Many years ago, Margaret moved far away from her parents to another city in England. There, she pursued her studies to gain a proper education. After completing her degree, she met a man and soon married him. Meanwhile, her sister, Alice, remained at home with their parents. Alice herself married and then divorced twice, and from these marriages, she was left with two sons.
Margaret and her husband settled into a flat he had inherited from his grandmother. Those early days were not easy; money was often tight and they were raising a child. Still, with time, things improved. They managed to save enough pounds to purchase a modest two-bedroom flat. After renovating it, they decided to let it out to tenants for extra income.
The years slipped by. Their daughter grew into a bright young woman and was accepted into a nursing college. Margaret and her husband planned to give their rented flat to their daughter once she married, as a start for her own family.
In the meantime, Alices daughterRosegained admission to university. Alice and their aging parents began writing to Margaret, asking if Rose might stay for a short while in the flat Margaret was letting. Though reluctant, Margaret could not bring herself to turn away her own niece. Rose studied hard and soon took a job in a local tearoom. Not long after, she met a young man, who, after half a years courtship, proposed. Rose had also become pregnant.
Margaret then gently informed her sister that should Rose be starting a family, it was time for her and her fiancé to seek their own lodgings. They promised to look for a place at once. Yet, a month later, Rose telephoned her aunt, asking to stay until after her wedding, vowing she would leave once it was done. By this time, Margarets own daughter had found a sweetheart, but they did not have the heart to turn out Rose, especially as she was expecting a child.
The wedding was held, and soon Rose gave birth. After the celebrations, Margaret reminded her family that the time had come for them to find their own accommodation, explaining that the flat was meant for her own daughter, whose wedding would soon follow. Yet Rose always found new reasons to stay: the housing market was too expensive, the baby unwell, or something else entirely. Eventually, she even changed her phone number and stopped answering the door.
Margarets husband paid a visit, and after, Alice claimedquite dramaticallythat her daughters milk had dried up from the stress of it all. Margaret and her husband, their patience worn thin, finally demanded Alices family leave the flat, which resulted in a fierce quarrel. For two years after, their family would not speak to Margaret, whispering among themselves about her lack of heart for casting out her niece and a newborn onto the streets. Even now, when I think back on those days, I can still hear the echoes of their angry words.
