“Oh, you’ve turned up now? Who even invited you? Would’ve been better if you’d just helped out with some cash,” Aunt Marie muttered coldly.
Emily frowned, jolted awake by the relentless ringing of her phone. She squinted at the screenher cousin, Lucy, who she hadnt spoken to in over two years, was calling.
“Are you asleep? Must be nice,” Lucys voice crackled through the line. “Ive been crying all night.”
“Yeah, obviously I was asleepits half one in the morning,” Emily replied, glaring at her clock.
“If youre sleeping that easy, then you dont know yet, do you?” Lucy said cryptically.
“Lucy, just get to the point,” Emily sighed. “Ive got to be up early.”
“You can sleep later. Theres been a tragedy in the family!” Lucy declared, as if it were somehow Emilys fault.
“What kind of tragedy?” Emilys stomach twistedhad something happened to her mum?
“Uncle Geoffrey died this morning,” Lucy sobbed. “Completely unexpected. Aunt Maries beside herself. Theres no moneywere all chipping in to help. Me and James are going down to the village tomorrow. Are you coming?”
“No, I cant. Ill just come for the wake.”
“Well, then transfer me the money, and well give it to Aunt Marie tomorrow,” Lucy pressed. “Five hundred quid.”
Emily sent the money straight away through her phone and rolled over, trying to get back to sleep.
She wasnt exactly heartbrokenshe hadnt spoken to her dads side of the family in years. After he died, theyd cut her and her mum off, claiming they werent family anymore. Still, Emily thought itd be rude not to help.
But after the transfer, no one called. Lucy ghosted her completely. Emily tried ringing her multiple times to find out when the wake was, but her cousin never answered. Eventually, she got the details through a mutual friend and went to pay her last respects.
Aunt Marie greeted her with a sour look, as if Emilys presence bothered her more than her husbands death.
“Didnt expect to see *you* here,” she sneered. “Wouldve been better if youd just sent the money.”
“I did send five hundred pounds,” Emily said.
“Funny, I never saw a penny,” Aunt Marie sniffed.
“I gave it to Lucy”
“Oh, dont tell me tales,” she cut in, arms folded. “Lucy and James only gave me eight hundred. Four hundred each. No mention of *you*.”
“I dont understand,” Emily scanned the room for Lucy, but shed conveniently disappeared. She finally found her outside, leaning against the garden fence.
“Lucy, did you *not* give Aunt Marie my money? Where did it go?” Emily demanded.
“Yeah, I did,” Lucy mumbled.
“She said the money was just from you and James.”
“Well, shes mistaken,” Lucy shrugged.
“You gave her eight hundred?”
“Yeah.”
“That was meant to cover both of us, not split three ways!”
“Oh, come off it,” Lucy rolled her eyes. “Whos paying for petrol, then? Its two hundred miles!”
“Five hundred quid for petrol on a two-hour drive? And why should *I* pay for your trip?”
“You want me to pay you back, is that it?” Lucy scoffed.
“Yeah, I do!”
“Not now. Ill sort it later,” Lucy turned on her heel and marched off.
Disgusted by her aunts attitude and her cousins lies, Emily couldnt stand being there another second. She quietly called a taxi and left.
A week later, her mum rang in tears.
“Love, is it true you gave money for Geoffreys funeral and then took it back?”
“I gave the moneyI never took anything!”
“Aunt Maries telling the whole village you did,” her mum said miserably. “Says shes hurt you didnt even stay to comfort her. Now I cant even walk down the high street without getting looks.”
“Mum, thats *not* what happened!” Emily was furious. She explained everything.
“Lucy never gave me the money back,” she finished.
“The cheek of her!” her mum gasped. “She took it from Aunt Marie and *lied* that you demanded it back? I hope that money chokes the lot of them!”
Emily wanted to call Lucy right then and scream, but in the end, she decided it wasnt worth the hassle. She just stopped speaking to her altogether.
Then, months later, Lucy popped up again.
“Hey, were putting up a headstone for Uncle Geoffrey. Your shares eight hundred quid.”
“Not a chance.”
“Thats your attitude toward *family*?” Lucy sounded scandalised.
“And *my* attitude is why you stole from me, let Aunt Marie badmouth me, and still think Ill give you more money?” Emily snapped. “You lot said Mum and I werent family after Dad died. Fine. Then I owe you *nothing*.”
She hung up and blocked the number.
