For over a decade, I havent so much as exchanged a Christmas card with my parents or my older sister. It dawned on me ages ago that I was, at best, the family afterthoughtthe leftover Christmas pudding, if you will. Their family motto could easily have been, All for one, and absolutely nothing for the other.
Our heroine, Emily, was seventeen when her sister, Jane, became pregnant and promptly got married. Fast forward a year, and on Emilys eighteenth birthday, her generous and freshly-minted-wealthy parents presented Jane with a pristine two-bedroom flat in Brighton, complete with a DIY overhaul and all new furnishings from John Lewis.
Feeling about as cherished as a long-lost sock, Emily plucked up the courage to ask, Might I have a flat as well? Her parents dismissed her faster than free biscuits at a village fair, saying, Youre still at university, darling. Well talk about it when youre ready to settle down.
Several years later, at twenty-two, Emily graduated and entertained dreams of a grown-up life not involving her parents thermostat wars. When she broached the topic again, things werent quite so jolly in their worldthe family business had taken a sharp turn south, and there was a notable lack of champagne at Sunday lunch.
Her parents offered this compromise: When we pass on, this lovely flatbigger than Janes, you knowwill be yours. Its got three bedrooms and cost us half a fortune! For now, youll stay with us and look after us in our golden years.
Emily pondered the arrangement, eyebrow firmly raised. How can we make this official? she asked. My sister will still have rights to this flat too, wont she? Shes already got one foot on the property ladderdoes she really need mine as well? Secretly, Emily mused that theres no such thing as too much living space, though.
Looking back, Emily realises shed long ago clocked her parents adulation of Jane. When Janes husband hit a rough patch financially, her parents bailed them out, even when money was tight. Such largesse was never directed her way thoughEmily may as well have asked for a unicorn.
Ten years down the line, Emily is still estranged from her family. The rift became permanent when her parents were mortally offended by her suggestion to get everything in writing. They declined, and Emily took it as her cue to rent her own place, build her own life, and finally take charge of her own thermostat. Her parents have yet to pick up the phone, leaving Emily to rely entirely on herselfwhich, all things considered, isnt half bad.
