A year has passed since the birth of our first child. The occasion means a great deal to the whole family, so my in-laws have decided to give us an extraordinary giftthey are offering us their flat. Of course, such news should fill us with joy, but I find myself longing for the rented places where we used to live, and in some way, I hold my in-laws partly to blame.
After our wedding, my husband and I settled for a small rented flat. We both worked hard, paying the rent diligently, and were planning to save up to rent a house someday. Out of the blue, I discovered I was expecting. We had hoped to delay having a baby for a few more years, but life clearly had other plans. Once my husbands parents found out they would soon become grandparents, they decided to make things as comfortable as possible for their future grandchild.
In their kindness, my in-laws bought a cottage in the countryside and handed over the keys to their spacious two-bedroom flat in London to us. Given their means, they sorted out the place with a fresh coat of paint and helped us replace our old bits and pieces. We tried to show our gratitude for this generous gesture, but we had no say in any of the design choices. Still, we accepted the flat and moved in, not realising how complicated life would soon become.
Visits from my in-laws are now a constant in our routine, and every time they come over, they rearrange the place to their own tastes. I often feel more like a guest than the lady of the house, with no say in what happens. My mother-in-law even rummages through our cupboards and pantry, sometimes when were not even in. My need for privacy has had to take a back seateven where I place a simple glass is up for discussion. Now and then, they insist on tidying up the flat, throwing away anything they think is unnecessary, leaving us to spend hours searching for whats missing. One particularly upsetting incident led to a heated row between my husband and his father when the latter accidentally binned some important documents, resulting in months of silence between them.
Now, my husband is considering how we might regain our independence by taking back the keys.
