Veronique paced anxiously around her modest flat in Lyon, phone clenched in her hand as another overduepayment alert blinked on the screen. Panic tightened her chest: how could she now feed her family when her daughter and soninlaw were already a heavy burden? It had all begun when her 19yearold eldest daughter, Elodie, announced she was pregnant and wanted to get married.
Not long before, Veronique worked alongside a colleague, Margaux, a sensible and caring woman. Margaux was a single mother of two girls: Elodie, nineteen, and little Amelie, ten. Up to that point Margaux had no complaints. Elodie was a diligent university student, Amelie excelled at school. Both behaved admirably, and Margaux took pride in them despite the hardships of raising children alone.
In their sophomore year, Elodie fell for her first love, Theo. He came from another region, but after meeting him, Margaux gave her blessing. Theo seemed kind and sincere, not the sort to take advantage of anyone. Soon the couple decided to live together. To avoid renting, they moved into Margauxs house. She disliked the haste: her daughter was only nineteen, she should finish her studies and become independent first. Yet there was no alternative.
Margaux lived in a threeroom apartment, but the rooms were tiny and space was already scarce. Theos arrival, as her future soninlaw, only worsened the crowding. 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 give way beneath Margauxs feet. Her daughter, barely an adult, was already becoming a mother.
Theo was unemployed. Like Elodie, he was a fulltime student, and neither wanted to switch to remote learning. Nevertheless, they planned an extravagant wedding, straight out of a Hollywood film. They booked one of Lyons most pricey restaurants, invited a large guest list, and Elodie ordered a hautecouture dress as if she were walking a runway. Margaux tried to object, explaining she couldnt afford such extravagance, but Elodie, hand on her belly, began to sob:
Mom, are you going to deprive your grandchild?
With clenched teeth, Margaux paid for everything. She dipped into her savings, exhausted her last woolen coat, and even took out a new loan. She hoped that after the wedding the young couple would assume responsibility, find jobs, and become selfsufficient. Those hopes collapsed like a house of cards. Elodie and Theo remained living with her, refusing to look for any work.
Theos parents had given the couple a secondhand car. They cruised around town as if on vacation, while the grooms parents covered the fuel, knowing their son had no money of his own. The restfood, bills, clothingfell back on Margaux. The youngsters didnt even know how much a baguette cost. When Margaux mentioned expenses, 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 paying your student loan and raising Amelie
Youre kidding, right? you snapped. Youre going to be a grandmother and youre making a scene?
A low, simmering anger rose in Margaux. They had chosen to have a child, but was she the one who had to provide? She carried the whole family, worked herself to exhaustion, and money was always tight. The loan for Elodies studies hung over them like a sword, Amelie needed attention, and the couple lived as if in a fairy tale.
One day Margaux snapped. She came home from work, exhausted after being scolded for being lateshe had been forced to do the shopping for everyone. The scene that greeted her froze her: Elodie and Theo, laughing, flipped through a babygear magazine, picking out a cot that cost half her monthly salary. Amelie sat in a corner drawing quietly while a mountain of dirty dishes piled up in the sink.
Do I have to do your dishes too? Margaux thundered, tossing her bags onto the floor.
Mom, seriously! well take care of the baby! Elodie protested.
Youre expecting a baby, but Im the one paying? Margauxs voice trembled with fury. Enough! Find a job or leave!
Elodie burst into 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 be moved by sobs. She loved her daughter, yet she understood that without limits they would ruin her. Seeing her mothers anguish, Amelie one day hugged her and whispered:
Mom, Ill never let this happen.
Through her tears, Margaux managed a smile. For her younger daughter she would keep fighting. As for Elodie and Theo, reality was now at their doorstep, and Margaux would no longer be their lifeline.
