“My son accused me of tearing his family apart,” she whispered, clutching her tea. “All I did was ask his wife to wash a dish.”
At twenty-two, she’d been left alone with little Jamie, barely two years old. Her husband couldn’t bear the weight of responsibility—preferring to spend his wages on himself and another woman. A poor husband, yes, but at least he’d been there. Without him, the world crushed down on her shoulders.
Jamie started nursery, and she took whatever work she could. Some nights, she stumbled home exhausted, but the house was always spotless—meals cooked, laundry pressed, everything in its place. Her own mother had taught her duty. Perhaps she spoiled Jamie too much. By twenty-seven, he couldn’t even fry an egg. When he married Emily, she’d hoped the girl would take over, freeing her at last to finally live—hobbies, maybe even a part-time job. Peace.
But then it happened. Jamie announced they were moving into her flat in Manchester—”just for a while.” She bit her tongue and agreed, assuming Emily would cook, clean, care for him. Instead, she got a nightmare.
Emily was lazy. Plates piled up, laundry mouldered in corners, the Hoover gathered dust. Three months she played housemaid to three people. Was this her golden years?
While Jamie played the breadwinner, Emily did nothing—endless phone chats, endless scrolling. She’d return from work to chaos: clothes strewn about, fridge empty. Dragging herself to Tesco, cooking, scrubbing dishes—all while Emily lounged without a shred of guilt.
One evening, as she scrubbed, Emily handed her a plate festering with mould and gnats. She swallowed her rage. But the next time? No.
“Emily,” she said, voice trembling, “for heaven’s sake, can’t you wash a dish just once?”
Did the girl apologise? No. The next day, they left—rented a flat. Jamie spat that she was ruining his marriage. How? By asking his wife to lift a finger?
Now her home was hers again: quiet, orderly. Only herself to care for—bliss. But the bitterness lingered. Where had she failed? Was it her, or this generation, forgetting what it meant to love, to tend, to *try*?
