And just who do you think you are, telling me what to do! Margaret threw the damp cloth straight at her daughter-in-laws face. Youre living under my roof, eating my food!
Emily wiped her face, fists clenched. Three months into marriage, and every day felt like being on the front lines.
I mop the floors, cook, do all the washing! What more do you want from me?
I want you to keep your mouth shut! You stray! Turned up here dragging another mans child!
Little Rosie peeked nervously round the kitchen door. Four years old, and already she knew Granny was mean.
Mum, leave it, alright? James came in from outside, still mucky from work. Whats up this time?
Its her! Your precious wifes got a mouth on her! I say the soups too salty, she snaps back!
Soups fine, Emily said tiredly. Youre picking a fight for the sake of it.
You see! Hear that? Margaret jabbed a finger at Emily. Apparently Im picking a fight! In my own house!
James walked over to his wife, wrapping an arm protectively round her shoulders.
Mum, thats enough. Emilys done nothing but work round here all day. You just argue.
Oh, I see! Siding with her now, are you? After all Ive done for you! Raised you, fed you, and now this!
The older woman swept off in a swirl of indignation, banging the door after her. Silence fell in the kitchen.
Sorry, James brushed Emilys hair gently. Shes gotten impossible as shes got older.
James, maybe we should rent somewhere. Even just a room of our own?
With what money? Im a farmhand, not a CEO. I barely scrape enough for food.
Emily leaned in to him. He was a good man, honest and kind. Hard working, too. Just his mum she was a nightmare.
Shed met James at the village fete, selling her handmade scarves and hats. James was buying woolly socks. Theyd chatted he said upfront he didnt mind that she had a child. Always wanted a big family himself.
The wedding was a quiet affair. Margaret had disliked Emily from the word go. Young and pretty, she was an accountant with a degree, while James was just a farmhand.
Mum, come have dinner Rosie tugged at the hem of her skirt.
In a minute, love.
At the table, Margaret made a show of pushing her plate away.
Cant eat this. Might as well feed it to the pigs.
Mum! James thumped the table. Will you just pack it in!
What? Im only telling the truth! That Linda is a real wife this ones hopeless!
Linda that was Margarets daughter, living in London and only visiting once a year. The house deed had already been handed over to her even though she hardly ever came.
If you dont like how I cook, youre welcome to do it yourself, Emily said quietly.
Oh, you! Margaret leapt up from the table. Dont you dare!
Thats it! James stepped between the two women. Mum, either you calm down, or were out of here. Tonight.
Where will you go? Out onto the street? This house isnt even yours!
She wasnt wrong. The house belonged to Linda. They only stayed by her good grace.
***
Heavy lies the burden
Emily lay awake that night, James holding her close, whispering:
Hang in there, love. Ill buy a little tractor, do some jobs on the side. Well save up, get our own place.
James, that costs a fortune
Ill get an old one, fix it up. I know my way round an engine. Just believe in me.
The next morning, Emily woke up feeling queasy. She bolted to the loo. Could it be?
Two lines on the pregnancy test.
James! she rushed into the bedroom. Look at this!
James rubbed his eyes groggily, glanced at the test and then sprang up, spinning her around the room.
Emily! My love! Were having a baby!
Shh, keep it down! Your mum will hear!
Too late. Margaret stood in the doorway, arms folded.
Whats all this racket?
Mum, Emilys expecting! James beamed.
Margaret pursed her lips.
And where exactly do you plan to keep this baby? Its cramped as it is. Lindall be here soon and thatll be the end of you.
No it wont! James scowled. Its my home too!
Its Lindas. Did you forget? I signed it over to her. Youre just staying here.
The happiness vanished. Emily dropped down onto the bed.
A month later, disaster struck. Emily was hauling a heavy bucket of water the house didnt have proper plumbing. Suddenly, a fierce pain and bright red on her trousers
James! she sobbed.
A miscarriage. The doctor said: too much strain, too much stress. What you need is rest.
How do you rest in a house with Margaret?
Emily lay on the hospital bed, staring up at the ceiling. That was it. She couldnt wouldnt do this anymore.
Ill leave him, she told her friend on the phone. I cant cope.
Em, but James is a good man.
He is. But with his mother? Im wasting away in that house.
James rushed to see her straight after work. Mucky, exhausted, clutching some wildflowers in a fist.
Emily, love, forgive me. Its all my fault. I shouldve protected you.
James, I just cant live there anymore.
I know. Ill get a loan. Well rent a flat.
They wont give you one. Your wages are too low.
They will. Ive found a second job, night shift at the dairy. Fields by day, milking cows by night.
James, youll run yourself into the ground.
Ill keep going. For you, Id move mountains.
Emily was discharged a week later. Margaret met her at the door with a smirk:
Couldnt even manage it, eh? Told you you were too frail.
Emily ignored her. Not worth the tears.
James worked himself to the bone. On the tractor all day, then off to the dairy at night. Three hours sleep if he was lucky.
Im getting a job, Emily said. The local office has got an opening for an accountant.
Theyll barely pay you peanuts.
Peanuts add up.
She took the job. Mornings, shed drop Rosie at nursery before heading off to the office; in the evenings shed pick her up, cook, do the laundry. Margaret kept up her tirade, but Emily learned to let it wash over her.
***
A home of their own, and a new life
James went on saving every penny, keeping his eyes peeled for a tractor. He found an old, battered one going cheap.
Take the loan, said Emily. Fix it up and well start earning properly.
What if it comes to nothing?
It wont. Youve got magic hands with engines.
The bank gave them the loan. They bought the tractor. It looked like a pile of scrap rusting in the yard.
Hilarious! Margaret cackled. What a load of junk youve bought! Belongs in the tip!
James quietly took the engine apart, night after night after his shift, by the beam of a torch. Emily helped: passing him tools, holding the bits steady.
Go to bed, love. You must be shattered.
We started together, well finish together.
A month went by. Then two. The neighbours had a good laugh that daft farmhand bought a dud.
Then, one morning, the tractor roared to life. James was behind the wheel, grinning in disbelief.
Emily! She runs! She actually runs!
She dashed outside and hugged him tight.
I knew it! I always believed in you!
First job: plough the neighbours veg patch. Second, deliver firewood. Then more money started coming in.
And then, Emily felt queasy again.
James, Im pregnant again.
Not a single heavy job for you this time, alright? Ill handle it all!
He treated her as precious as crystal. Wouldnt even let her lift a teapot. Margaret rolled her eyes:
Feeble thing! I had three and never got fussed over! And that was in my day!
But James simply wouldnt budge. No lifting, no exertion.
In Emilys seventh month, Linda arrived from London with her husband.
Mum, were selling the house. Good price. Youll move in with us.
And them? Margaret nodded at James and Emily.
Them? Let them find their own place.
Linda, this is my childhood home too! James protested.
So what? Its mine now. Or did you forget?
When do you want us gone? Emily asked calmly.
End of the month.
James fumed, his fists clenched. Emily laid a hand on his arm quietly, no need to argue.
That evening, they sat together clasped in each others arms.
What are we going to do? The babys due so soon.
Well find somewhere. The main thing is, we stay together.
James worked like a man possessed. The tractor was running from dawn till dusk, and in a week he earned as much as he used to in a month.
Then, out of the blue, Mr. Thompson an old friend from the next village phoned.
James, thinking of selling my cottage. Bit old, but sturdy. Cheap. Want to have a look?
They went to see it. The place was old, but solid. A stove, three bedrooms, a shed.
How much?
Mr. Thompson named a price. They had half, but not all of it.
Can we pay the other half in six months? James asked. First bit now, the rest later.
Fine by me. I trust you.
They went home walking on air. Margaret met them sternly at the door.
Whereve you been? Lindas brought the papers round!
Lovely, Emily said, dead calm. Were moving out.
Where? Onto the kerb?
Into our own house. We bought one.
Margaret stared dumbstruck. She hadnt seen that coming.
Youre lying! Where did you get the money?
We earned it, said James, wrapping his arm around Emily. While you were busy talking, we were out working.
They packed and left in two weeks. Not that they owned much never really felt at home there.
Rosie ran from room to room of the new place, the pup barking along with her.
Mummy, is this really our house?
Ours, darling. Truly ours.
Margaret showed up the day before. She stood on the doorstep, forlorn.
James, I was thinking Maybe I could live with you. The citys so stuffy.
No, Mum. That was your choice. Live with Linda.
But Im your mother!
Mothers dont call their own grandchild someone elses. Goodbye.
He closed the door. It was tough, but it was right.
Sam was born in March. Big healthy lad, loud lungs and all.
Got your fathers voice! the midwife laughed.
James held his son, hardly daring to breathe.
Emily, thank you, for everything.
No, thank you. For never giving up. For always believing in us.
They settled into their home. Planted a veg patch, got some hens. The tractor brought in regular money. In the evenings, theyd sit on the front step; Rosie played with the pup, Sam slept in his cot.
You know, said Emily, Im happy.
Me too.
Remember how rough it was? I thought Id never get through it.
But you did. Youre strong.
Were strong. Together.
The sun slipped down behind the trees. The house smelt of bread and fresh milk. A real home. Their home.
No one to look down on them. No one to throw them out. No one to call them outsiders.
A place to live, to love, and to raise their children.
A place to belong.
***
You know, my friend, every family has its hardships, and some are so tricky you wonder how youll come through them. Emily and James story its a bit like a mirror, isnt it? We all see something of our own battles, and our own strength in it.
Life goes on up and down, hope and despair, until one day, you find your bit of happiness.
What do you think, then? Should James have put up with his mother for so long, or should he and Emily have struck out on their own much sooner? And tell me, for you, what makes a real home the walls, or the warmth within them?
Go on, share your thoughts. Life teaches us all, and every lesson counts.
