“Who says you get to decide who stays here?” snapped her husband when their niece remained.
“Margaret, love, have you got any milk?” asked their neighbour Gladys, poking her head round the barely open door. “My granddaughters just popped in, and I need to make her some porridge.”
“Of course, dear,” Margaret put down her knitting and went to the fridge. “Take the whole bottleIve another in here.”
Gladys nodded gratefully and was about to leave when a gruff voice echoed from the sitting room:
“Whos that coming round every other day? Dont they have their own home?”
Margaret flushed. Barry had been in such a foul mood latelynothing was ever right. The neighbours were too loud, the kids outside played too much, and even she couldnt do a thing without setting him off.
“Sorry, Gladys,” she murmured. “Barrys had a long day at work, bit stressed.”
“Oh, dont fret, love,” Gladys waved her off. “Men, eh? Thanks for the milk.”
When the door closed, Margaret returned to find Barry buried in his newspaper, pretending nothing had happened.
“Why must you be so rude?” she asked. “Gladys is lovelyweve been friends for years!”
“Youre friends, not me,” he grumbled. “And anyway, whys she always asking for things? Sugar one day, milk the next. Cant she stock her own kitchen?”
“Whats it to you? Its not like were skint.”
“Its the principle. Give em an inch, theyll take a mile.”
Margaret bit her tongue. Arguing with Barry was pointless these days. Hed turned into such a grumpwas it age, or just the weight of his job?
The phone rang sharply, making her jump.
“Hello?”
“Auntie Margaret?” A young womans voice, shaky. “Its Emily.”
“Emily, love! Hows uni? Everything alright?”
“Auntie, IIve nowhere to go. Can I stay with you? Just a few days?”
“Of course, sweetheart. Whats happened?”
“Mum and Dad… theyve split up. Dads moved some woman in, and Mums gone to Nans in Cornwall. Theres no room, and my exams are coming upI dont know what to do.”
Margarets heart twisted. Emily was her brothers girlbright, studying business at uni. Just months ago, their family had seemed fine. Now this.
“Come straight away, pet. Weve the sofa bed in the lounge.”
“Thank you, thank you! Ill get the train tomorrow.”
“Bring your warm jumperits nippy here.”
She hung up and turned to Barry, who was scowling over his paper.
“What now?” he growled.
“Emilys coming. My brothers girl. Family troubleshes got nowhere else.”
“Oh, brilliant,” Barry tossed the paper aside. “I come home to relax, not play hostel for strays.”
“Barry! Shes family!”
“Your family, not mine. Their mess, their problem.”
“How can you be so heartless? Shes a good girltop of her class! We cant turn her away!”
“Watch me,” he stood, looming. “This is my house. I say who stays.”
Margarets hands shook. Thirty years married, and hed never spoken to her like this. Where was the kind man shed fallen for?
“…Fine. Ill tell her not to come.”
“Good,” he sat back, smug.
In the kitchen, Margaret stared out at the kids playing in the square. Somewhere, Emily was packing her things, hoping for kindness.
She dialled.
“Emily, love… about staying with us”
“Oh.” A pause. “Right. Ill sort something else, then.”
The guilt sat like a stone. Barry left for work next morning as if nothing had happened, but Gladys wasnt fooled.
“Margaret, whats got into that husband of yours? I heard him carrying on last night!”
“Just work stress,” Margaret lied.
“Work stress, my foot. Its that niece of yours, isnt it? Emily?”
Margaret sighed. “Her parents divorced. Shed nowhere to go, and Barry refused her.”
Gladys sucked her teeth. “And youre letting him call the shots? Its your home too!”
Margaret hesitated. When had she stopped having a say?
That evening, Barry stormed in, fuming about a denied bonus. Margaret served his favourite cottage pie.
“Again?” he sneered. “Cant you cook anything else?”
She gripped the spoon. Hed loved her pies once.
“…Barry, about Emily”
“No.”
“But shes family!”
“Enough!” he barked. “My words final.”
Then the doorbell rang.
Emily stood there, suitcase in hand, eyes red.
“Auntie, Im sorrybut Ive nowhere else.”
Barrys face darkened. “I said no.”
“Uncle Barry, please. Just a fortnight, till I sort things”
“A fortnight? Try forever!” he roared.
Margaret stepped between them. “She stays.”
Barry gaped. “Youd choose her over me?”
“Im choosing decency,” she said quietly.
He grabbed his coat. “Then Ill go to my sisters. At least there, Im respected.”
The slam of the door echoed. Emily trembled. “Auntie, Ill leaveI never meant”
Margaret pulled her close. “You didnt break this family. He did.”
For a month, the house felt alive againEmily helping with chores, chatting over tea, even landing a marketing job. When she finally found a flatshare, Barry slunk back, expecting things to return to normal.
Margaret served his pie. “You were ready to toss a girl onto the streets. Thats not the man I married.”
Barry shifted. “I… mightve overreacted.”
“Might have?”
He stared at his plate. “Ill try to do better.”
She allowed a small smile. First step.
