So, let me tell you about Emily. She grew up in an orphanage, never really knowing what family meant. She got married when she was just eighteen. The thing is, she hadnt the faintest idea what being a wife was supposed to be likenone of her friends were married, and shed never really seen proper family life in action.
When Emily moved into her husbands flat in Leeds, she tried to soak up everything she could about what it meant to be the perfect wife. Most of her advice came straight from her mother-in-lawMrs. Harris.
Now, Emily had heard the classic stories about monstrous mothers-in-law, but she kept hoping, since she never had a mum herself, that Mrs. Harris would sort of step in and treat her like a daughter. To be fair, Mrs. Harris wasnt outright nasty. She didnt want Emily any harmbut things just played out… well, lets just say a bit off.
Mrs. Harris jumped at the chance to teach Emily all the rules for a proper English home. One gem she told her was, You know, darling, if your husband cheats, its really the wifes fault. Emily was absolutely gobsmacked. Shed always thought the cheater was the one to blame, right? Wrong! According to Mrs. Harris, if a husband strays, it means his wifes let herself go and stopped being attractive.
So Mrs. Harris told Emily she should keep herself slimlike a wasps waisteven when shes older. Emily scribbled Dont gain weight! in her diary and signed up for a fitness class down the road.
She was already fairly slim, but fear of disappointing led her to lose even more weight. And just when shed got that down, Mrs. Harris had another pearl: In any decent English family, both husband and wife work.
Emily didnt mind that; she genuinely wanted to contribute. Shed take any job going. When she asked Mrs. Harris how women were meant to work during maternity leave, Mrs. Harris shrugged and said, Thats your problem, love. Figure it out on your own.
Emily didnt bother jotting that one down. A few years into marriage, she went on parental leave and started doing part-time work as a nanny. She felt content, but both husband and Mrs. Harris kept whinging that she wasnt bringing in enough pounds.
Emily decided it would be nice to spend a bit on her hairjust something small. But no sooner had she thought about it than another rule came: Theres just no need to dress up while youre on parental leave! Save your money for when youre back at work, then you can fuss with your hair and makeup.
Emily would hand over every bit of her earnings to her husband. And honestly, one thing Mrs. Harris had drilled into her for years was, A good wife manages all the housework herself.
So Emily did. She ran the whole showoften collapsed with exhaustion, but she soldiered on. Fainting spells became pretty routine. Some nights, after the youngest was tucked in at nine, shed still be cleaning or prepping food for tomorrow. Meanwhile, her husband had already gone off to dreamland for the tenth time since he earned the money and was sooo tired.
Unsurprisingly, Emily ended up in hospital. Shed ignored all those odd aches and pains, not realising a serious illness was brewing. She was there for more than two weeks. Neither her husband nor Mrs. Harris visited. Thankfully, she had her phone with her and rang her mate, Alice, who brought her everything she needed.
The moment Emily left hospital, she filed for divorcestraightaway.
