Emily had decided that only we were obliged to spoil her children. My husbands sister had made up her mind that we were the ones responsible for indulging her kidsand no one else.
I married James nearly eight years ago. A kind man, always ready to help, with a generous heart. But he had one problema sister. Victoria. A woman with boundless imagination and an uncanny ability to turn every sentence into a veiled request for an expensive gift.
She never spoke directly. Her words always sounded like innocent musings:
“The children have been dreaming of seeing that new animated film, but tickets are so pricey these days,” shed say with a sigh. And James, the moment he heard, would buy the tickets, take the nephews to the cinema, and treat them to popcorn and sweets.
“Lovely weather today,” Victoria would continue, “but youre just staying indoors. You should take them to the fair!” And guess who ended up accompanying her children? Us, of course. And everythingon our dime.
I dont pick up on subtleties. Nor do I want to. I prefer honesty. If you need somethingsay it. Ask. Explain. Dont dance around pretending you want nothing.
But James always reacted immediately to her “hints.” He adored his nephews madly. But the way he spoiled them crossed every line. Bicycles, gadgets, outingsall had become the norm. Victoria only had to glance his way, and my husband would jump.
Recently, it was little Olivers birthdayVictorias son. Wed already given him a luxury bicycle that cost us a pretty penny. I was certain it was more than enough. But for Victoria, apparently, the bike was just a trifle. In her eyes, the child simply had to visit Europe. And not alonewith her, naturally. A little boy couldnt possibly go by himself!
In Victorias language, it sounded like this:
“Oliver has been daydreaming about Paris. His eyes light up whenever its mentioned”
Instead of booking flights, James brought his nephew a homemade cake and a monogrammed cushion. I was at work that day, and my husband went alone. As you might expect, this was a bucket of cold water for his sister.
But Victoria didnt give up. Her demands grew year by year. James, it seemed, didnt mind. We had no children of our own, and he poured all his paternal energy into his nephews. Perhaps because he had nowhere else to direct it.
Then came the long-awaited newsI was pregnant. When I told James, he cried with joy, kissed my belly, and couldnt believe it. Hed dreamed of this for years. But then Victoria showed up
Againwith a request. This time, a trip to Prague for the Easter holidays. Naturally, with her children. For the first time, my husband refused. He said he was going to be a father now, and all his resources were for our family. Thats when his sister exploded.
The next day, she called me. Screamed. Accused.
“How dare you?! You planned all this just to take away the only man who ever cared for my children!”
I hung up without a word.
Then came another act. The nephews waited for James outside his office. They handed him handmade cards.
“Uncle, please dont abandon us”
“Why do you need your own child when you already have us?”
It was clear someone had helped them write those words. And that “someone” was predictable.
James came home, sank into the sofa, stared at the cards and something inside him broke.
“Ive been such a fool,” he said. “How many years have I put up with this? The boilers broken, I cant afford a winter coat, Dad walked outUncle, help us. Shes always used the kids to manipulate me. And I fell for it. Every time.”
Then, suddenly, he pulled out a notebook. He started listing everything he could remember: bicycles, phones, summer camps, holidays, gadgets, theatre tickets. The totala staggering sum.
And thenthe finale. In true Victoria fashion.
She came to our house. Stood in the hallway like she owned the place and said:
“Since youll have your own child soon, perhaps one last kindness? Give us the car. Not for me, Im not being greedy. Just so I can take the children”
James handed her the notebook without a word.
“Thats the total. For everything youve taken. Pay it back. Youve got six months. After thatcourt.”
She stormed out, slamming the door so hard the coat rack crashed to the floor.
After that, the floodgates opened. Victorias friends bombarded me on social media. They wrote that Id destroyed the sacred bond between uncle and nephews. That now the children were “abandoned, starving, and their mother was in despair.”
But you know what? I didnt flinch.
Victoria owns two flats. One from her ex-husband, the otherfrom James, who gave up his inheritance for her. She receives child support; she doesnt live in poverty. Shed just grown used to everything being handed to her. And nowit wasnt.
Were having a baby. And now, my husband has a real family. No manipulation, no drama, no theatrics. And you know what? I think this is just the beginning.
Sometimes, the hardest goodbyes are the ones that teach us the mostthat love shouldnt come with a price tag.
