Her husband didnt come home alone a year ago. He brought along Mary, a seven-year-old girl.
I remember meeting up with an old school friend after many years apart. We hadnt seen each other in five years, so we had plenty to catch up on. Margaret shared news from her family, and the most striking was the regular presence of her husband’s daughter in their household.
At first, I didnt quite grasp what she meant. As Margaret vividly described the situation, I found myself at a loss for words, simply sitting in silence and listening as she spoke.
Her husband hadnt returned home by himself last year. He arrived with Mary, a seven-year-old, a pretty blonde girl just starting at primary school. Her husband introduced Mary to Edward and Victoria, presenting her as their younger sister. It became clear to them that refusing to accept Mary into the family fold would mean losing the generous allowances their father would hand out whenever they asked.
And so, Edward, sixteen, and Victoria, fourteen, greeted their youngest sister in the most cordial manner, making sure to give her enough attention. Naturally, the child was hardly involved in the adult complexities; Mary was merely caught in the crossfire of grown-up affairs.
At first, Margaret didnt welcome the new guest, but after her husband demanded it, she spent the weekend with Mary while he took time off with the girls motherhis mistress.
I was surprised and asked Margaret how she managed to bear it all, but her reply was strikingly practical: Why not? My children are grown, Ive got everything I want, I live for my own pleasureshould I risk all that just because my husband keeps company with someone else? He doesn’t know how I enjoy my own freedom from him.
Perhaps I miss something here, but life in a household where the husband brings home a daughter from an affair and uses his money to manipulate everyone seems rather improper to me. Thats my own view, and I cant judge Margaret, even if only because Ive never found myself in her shoes. Life can throw anything ones wayI can accept a fleeting affair, a brief infatuation after which someone realises the family matters mostbut complete indulgence in such behaviour is not something I can reconcile with.
