I first met Victoria when we were in Year One. Back then, I couldnt really grasp that she was a foster child, mostly because I had no idea what a foster family was or how care homes worked. It was a bit odd to me that some kids in our class received presents from the school, while others didnt, but eventually everything made sense. Other than that, Victoria and I came from families with more or less the same financial background. We loved going to the cinema with our class, and only once in a blue moon could we scrape together enough coins to buy ourselves some crisps.
Victoria grew up to be incredibly thrifty as a result. Over the years, with all these newfangled phones and stuff, we often felt a bit inferior, as we couldnt afford much, but it just seemed normal to us. We finished school. In our first year at university, Victoria was already getting two grants the standard one and a hardship grant so she managed to set aside a bit of money. I tried to earn some myself by working as a hostess in supermarkets or handing out leaflets. Around that first year, Victoria met the man who would become her husband. He was a nobody back then, taking the bus everywhere and living in the halls.
I had barely any free time for friends while at university, so I missed the moment when Victorias husband started making good money, bought his first car, and began taking her on all sorts of trips. I simply couldnt afford things like that, and my boyfriend wasnt well off either. From time to time, Id get offers to join them on holidays, even abroad, but Id have to pay my own way, and what was pocket change to them felt like a fortune to me.
Not long ago, my friends had their wedding, but I wasnt able to attend. They didnt want a local do, choosing instead to travel to another part of England for a lavish celebration. With so many guests, there wasnt room for everyone, so we were expected to sort out hotel rooms ourselves. On top of that, there was the wedding gift and travel costs to consider… It was all just too much in the end, so I couldnt go.
Lately, I keep hearing how theyre off to Egypt or Turkey, that Victoria bought her husband an iPhone, that hes got a new car, or has just done up their flat… And I feel more and more like I dont fit into their lives any longer. Our financial situations have drifted so far apart now that it just feels impossible.
