For over ten years, I havent exchanged a single word with my parents or my elder sister. It dawned on me long ago: I was the unloved daughter, the one left out while they showered everything on the other. Emily, the heart of this tale, was just seventeen when her older sister, Charlotte, found herself pregnant and quickly wed. When Charlotte turned eighteen, our parentsthen quite well-offgifted her a spacious two-bedroom flat in the heart of Manchester. They went all out, even renovating it, and furnished the whole place with brand new pieces.
Left with a heavy sense of neglect, Emily finally mustered the courage to ask, Could I possibly have a flat as well? Her parents dismissed her without a moments thought. Youre still at university. Well talk about this when youre ready to settle down and start a family, they told her. Years slipped by. By the time Emily was twenty-two and a university graduate, she didnt intend to marry right away, but longed to live independently. When she brought up the subject again, the familys fortunes had changed drasticallytheir business had faltered. Once were gone, this flat will be yours, they promised her then. Its even better than your sistersit has three bedrooms and cost an arm and a leg. For now, though, youll stay here with us. You can help look after us in our old age.
Emily reflected on it in silence, the thought turning over in her mind: How can I secure this arrangement legally? Surely my sister must have equal claim as next of kin. She decided to press the issue, asking her parents outright: Are you planning to put the flat in my name officially? Dont you think Charlotte will want her share? Shes already got her own placewhy would she need a piece of mine? Deep down, Emily always knewthe desire for more is never sated. Looking back, she wasnt naive; shed always seen their unyielding favour towards Charlotte. At one point, when Charlottes husband ran into money troubles, her parents did all they could to help, even though their finances were stretched thin. For Emily, though, such support was never on offer.
Ten years have passed, and she remains estranged from her family. Her parents took grave offence when Emily insisted on making everything official and were adamant theyd never do it. That settled things. Emily rented a small flat and struck out on her own. Through it all, her parents never once reached out to make amends. Now, she depends only on herselfher own strength, her own rules.
