Oh, for heavens sake, stop playing the heroine and pretending youve got it all under control, snapped Gwen, setting a bag of nappies and a tub of infant cereal on the kitchen table. Ive seen your Instagram stories, all those glossy snapshots. You have no idea whats really happening.
Emma didnt even look up from her phone, her face a mask of stone. From the next room, the twoyearold Jack wailed, demanding attention. Emma stayed frozen.
Jack, Im coming! shouted a voice from the master bedroom. Their mother, Margaret, hurried in, cradling the baby.
Gwen shrugged off her coat, flung it over the back of a chair, and turned back to her sister. She was too angry to back down.
Tell me straight. Do you honestly think youre handling this, that youre a brilliant mum? Or are you just parroting slogans from online groups?
Emma let out a sigh, paused for a heartbeat, but never met Gwens eyes.
Listen, I never asked you to buy anything.
Right, you didnt. Its always the same: you sit hungry, soaked in dirty nappies, while Mom pours you soup and Dad buys the next pack of wipes. Then you pretend youre some invincible woman again.
Silence fell. Even Jacks cries died down behind the wall. Only Margarets soft, soothing voice drifted through the house. Gwen closed her eyes for a moment.
Theyd all been worn thin over the past eighteen months.
Emma had walked out on her husband when Jack was barely six months old. She left with a bang, shouting that Daniel could not even wash a plate or change a nappy. Daniel, her ex, simply shrugged. He worked two jobs, came home late, often fell asleep at the table, but he tried. He washed bottles, lugged grocery bags, even sang lullabiesthough offkey, of course.
Hes abandoned us, Emma had said. He chose his work over us.
Gwen shrugged, indifferent: everyone makes their own choices.
Except when that everyone ends up living off someone elses shoulder and refuses to claim child support. Emma now lived like she was on holiday. Dad paid the bills, Mom cooked, and Emma posted triumphant stories about inner strength and female independence.
Margaret entered the kitchen, dark circles under her eyes like twin crescents.
Jack finally fell asleep, thank God. Gwen, why are you picking on Emma again?
Me? Picking on her? Gwen laughed, halfhearted. All you ever do is forget to wipe his bottom, and she never even hears a word. Shes happy with everything.
Im not asking for anything, mind you. Nobody owes anybody anything! Emma snapped, eyes flashing. You, for one, owe us nothing. You just sit here, leeching off our comforts.
A memory flashed of the day, two months earlier, when Dad had once again postponed getting a dental crown.
No worries, Ill wait, hed said to Mom with a grin. We need to clothe Jack before he outgrows his baby onesies.
Dad never complained. He never said a word. Later the family discovered hed stopped taking his vital medication simply because there was no money to buy it. Gwen silently transferred cash, hoping it would reach the pharmacy.
Emma sprang to her feet, brushed past Gwen, fleeing the conversation as usual.
Gwen dont be like that Emma
Whats Emmas problem? Shes comfortable. Its only her pride that will bring you all down. Money wont be solved by empty words. After your stroke and Dads heart trouble, you act like youre the heroine of a Hollywood melodramalonely, proud, misunderstood.
Margarets gaze softened with pain. Everyone understood, yet none could intervene.
Gwen headed for the door, paused, and wanted to say something kind, something that might keep Margaret from crying after she left.
Bye, Mum. Check the firstaid kit and speak to Dad. Ill bring the pills tomorrow if they run out.
Ol thank you, Margaret managed, voice trembling.
Gwen slipped out without looking back, knowing the tears would follow.
A week passed. Gwen visited less often. She wasnt angry; she just didnt want to watch the wreckage at her parents house. When she came, she dropped off money, medication, a toy for Jack, then left in a hurry. Emma accepted everything with a detached smile, as if it were the only way.
One morning, scrolling through contacts, Gwen stumbled on a name shed almost forgotten: Kieran. Hed once worked with Daniel. Hope pricked her heart. This could be a chancea sign.
Three days later, Gwen met Daniel in a small café. She fidgeted with a napkin. Daniel arrived seven minutes late, apologized, and sat opposite her. Hed lost a few pounds; the gauntness made him look older, not thinner.
You see he began after hearing Gwens long story. Im not refusing my son. Ive tried to fix everything. Even when I send money, Emma sends it right back and throws a fit.
They wont last long, Gwen sighed. Dad splits his pills, Mum rejected the wellness centre, and Emma she clings to some stubborn principle. No ones to blame for the bugs in her head.
Daniel nodded, his eyes showing a resolve to solve the mess.
Heres a plan. Ill transfer the money to you, youll distribute it. Send me receipts or photosif youll have me. No strings, just trust. I just want Jack to have a normal life and my parents not to suffer because of this.
Gwen hesitated, wondering if she was betraying anyone. But Emma wasnt a saint either.
Two days later the first transfer arrivedten thousand rubles, now about £150. Gwen immediately sent the cash to Mum. She was surprised at the amount, not the fact that her sister had helped before.
Another, smaller transfer followedfor Dads medication, then for a pair of boots for Jack.
Emma pretended not to notice, or at least to ignore it.
That evening Gwen dropped by for a halfhour. Emma was in the bathroom, Jack watched cartoons, Margaret was at the stove rolling out dumplings, and Dad was helping her.
Gwen, we bought Jack a new coat with your money! Margaret beamed. Youre such a lifesaver. Were getting a bit awkward taking from you maybe well manage on our own soon?
Gwen felt a sting. Shed accepted unearned praise before, but it always gnawed at her conscience, now that the whole chain of aid threatened to collapse.
Mum I need to tell you and Dad something. It wasnt me. Its Daniel. Hes helping, she whispered.
Silence fell. Dad stopped kneading dough. Margaret froze, spoon midair.
Daniel? she repeated. Emma told us hed disappeared.
Yeah. He said hes cutting off her phone because shes ignoring him everywhere, Gwen added, sighing. Shes not telling the whole story. Truth always sits somewhere in the middle. What matters is the help.
Parents took the news calmly, almost relieved. From then on they accepted the money without guilt.
But another problem surfaced.
Thank God for Daniel. Its a bit easier now, Margaret murmured to Dad as they discussed next months budget.
Margaret didnt know Gwen was still up late, listening with perfect hearing.
And then it all exploded.
So youre taking money from my ex behind my back?! Emma stormed into the kitchen. Youre all traitors! Youve conspired against me!
A fullblown interrogation began. Margaret cracked under the pressure, and Emma started calling Gwen in the dead of night.
You thought you were clever, sneaking everything away? Youve humiliated me! My child doesnt need your handouts! Emma screamed.
What are you on about, Emma? Gwen replied, halfasleep, yawning. Im just doing what you cant muster the heart or conscience for. Stop blaming the sick for the healthy.
Off with you! Emma roared. I dont need anyones help! Ill survive without you!
The argument stopped. Emma gathered her things, shoved Jack into his stroller, slammed the door and disappeared into the night, not saying where she was headed.
A line her friend Laura had whispered to her six months earlier echoed in her mind: If you need anything, just call. It had seemed a pretty thing then, now it was her only lifeline.
Laura didnt turn her away. She welcomed Jack, warmed a modest dinner, and gently probed what had happened.
Everythings fine. Its just suffocating here, Emma muttered. I need to be alone for a while. Stay with you, then Ill manage.
The first night passed quietly. Laura even seemed pleased by the company. By morning, however, the cracks appeared. Emma left dishes in the sink, complained about the food being too salty or too greasy.
The next day she rummaged out a sealed jar of instant coffee from a cupboard without asking. It turned out to be a stash meant for guests. That evening she begged for more money.
Ive spent everything on nappies. Could you lend a bit? Please until I get back on my feet.
Laura forced a tight smile, promising to look into it. Later, as Jack finally slept, Laura approached Emma.
Listen Ive got a situation. Artem is coming from Kent. You remember him, right? Wed arranged this ages ago
You want me to go? Emma asked, bewildered.
Not exactly. Maybe you have somewhere else to stay?
Yeah, Emma nodded, though her throat tightened. Ill manage.
At dawn Emma packed in silence, tears barely held back. Laura moved about the kitchen, never meeting her eyes. Emma changed Jacks clothes, slipped on his shoes, lingered a minute in the hallway, then left without a goodbye.
Standing on the pavement, she felt a hollow she hadnt known since she was a childempty, ashamed, terrified. Every option sliced her like a knife. Returning to her parents was unthinkable. Their pills and wellness retreats could wait. With Laura everything was clear.
She remembered Daniels desperate plea to rekindle things. She had ignored him, but now he was the only one left who could help. She dialed his number.
Hello?
Its Emma Jack and I could we stay at your place for a few days?
A stunned pause.
Of course, Daniels voice was cautious, yet warm.
The call ended. Their lives would now be tangled together, awkward and lacking trust, but at least they would have a roof.
Gwen was the first to hear about the reunion. Her parents tried calling Emma for days, got no answer, finally gave up. On the fourth day Gwen called.
Hello?
Yes, Emma answered, voice flat and weary.
Where are you? Whats happened?
Were at Daniels. Ill call back later.
Daniels? Is Jack okay?
Yeah, were fine.
Gwen raised an eyebrow, surprised. A small smile crept onto her face: better this than hanging on her parents throats. She could only hope that the wounded pride that had pushed Emma toward Daniel wouldnt tear them apart again.
