Veronique paced anxiously through her tiny flat in Lyon, clutching her phone as a new overduepayment alert flashed on the screen. Fear clenched her heart: how could she now feed her family when her daughter and soninlaw already weighed her down? It had all begun when her nineteenyearold elder daughter, Elodie, announced she was pregnant and wanted to get married.
Previously, Veronique worked alongside a colleague named Margaux, a prudent and caring woman. Margaux raised two daughters alone: Elodie, nineteen, and little Amelie, ten. Up to that point Margaux had no complaints. Elodie studied diligently at university, Amelie excelled at school. Both were obedient, model children, and Margaux took pride in them despite the hardships of singleparenthood.
In their second year, Elodie fell for her first love, Theo. He came from another region, but after meeting him Margaux approved her daughters choice. Theo seemed kind, sincere, not the sort to take advantage of anyone. Soon the couple decided to live together. To avoid paying rent, they moved into Margauxs home. Margaux disliked the haste: her daughter was only nineteen, she should finish her studies and become independent first. Yet there was no other option.
Margaux lived in a threeroom apartment with cramped bedrooms, already short on space. Theos arrival, as a future soninlaw, only worsened the squeeze. Margaux resigned herself until she learned why they were in such a rush: Elodie confessed she was pregnant and they wanted to marry. The ground seemed to shift beneath Margauxs feet. Her daughter, barely an adult, was already becoming a mother.
Theo was unemployed. Like Elodie, he was a fulltime student, and neither wanted to switch to distance learning. Nevertheless, they planned an extravagant wedding, straight out of a Hollywood film. They booked one of Lyons priciest restaurants, invited a large crowd, and Elodie ordered a hautecouture dress as if she were on a runway. Margaux tried to protest, explaining she could not afford such extravagance, but Elodie, hand on her belly, began to sob:
Mom, are you going to deprive your grandchild?
With clenched teeth, Margaux paid for everything. She dipped into her savings, exhausted her last reserves, and even took out a new loan. She hoped that after the wedding the young couple would assume responsibility, find work, and become selfsufficient. Her hopes collapsed like a house of cards. Elodie and Theo stayed at her place, refusing any job search.
Theos parents had given the couple a secondhand car. They drove around town as if on holiday, while the grooms parents covered the fuel, knowing their son had no money. All other expensesfood, bills, clothing fell back on Margaux. The youngsters didnt even know the price of a baguette. When Margaux mentioned the costs, Elodie rolled her eyes:
Mom, were studying, what do you expect us to do?
Elodie refused to cut back. She showed her mother a catalogue of the latest, most expensive strollers and cribs. Margaux, earning a modest salary, felt her breath leave her.
Elodie, I cant afford that! I have your student loan, Im raising Amelie
Are you kidding? the girl retorted. Youre going to be a grandmother and youre making a fuss?
A deep anger rose inside Margaux. They had chosen to have a child, but she was expected to foot the bill? She was carrying the whole family, working herself to exhaustion, and money was always lacking. Elodies student loan hung over them like a sword, Amelie needed attention, and the couple lived as if in a fairy tale.
One day Margaux snapped. She came home exhausted after being reprimanded for being lateshe had to run errands for everyone. The scene that greeted her froze her: Elodie and Theo, laughing, flipped through a babygoods magazine, selecting a crib that cost half her monthly salary. Amelie sat in a corner, quietly drawing, while a mountain of dirty dishes clogged the sink.
Do I also have to do your dishes? Margaux shouted, throwing her bags on the floor.
Mom, seriously! Elodie exclaimed. Well take care of the baby!
Youre expecting a baby, but Im the one paying? Margauxs rage trembled. Enough! Either you find a job, or you leave!
Elodie burst into tears, Theo went pale, but Margaux stayed firm. She gave them one month to secure even a small job.
Otherwise youll go to Theos parents. Let them support you.
Elodie and Theo tried to soften her, but Margaux would not be swayed by sobs. She loved her daughter, yet she understood that without limits they would ruin her. Seeing her mothers suffering, Amelie one day hugged her and whispered:
Mom, Ill never let this happen again.
Margaux smiled through her tears. For her youngest child she would fight. As for Elodie and Theo, reality was knocking, and Margaux would no longer be their safety net.
