It had always been my husbands and my dream to live near the sea. For ten long years, we journeyed to the coast, never quite finding our place and saving every pound we could to buy a home in a seaside town. We werent aiming for some luxurious penthousejust a regular flat with two or three bedrooms, and we werent particularly fussed about the decor either.
Finally, we managed it. The dream became real. True, there were still loans looming over us, but the goal had been reached. The seaside, our own flat just steps from the beachjust what wed always wished for.
Those first two months were sheer relief, relaxing and soaking in the joy. Then, my mother came to visit. After showing her around our cosy new flat, she asked for a spare set of keys, so she could pop round whenever, without needing any special arrangements. Neither my husband nor I realised that the keys would be multiplied beyond belief.
One morning, while still in bed, I heard the front door unlocking and a knock. My husband, though hardly excited, thinking it was mum dearest, threw some clothes on and went to greet our early guest. To his surprise, standing in the hallway was a family with two young kids. When I went out to join in the welcoming party, I saw it was my cousins family.
At the time, we thought the best we could do was to pretend to be overjoyed at this unexpected meeting. My cousin, completely unapologetic, said shed made a copy of the keys from mums set, and mum had assured her wed be thrilled to be surprised.
These holidaymakers stayed with us for a week. They brought food from their village, so meals werent much trouble. But having another family living in our flat, especially with a holiday mood, didnt exactly lift our spiritsfar from it.
Once that family finally left, I phoned mum and gently asked her not to arrange any more sudden reunions with relatives. Mum didnt see what the fuss was about, insisting nothing terrible had happened and that cousin had been delighted with our hospitality, and hoped for more free seaside accommodation in the future.
Afterwards, a flood of other relatives arrived, following in mums footsteps. Uncles, aunts, nephews, and assorted close relations descended on the flat like guests at a rummage sale. Several times we had confused situations with multiple visitors at once. Theyd greet each other in high spirits and recite the classic:
Well, where else would we all meet except in Samanthas home!
Samantha (me), however, wasnt considered at all, nor was my husband. After all, we were just the owners, wandering about like an afterthought, while the villagers had arrived!
After two seasons of such visits, I asked mum to return the keys. She felt gravely offended and accused me of arrogance and being distant from the family. Later, when I told my husband about mum’s reaction, he gave me a hug and said:
You do see there are so many copies of the keys now, mums set wont solve a thing. If you dont mind, tomorrow well get a new door and locks.
I wasnt at all bothered, so a week later, we quietly listened as our new door resisted attempts to open it with old keys by some mystery guests. There were calls to our mobiles, but we held firm and didnt answer.
That evening, there was a rather heated phone call with my mum. She shouted indignantly that my third cousin had had to spend the night at the train station, waiting for his train. When I asked her for the name of this uninvited guest, I heard nothing but the faint beeping of the call ending.
There were two more failed attempts to commandeer our flat, but the new door stood strong, and my husband and I finally felt that this home was truly oursnot just a public thoroughfare.
Now, mum no longer visits, being loyal to her relatives. I try to maintain a decent relationship with her, but I wont let anyone else into our flat. This is the space my husband and I worked so hard to earn.
Strangely enough, none of my relatives ever considered following our lead and buying their own place by the sea. Yet, they were all far happier to simply turn up to someone elses finished dream. The experience taught me that boundaries must be respected. It doesnt matter how hospitable you are: your hard-won space deserves your own peace and pride.
