You’re just a meddlesome nosybody who loves to stick your nose into other people’s families! Claire snapped.
Rachel burst out laughing.
Is that the most ridiculous accusation you could think of? she replied. When I met Ethan, you and he had already been divorced for three years. And, if I recall correctly, you left Ethan for another man. Which family did I supposedly intrude on?
***
Rachel had always preferred numbers to people; the exactness of mathematics felt safer than the mess of human emotions. When Ethan moved into the flat on the outskirts of London, he brought along his sevenyearold daughter Emily, and Rachel gladly took on the role of tutor.
Why are these numbers being cancelled here? Emily asked, hoping Rachel hadnt forgotten what theyd covered over the weekend.
Because theyre the same, Rachel answered.
Thats not a terrible answer. Good job, Rachel praised. Alright, Emily, look again. She traced a line confidently across the textbook. If you multiply this part by that one, you get hold on Ah, thats right. She paused a moment, searching for a simple analogy. Emily, its just like ordinary multiplication, only you have to pull the root out first. It isnt any harder than counting sweets in Year 3.
Emily sprawled at the kitchen table that morning, poking at the wood with her pencil. Rachel always insisted they review the material before school; Emily pleaded for a few more minutes of sleep. Rachel won.
Its not sweets, Rachel, Emily sighed. These are problems. Difficult ones.
Theres nothing difficult if you approach it the right way, Rachel said with a smile, feeling a maternal protectiveness she usually kept hidden. Lets try this Oh dear, were running out of time.
Morning after morning began with the same routine of quick revisions.
Ethan, smoothing Emilys slightly tousled bangs, asked, Rachel, could you drop Emily at school today? Im already late.
No problem, Rachel replied, slipping on her coat. Dont worry, Ill get her there safely.
Thanks, Rachel.
Its no trouble.
She helped Emily pack her books into the backpack. She liked Ethan, and she liked Emily. Their family was unconventional, but Rachel didnt need anything more.
At the school gate they ran into Claire, Ethans exwife. Claire, in a thin trench coat despite the early autumn chill, looked as though shed been waiting for a fight. She always seemed a little out of place to Rachel.
Emily! You forgot your spare shoes, and you have PE today, Claire shouted, thrusting a bag of trainers into Emilys hands. Say thank you to the person who actually remembers you.
Emily waved a quick goodbye to Rachel, snatched the shoes, and darted into the school building without a word.
Rachel was about to get back into her car when Claire turned on her heel and warned, Dont you dare get involved with my daughter.
Rachel frowned. Excuse me?
Im the one who drives her to school, Im the one who helps her with her homework. Do you think youre now a second mother to her? Claire spat, the hatred in her voice palpable.
Rachel stayed calm. Im not trying to replace anyone, she said, refusing to be provoked. Emily spends a lot of time with us, so I talk to her, I help her with maths, we shop together. I cant just pretend she doesnt exist on the weekends.
Youre just a meddlesome nosybody who loves to stick your nose into other peoples families! Claire retorted.
Rachel laughed, the sound ringing in the empty parking lot. You could have come up with a more original insult. When I first met Ethan, you and he had already been separated for three years. And if memory serves, you walked out on him for another man. Which family am I meddling in?
Claire was momentarily speechless. Rachel gave her a gentle push away from the car, slipped into the driver’s seat, and drove to work. The argument had replaced her morning coffee.
Where does all that aggression come from? Rachel thought, Hes not even living with her any more, and Claire has never spoken to me like that before.
She would find the answer herself later.
That evening, while Rachel polished her boots, Ethan said, Rachel, I need to talk to you. Its not pleasant Would you mind if Emily stayed with us for a while longer?
Rachel raised an eyebrow. Stay? Shes already here most of the time.
I mean permanently, or at least for an extended period.
I see no problem with that, as long as it helps Emily, Rachel replied. But why? Did Claire sign off on this?
Ethan hadnt finished. Theres a snag Claire is moving in with us as well.
Rachels boot clattered to the floor. And whats your exwife doing here? Are you telling me you want to live with both of us again?
He answered quickly, No! I cant stand her. I love you, Rachel. He lifted his boot, began scrubbing it furiously, The man she ran off with dumped her. He gave her a week to move out, and rent is outrageous.
So let her go back to her parents, Rachel suggested.
Her parents live far away. If she leaves, Emily would have to change schools, move towns, lose friends Claire wont go without Emily. We have a threebedroom flat, we can all fit.
We all fit? Rachel thought, picturing a cramped house with Claires belongings spilling over every surface.
Just a joke, Ethan muttered.
It sounds a little crazy, but I dont see any other options. We cant afford a separate flat for her, and if she goes back to her parents, Id see Emily only once every six months. She doesnt want that.
Rachel repeated well fit in her mind, not noticing the suds from the boot brush covering her hands.
And they did fituntil the cost of that arrangement became clear. Claire moved in as if she were reclaiming the flat. Her suitcases filled every spare nook.
Rachel, Claire called from the living room where she now slept, could you move that vase? It blocks my view of the telly.
The vase sat on the coffee table, hardly an obstruction.
Its yours
Just move it. I want to watch the news.
And I? Am I not allowed to sit where I please?
Its my vase. I cant just touch your things without asking.
Rachel carefully shifted the vase.
Thanks.
Next came the curtains, which Rachel had left in a basket while she ran a quick shop. Claire demanded they be put back the way she liked them.
The curtains were always lightcoloured, the ones I chose. I want them back.
So you dont mind me touching your stuff?
I thought you wouldnt mind.
Rachel walked around the flat. We chose those curtains together with Ethan.
Well, I dont like them, Claire snapped. Ill ask Ethan to replace them tomorrow.
It felt like a household in a small theater.
Claire kept restoring the flat to how it had been when she and Ethan lived together. Pans were shoved into the oven, spices moved to the highest shelf because she rarely used them. The washing machine, which used to run every couple of days, now only ran once a week to save water. Rachel never understood the savings, as the machine was started five or six times a day.
Rachel, Claire would appear out of nowhere, could you please put your perfume bottle on the hallway table? I need space for my cosmetics.
They dont bother me, Rachel answered.
They do. I live here, and I need to be comfortable.
Its my home too, Rachel said, but Claire seemed deaf to that.
Youre nothing here, Claire snapped. This is my house, my man, my family. Youre just a side effect.
Rachel relayed every word to Ethan later. Ethan, when are you going to sort out the living arrangements for Claire and Emily? Im fine with Emily staying, but Claire called me nothing. Is that normal? Are you going to pretend you didnt hear that?
Ethan tried to smooth things over. Rachel, youve got it wrong. Claires going through a rough patch. She didnt mean what she said. Shes just stressed. Maybe she said something she didnt mean, and you took it personally.
Stressed? She said it straight to my face!
What do you want me to do? Kick her out? Where would she go?
Ethan sided with his exwife.
Each day, Ethan spent more time with both Emily and Claire. They went for walks together, cracked jokes that left Rachel feeling like an outsider. She realized she was merely a temporary guest in a house that kept reshaping itself.
The idyll between Ethan and Claire, if it could be called that, didnt last long. A trivial argument over a misplaced teacup sparked a fullblown quarrel.
You know I hate it when you put cups on the table the wrong way! Claire hissed.
What did I do? Ethan looked pale. I was just drinking tea.
There are tea drops all over the table, the cloth will be ruined! And stop hitting the table when you set things down. My nerves arent made of steel.
Your nerves, you old hen! Claire retorted.
Youre a slacker who cant remember the basics! Ethan shouted back.
Rachel listened from the bedroom, the sound of an old marriages final arguments echoing through the walls. It was the same old script: two people who had lived side by side for decades, now fraying.
Emily, sensing the tension, said, Dad and Mum are fighting again, just like when they were together. It was better when they split.
At that moment Rachel understood: this wasnt her family. She was a fleeting guest who hadnt fit into the reshuffled, semimerged household.
Ethan faced the fact that another divorce was looming. He didnt know how to untangle the mess, begged Rachel to stay, but she knew it would lead nowhere good.
On the day Rachel was packing her things, a small incident occurred that might have seemed insignificant if not for the whole situation. Claire, apparently feeling the need to assert her housekeeping authority, launched a thorough cleaning. She decided to optimise the arrangement of books on the livingroom shelf. Rachel, a meticulous person, kept her collection alphabetised by genre. Claire, guided solely by aesthetics, rearranged everything according to the colour of the spines. Rachel thought about arguing, but remembered the flat was no longer her home and made a joke instead.
Trying to banish my spirit with a grand clean? she asked.
Just love a tidy space, Claire replied, polishing another volume. It looks better this way. Your library dump was getting out of hand.
Its for convenience, so I can find the right book quickly, Rachel said.
I look for books by their covers, Claire answered. It suits me better.
They could never coexist peacefully.
When Rachel finally got into her car, she saw Emily standing at the window, watching her leave. For a heartbeat it seemed the little girl wanted to run after her caught between two worlds.
Shall we head on? asked Ethans brother, who had arrived to help with the move.
Yes, Rachel said, lets get going faster.
She drove away, the city lights of London blurring past, and thought about the weeks of conflict, the cramped evenings, and the fleeting bonds. She realised that sometimes love means knowing when to step back, allowing others to find their own balance without imposing yours.
In the end, the lesson was clear: you cant force a place to belong to you; the healthiest way to care for someone is to let them create their own space, even if it means walking away.
