Girl Chooses Love, We Pay the Price
Veronique paced her cramped Lyon flat, phone clenched in her hand as another overduepayment alert lit up the screen. Anxiety tightened her chest: how could she now feed her family, with her daughter and soninlaw already a heavy burden on her shoulders? It all began when her nineteenyearold eldest daughter, Elodie, announced she was pregnant and wanted to get married.
Before that, Veronique worked alongside a colleague, Margaux, a sensible and caring woman. Margaux raised her two daughters alone: Elodie, nineteen, and the younger Amelie, ten. Up to then Margaux never complained. Elodie was a diligent university student, Amelie excelled at school. Both girls were obedient, exemplary, and Margaux took pride in them despite the hardships of singleparent life.
In their second year of university, Elodie met her first love, Theo. He came from another region, but after getting to know him, Margaux approved her daughter’s choice. Theo seemed kind, sincere, not the sort to take advantage of anyone. Soon the couple decided to live together. To avoid renting a place, they moved into Margauxs home. Margaux disliked the haste: her daughter was only nineteen, she should finish her studies first and become independent. Yet there was no alternative.
Margauxs threeroom apartment already felt cramped, the rooms tiny, space scarce. Theos arrival, her future soninlaw, only worsened the situation. Margaux resigned herself until she learned why they were in such a rush: Elodie confessed she was pregnant and they wanted to marry. The ground seemed to shift beneath Margauxs feet. Her daughter, barely an adult, was already becoming a mother.
Neither Theo nor Elodie earned a living. Both were fulltime students and refused to switch to distance learning. Nevertheless, they organized an extravagant wedding, straight out of a Hollywood movie. They booked one of Lyons most expensive restaurants, invited a crowd of guests, and Elodie ordered a hautecouture wedding dress as if she were walking a runway. Margaux tried to protest, explaining she could not afford such extravagance, but Elodie, hand on her belly, began to weep:
Mom, do you want to deprive your grandchild?
Margaux, teeth clenched, paid for everything. She dipped into her savings, tapped her meager reserve, and even took out a new loan. She hoped that after the ceremony the young couple would assume responsibility, find work, and become selfsufficient. Those hopes collapsed like a house of cards. Elodie and Theo stayed under her roof, refusing to look for any job.
Theos parents had given the couple a used car. The pair cruised around the city as if on vacation, while the grooms parents covered the fuel, knowing their son was penniless. All other expensesfood, bills, clothingfell back on Margaux. The youngsters didnt even know the price of a baguette. Whenever Margaux mentioned the costs, Elodie rolled her eyes:
Mom, were studying, what do you expect us to do?
Elodie refused to cut back. She showed her mother a catalogue of strollers and cribs, the trendiest and most expensive models. Margaux, on a modest salary, felt her breath stolen.
Elodie, I cant afford that! Im still paying your student loan and raising Amelie
Are you kidding? the girl snapped. Youre about to become a grandmother and youre making a scene?
A lowgrade anger rose within Margaux. They had chosen to have a child, but it was her who had to provide? She carried the whole family, worked herself to exhaustion, and money was always missing. The loan for Elodies studies hung over her like a sword of Damocles, Amelie needed attention, and the youngsters lived as if in a fairy tale.
One day Margaux snapped. She came home from work, drained after being scolded for being lateshe had had to shop for everyone. The scene that greeted her froze her blood: Elodie and Theo, laughing, flipped through a babygoods magazine, picking a crib that cost half of her monthly wage. Amelie sat in a corner, quietly drawing, while a mountain of dirty dishes piled up in the sink.
Do I also have to do your dishes? Margaux thundered, slamming her bags on the floor.
Mom, come on! were taking care of the baby! Elodie cried out.
Youre expecting a baby, but Im the one paying? Margaux trembled with fury. Enough! Either you find a job or you leave!
Elodie broke down in tears, Theo turned pale, but Margaux stood firm. She gave them one month to secure even a modest job.
Otherwise youll go stay with Theos parents. Let them support you.
Elodie and Theo tried to soften her, but Margaux would not yield to sobs. She loved her daughter, yet she understood that without limits they would ruin her. Seeing her mothers anguish, Amelie one day clung to her and whispered:
Mom, Ill never let this happen.
Through her tears, Margaux managed a smile. For her youngest she would keep fighting. As for Elodie and Theo, reality was waiting, and Margaux would no longer be their lifeline.
