Our daughter is desperate to marry a layabout, and we’re horrified!
In our charming little town up in the north of England, where winters drag on and people hold family warmth dear, my husband and I have always tried to give our daughter the best. But now, our hearts ache with worry—our girl is set to marry a lad who seems good for nothing but empty promises and laziness.
My husband, Robert, and I know how hard it is to find the right one. Back in the day, my own parents were dead against Robert. Mum was uneasy about his love for cars—forever tinkering with some old banger, which she thought was reckless. Dad, meanwhile, dreamed of me marrying his friend’s son, a well-off engineer. But I fell head over heels for Robert. His kindness, hard work, and devotion won me over, and I went against my parents’ wishes. We married, and time proved I’d made the right call. Together, we raised our daughter, Emily, pouring everything into her so she’d never want for anything.
Emily’s always been our pride—bright, driven, full of dreams. Two years ago, she started university in the city and met a lad named Jake. At first, we were happy for her—young love’s a wonderful thing! But the more we learned about Jake, the more our doubts grew. And now Emily’s announced she wants to marry him. Robert and I are horrified because Jake’s a proper slacker, and that’s not just talk.
We’ve seen it with our own eyes, time and again. Every summer, Emily picks up work—sometimes at a café, sometimes as an office assistant. She saves up so she and Jake can take a seaside holiday in August. And what does he do? Nothing. In two years, he’s not once bothered to find even a temp job. Emily carries everything herself, while he just coasts along as if it’s his due. It breaks our hearts—our girl deserves better!
Once, Jake’s parents started renovating their flat. Hoping to smooth things over, we offered to help. We showed up with tools, paint, wallpaper. And what happened? While Robert and I were up to our elbows in plaster and paste, Jake sat in his room glued to his computer. He was lost in his endless games, not even bothering to offer us a cuppa. There we were, strangers sweating it out in their home, while he—a strapping young man—couldn’t lift a finger. It hit me like a bolt: is this really who my daughter wants to spend her life with?
Jake lives in his own little world. He spends hours gaming, barely talks to anyone, and when he does, it’s just moaning about how “everything’s rubbish.” I can’t picture Emily happy with someone like that. She’s like a bright star, and he’s dragging her down into his swamp of apathy. This marriage will trap her, but how do I make her see it?
We’ve tried talking to Emily, but she’s in love and won’t hear it. Anything we say about Jake feels like an attack to her. “You just don’t know him!” she shouts, tears in her eyes. I see her torn between her feelings and our warnings, and it rips me apart. I don’t want my girl making mistakes she’ll regret forever.
Every night, I lie awake imagining Emily, full of hope, walking down the aisle with a man who doesn’t value her or her efforts. I’m terrified she’ll give up her dreams for someone who can’t even be bothered to get off the sofa. How do we get through to her? How do we stop her from making a mistake that could ruin her life? My mother’s heart screams—this marriage will be a disaster—but I don’t know how to save my daughter.
