“Support your sister in her time of need,” their mother reminded them after the divorce.
“Dont you want to help your sister? Shes struggling after the divorce,” their mother scolded.
The two sisters sat at the round table in their mothers home, listening to her complaints.
“Your Jack is nothing but a spoiled boy!” Mrs. Thompson said bluntly. “He works temp jobs and barely brings home enough to live on!”
“Mum, is three thousand pounds not enough for you?” snapped the younger sister, Emily.
“I couldnt care less. What matters is that he can provide for you,” her mother retorted, pursing her lips.
“He does,” muttered Emily with a frown.
“Hardly! Just yesterday, you borrowed two hundred pounds from me,” Mrs. Thompson shot back. “If he cant even feed you, divorce him! Find someone better. And honestly, he seems a few sandwiches short of a picnic.”
“Mum, I think youre going too far,” said Charlotte, the elder sister, finally speaking up in Emilys defence.
“Im only speaking the truth! Hes ginger, for heavens sake, and he cant even pronounce his th sounds properly,” Mrs. Thompson scoffed, rolling her eyes. “Emily, you deserve better. Before its too late, you should leave him.”
“Jacks a skilled worker,” Charlotte argued, seeing how her mother was pressuring Emily. “And looks dont matter. If moneys all you care about, hes got a flat, a car, and he loves Emily. Thats obvious!”
Mrs. Thompson glared at her eldest daughter, as if she had no right to interfere.
“Youre nearly forty and still singlespare us the advice,” she snapped, brushing Charlotte aside. “At your age, youll take what you can get.”
Emily sat silently, watching her mother and sister with detachment.
“You admire him for what? A tiny flat in an old building? A car thats nothing special? Hardly impressive!” Mrs. Thompson sneered.
“Emily, what do *you* think?” Charlotte asked her quiet sister. “Do you have an opinion?”
“I dont know maybe Mums right,” Emily murmured, though she had once defended her husband. “He even suggested I get a job recently.”
“See?!” Mrs. Thompson folded her arms. “This is where we are. Its frightening to imagine whats next!”
“And why *shouldnt* Emily work? Most people cant afford to sit around. Im surprised Jack didnt push her sooner,” Charlotte challenged.
“Why are you defending him?” her mother demanded.
“Because Im afraid youll ruin her life with this pressure,” Charlotte replied calmly.
“This isnt your business!” Mrs. Thompson snapped. “Emily deserves better. If Jack truly loved her, hed do anything to make her happy. Instead, hes got no money *and* no looks!”
Emily hung on her mothers every word.
Slowly, Mrs. Thompsons criticism took hold. Soon, Emily began picking at Jack herself.
“Are you happy with your salary?” she asked him one evening.
“Its fine. Why?”
“*Im* not happy,” Emily retorted. “You should find a better job.”
“Why? I like where I am,” he replied casually, though he sounded uneasy.
“Well, *I* dont!” she snapped. “A tiny flat, an ordinary carnothing I can be proud of in front of the neighbours!”
“Thats odd. It never bothered you before,” Jack mused. “What changed?”
“Nothing. I just see things clearly now. Love blinded me before.”
“Fine,” he muttered, assuming shed drop it.
But under her mothers influence, Emily kept nagging.
“Your complaining is exhausting,” Jack finally growled. “Ive heard you, but I cant change things overnight.”
“I want a husband who *improves*, not one who stays stuck!”
“Then Im sorry Ive failed,” he replied coldly, walking toward the bedroom. “Pack your bags.”
“Where am I supposed to go?” Emily scoffed.
“Somewhere with a posh flat and a fancy car,” he snapped. “Id never forgive myself if you wasted your life with a loser like me. Im sure youll find a man who can shower you in gold. I cant.”
Mrs. Thompson was the first to hear Jack had kicked Emily out.
“That horrible man! Who knew he had it in him?” she fumed, cursing her son-in-law. “I *told* you not to marry him!”
“I just wanted him to earn more,” Emily sobbed.
“Useless men always show their true colours. Dont worryyoull find better, and Jack will come crawling back,” Mrs. Thompson assured her.
With no home or husband, Emily moved into her mothers spare room.
“What will you do now?” Charlotte asked when their mother summoned her.
“Nothing,” Emily replied, staring at her phone.
“Have you thought about finding a job?” Charlotte hinted.
“No. Whats the point? Ill marry someone richer than Jack,” Emily said confidently.
“Why bother her? She needs rest after this ordeal,” Mrs. Thompson cut in.
For nearly two months, she supported her daughter, who did nothing but lounge on the sofa.
But soon, she realised she couldnt manage alone and called Charlotte for help.
After work, Charlotte hurried over, expecting an emergency.
“Wont you help your sister?” Mrs. Thompson demanded.
“With what?”
“Financially. Its tough for us both.”
“Who pushed Emily to divorce Jack in the first place?” Charlotte shot back. “Without your interference, theyd still be fine.”
“How *dare* you? Jack was a coward! He couldnt handle a woman like Emily and gave up. Get out! I dont want to see you!” Mrs. Thompson clutched her chest. “Instead of helping, you criticise!”
Emily stormed in, glaring at her sister.
“Youre defending the man who threw me out?”
“You did this to yourself. Stop listening to Mum”
“*Youre* giving *me* advice? A spinster at your age?” Emily shrieked.
Charlotte shook her head, tired of their dramatics, and walked out.
She had nothing left to sayjust as they no longer wanted her around.
In the end, meddling in others lives often leaves everyone unhappyespecially those who refuse to see their own mistakes.
