Ethan, are you pulling my leg?
Ethan, are you pulling my leg? Off to your mother again?
What do you suggest, tossing her out into the cold, darkness and no water? he snapped, rummaging through his battered rucksack. Would you do that to your own parents?
My folks never treat me like that. They know I have a family of my own and wont drag me into such adventures. And yours Emma began.
Dont be daft. You know Im supposed to help, Ethan cut her off with a dismissive wave.
I get it. Still, it aches. Not because the boys will soon forget their fathers name, but because you never try to teach her to fend for herself.
She brewed that porridge herselflet her eat it raw. And you Choose where your family belongs: the little cottage in the Yorkshire Dales or here, in the council estate.
Emma turned and drifted toward the bedroom. Half a minute later a click echoed down the hallway as the door locked. Ethan left. She was left alone, surrounded by the boys to whom she had promised a family stroll in the park that very afternoon.
Meanwhile, their father had once again fled the household, and the burden settled squarely on Emmas shoulders.
Two years earlier everything had been different. Emma remembered the day vividly. They had driven to her parents farm, taking Aunt Olivia along so she wouldnt be left alone. She got on well with the inlaws, so nobody objected.
While they sipped tea and nibbled biscuits under a grapevine arbor, Olivias mind sparked with a brilliant notion that would upend Emmas life.
Oh, how lovely it is here! she breathed, filling her lungs. I must move into a private house at my age. Peace, quiet, fresh air
Emmas mother merely smiled. At first she thought Olivia was just daydreaming out loud.
Guests are fine, the matchmaker interjected, but a house without a husband is nothing but a chore. This isnt a holiday resort. Theres always something to fix, something to mend. And you, Olivia, arent cut out for a home of your own.
Olivia pursed her lips, though there was nothing to offend her. She wasnt lazy, merely perpetually exhausted, even when she did nothing.
Im not going to run a farm or tend greenhouses. You have chickens and pigs; Ill be content with flowers and trees.
To sit in the shade and watch beauty, and for the grandchildren too. Ill buy them an inflatable pool, theyll run on the grass, not on fumes and dust.
Flowers and trees need care too. You tumble about the flat, yet theres nothing to do. Dust once a week, mop the floor every other day, vacuum, then lie down and rest, Emmas mother gently chided.
Do you think we keep the homestead out of love for hard work? the son sneered. In theory it sounds noble, but in practice a house is a bottomless barrel.
Today the boiler blew, tomorrow the roof, the day after the fence. All of it needs money. Thats why were always scrambling.
Never mind. Well manage. Im not alone, Olivia insisted, casting a glance at Ethan.
Emma raised an eyebrow but stayed silent. Influencing the motherinlaw was harder than convincing a starving goose not to eat cabbage.
That day Olivia stopped arguing with the inlaws, smiling enigmatically like the Mona Lisa. Six months later she paraded proudly through the village with her new house, inhaling the strange scent of roses drifting from the neighbours garden. The home was indeed comfortable.
See? You never believed me. Ive come to your townno footstep too small! the motherinlaw proclaimed.
But happiness was fleeting. First Olivia asked her son to help with a cosmetic renovation. He lingered for six months because Ethan only visited on weekends.
Emma muttered, but endured. She believed the repairs would finish and life would return to its old, placid flow.
When the paint on the fence dried and fresh wallpaper covered the walls, the todo list only grew. The electricity was switched off for nearly two days, and the water vanished. Ethan rushed to his mother, who was in despair, bearing bottled water and a roll of polythene to calm her.
All the chores have piled up! The heat is unbearableno airconditioning, no shower Its not living, its surviving, Olivia whined.
Later, the motherinlaw took in a stray dog, a mutt with kidney trouble. The village vet was nowhere to be found, so the animal had to be taken to the cityby Ethan, of course.
Well, what can you do, the pups ill At least we have a guard in the house, Olivia muttered, soothing the dog.
Soon Emma had to clean the cars interior because the guard shook the vehicle terribly. That wasnt all. The dog needed therapeutic food, but the nearest pet shop was miles away, and no delivery service existed. Ethan became the courier.
I wont abandon you with a sick animal! You know how plaintive she is. Then shell blame herself, he replied when Emma started accusing him.
Ah, plaintive. Shes sorry for the dog, but people? Not so much
Ethan devoted every weekend to his mother, sometimes sneaking in after work during the week. He even spent nights at the motherinlaws house.
Ill be home soon; youll be asleep by then, he rationalised. That way I can rise early and head straight to work.
Emma waited for relief that never came. The motherinlaws roof leaked, the septic tank clogged, snow fell, grass grew She refused to tend the house herself, unable to call any specialists.
What if theyre fraudsters? Thieves? Theyll strip three more skins Ethan, youre a man, and men are feared. Find someone honest and stay present, Olivia pleaded.
Emmas patience snapped when the lights went out again, this time late autumn. Thankfully it lasted only a short while, but enough to send Olivia into a panic.
Emma, Ill go buy a generator for Mum tomorrow, Ethan said matteroffactly.
Emmas eyes narrowed. From our pocket? she asked, knowing generators werent cheap.
Right You know Mums under strain. Almost everything left after selling the flat went to her, and she lives on a single pension, Ethan shrugged.
Marvelous. So now were funding not just ourselves but her dream house too. Ethan, isnt your mothers wishlist getting out of hand?
He grimaced and waved his hand.
Emma, stop. Their lights are already dim. Do you want her to freeze?
Emma rolled her eyes, yet again forced herself to swallow the absurdity.
Now she sat alone in their bedroom, contemplating separation. We do live decently enough, dont we? No, divorce is too extreme. I need another plan, something to keep me sane, she thought.
And she dreamed up a scheme
A week later Emma rose early, slipped into quiet clothes. She was about to slip out when Ethan stirred, rubbing his eyes.
Leaving so soon? he yawned.
To my parents, Emma replied, looking at herself in the mirror.
You mean today? I promised Mum Id trim the hedges.
You never agreed with me. I have my own parents, too, and they need help.
But yours are two!
Old age doesnt cancel out. From now on, one weekend for your mum, one for my parents, Emma said, stepping toward the hallway and pausing.
Ah, right. The chore list is on the fridge. Dont forget the kids homework and make them pizza for lunchthey asked.
She left, feeling the weight of Ethans stare behind her, but never looking back. On the way to her parents house, she caught herself drifting, as if time stretched forever and urgent tasks dissolved into mist.
The visit was symbolic. Emma climbed the upstairs landing, then rested. She read a novel on the garden swing, recalled funny childhood lunches, and lounged lazily on the bed, forgetting what it meant to eat properly instead of gulping food under an endless Mumoh!.
Perhaps an ideal solution would never appear. Perhaps Olivia would never sell the house nor solve the problems without her sons aid.
But now Emma would have a sliver of personal space she would not surrendera tiny victory in the battle for justice and her own sanity.
