“If Mum doesnt live with us, Ill divorce you!” And he did.
“If you wont let my mother stayIm filing for divorce.” And he filed.
A man who swears love and loyalty can turn into a stranger in an instant. Especially when youre forced to choosekeeping your family or saving yourself from ruin. Ive been there.
When I married Henry, we had no home of our own. We lived with his parents in a cramped two-bedroom flat, tight but bearable. Until one evening, his stepfather came home and found his mother, Margaret, with a lovera younger, bolder man who whispered of fresh starts and “streets paved with gold.” But there was a catch:
“Sell the flat. Were moving to another city. A new life awaits.”
We tried to reason with her:
“Hes fooling you. Youll end up with nothing.”
But she bristled:
“Youre just jealous. Stay out of it.”
A week later, we were on the street with our baby in my arms. The flat was sold, and we were thrown out. Henry worked two jobs, I was on maternity leave, scribbling freelance essays late into the night. We barely scraped together rent, but we foughtfor a future.
We dreamed of a mortgage, but fate handed us a chance: my aunt passed, childless and alone. Her will left me a flat in another townspacious, bright, with windows overlooking a garden. With our meagre savings, we fixed it up. For the first time in years, I breathed easy.
But peace didnt last.
One night, as I scrubbed dishes after supper, a knock came. There stood Margaret on the doorstep, face swollen from crying, eyes like a beaten dogs.
“Love my boy he threw me out Everythings gone. Just this suitcase left. Help me”
Henry and I exchanged glances. I watched his face soften. He guided her to the kitchen, poured her tea. And there I stood, aching, a dull throb in my chest. Id warned her, begged her not to be reckless. Yet she hadnt just ignored usshed tossed us out with the baby when she still had the chance.
Henry turned to me:
“She cant manage alone. We cant leave her. Shes my mother.”
I pressed my lips tight:
“She threw us away like rubbish. And now you want her here? In this flat? Where weve just started to breathe?”
Margaret didnt stay quiet:
“Son, I cant sleep rough Help me Ive learned my lessonit wont happen again”
Then came the blow that split me in two:
“If you wont let Mum stay with usI want a divorce.”
The room spun. I answered quietly, though my heart bled: “Then divorce is the only way. I wont live with someone who bargains with our love.”
