No. Ill marry wealthier next time.”
“Stop bothering her!” Mrs. Whitmore barked. “Shes been through enough!”
For months, the mother funded Lilys lifeless sprawl on the sofauntil reality struck. She called Emily in a panic.
“Wont you help your sister?” Mrs. Whitmore demanded.
“With what?”
“Financially! Its been hard on us.”
“Who filled her head with divorce nonsense?” Emily shot back. “Without you, theyd still be happy.”
Mrs. Whitmore clutched her chest. “How dare you! Olivers a coward! He couldnt handle a woman like Lily. Get outI never want to see you again!”
Lily appeared then, glaring.
“You side with the man who threw me out?”
“You did this to yourself. Stop listening to Mum”
“Lecturing me? You, still single at your age?”
Emily shook her head, the voices fading as she walked away. Neither mother nor sister called after her. The door clicked shut, sealing the silence.
