Im truly tired of hearing her tales about her family!
Shes our neighbour, cant you just listen to her? my husband asked.
She always says the same thing.
Evelyn is usually a very patient, mild-mannered woman, but not when it comes to our neighbour, Margaret. My husband simply didnt grasp why Evelyn was so wound up. Once upon a time, the families had been quite friendly, almost like one big extended group. Margaret is about fifteen years older than Evelyn. When her parents passed, Margaret and her two sisters started sharing the childhood home in Norwich. On paper, it sounded like an arrangement that ought to worktheyd agreed to sell the house and split the money between them. But then, as is often the case, things went awry.
Evelyn never did find out all the details, but shed heard from her grandmother that Margaret had begged to stay in the house, claiming she was facing difficulties and promised shed reimburse her sisters when her circumstances improved. The sisters, being sympathetic, agreed and officially gave up their rights to the inheritance. What happened after that, Evelyn isnt quite sure. But she strongly suspects Margaret still hasnt repaid her sisters.
Margaret frequently pops by and sits in our kitchen, complaining endlessly about her family:
Theyve completely forgotten about me, never call, never text, dont care about anything but their share of the money.
Well, of course, you did promise youd pay them back! But no, everyone else is painted as greedy and cold-hearted, while only Margaret sees herself as righteous.
I was about to ring them, shed sigh, I just dont have enough to keep the house on my own. They should help! Its not just my home, is it? They grew up here too; its their fathers house. Don’t they care?
They did legally give up their share Evelyn would remind her.
Well, so what if they said that? Margaret would retort. Its still their home in a way! Surely, they should care?
Maybe they felt hurt when you didnt return the money you promised?
In any event, it was an agreement they madenobody forced them. I said Id return the money when I could, and I still dont have it. It would be awful to sell this house just to give them their share. Where would I live then? No one ever thinks about me, only about the money.
Evelyn looked over at me, catching my eye. I just sat there, that look on my face. She could see Id finally understood everythingand I wouldnt be puzzled any longer as to why my wife dreaded Margarets visits so much.
Today, Ive realised sometimes you need to pay more attention to the real stories behind someones words, not just the words themselves. And that listening isnt always about agreeing with what you hear.
