“Remembering Mum with Kindness”
*Your* flat? What do you mean, *your* flat?
Mum, Grandads place. The one he left me. You even rented it out for a while. Dont you remember? Emily asked, confused.
Oh… *That* place. Well, it was never really yours, Irene replied casually. Forget about it. I sold it.
Emilys pulse spiked. Her heart hammered as if trying to leap out of her chest. Her legs gave way, and she had to sit down.
*Sold* it?
Well, yeah. Put it on Rightmove, found a buyer, done deal. Simons car broke down, and you know hes useless without it. Needed a new one.
Emily couldnt even muster a reply. She hung up. A sharp ache twisted inside her, so deep she wanted to scream.
She remembered Grandad proudly showing off the freshly done-up bedroom, grinning as he said itd all be hers one day.
Youll have your own little castle when youre older, love. Right from the start. Youll thank me then… Hed ruffled her hair, smiling.
Hed died when she was twelve. Back then, Emily barely grasped what owning a flat even meant. Sure, she knew it was good, but she couldnt *really* appreciate it. So when she found out Grandads promise was just wordsno paperworkshe hadnt been that bothered.
The flats staying in my name for now, Irene had declared as the sole heir. Grandad asked me to look after it so you wouldnt throw it away. Ill rent it out, cover the bills, maybe update the furniture. You dont want some run-down dump with debts, do you?
Course not, Emily agreed easily.
Good. Easier this way*Ill* deal with tenants, not you. When youre older, well transfer it. Dont worry, love. Mum wont cheat you.
And that was that. Emily forgot about the flatshe was busy with school. It only came up again when she was finishing sixth form.
Mum, Ive been talking to my mate, she ventured hesitantly. Were applying to the same uni. Thought maybe… we could live in that flat together? Split the bills? Id love to start being independent.
Shed assumed it was just a formality. That Mum would agree. That soon, shed have the proper uni experiencelate-night chats, shared takeaways, all of it. But no.
Emily, *independent* at eighteen? Howd you even afford it? Irene scoffed. Youd have to work *and* studyimpossible. And what if your mate moves in with some bloke and bails? Then what? Mum, save me?
The resentment lodged under her ribs then, but Mums arguments still made sense. She *was* the adult, after all.
Mortified, Emily apologised to her friend and scrapped their plans.
Seemed her dream of freedom was shelveduntil Mum offered an alternative.
Why not look at unis out of town? They do student halls. Same idea, just free. Ill send you some cash from the rent. Not loads, but enough.
Emily nearly cried with relief. She hugged Mum tight, over the moon.
Perfectfor six months. Then Mum sent less money.
Dentist bill wiped me out, Irene said. Well both have to tighten our belts.
Then the payments got later. If rent came in on the 10th, Mum sent money a week after. Then longer. And longer…
Then Emily found out Mum had moved Simon in right after she left.
Simon split his timemarried to someone else but getting a divorce (somehow never finalised). And *that* was the least of his flaws.
Mum complained *constantly* about him to Emily, draining her each time. It was obvious Simon was using her, but Mum refused to listen.
He *asked* me for money yesterday! Said he wanted to take *his kids* to the zoo! Irene moaned. Since when is that *my* job?
And you *gave* it to him?
Well, yeah! What else could I do? Decent blokes dont exactly grow on trees…
Decent blokes dont *leech* off you!
Oh, stop! Im not some gold-digger. Were in *love*! Mum would snap, shutting the conversation down.
Simon *did* leech. Lived rent-free, ate for free. The second his jacket tore, Mum raced to buy him a new one.
What did *she* get? Nothing. He worked in construction, yet charged her *triple* when the sink needed fixing.
No giftsexcept a lamp for Mothers Day. And even then, his card *conveniently* declined at checkout. Mum paid most of it.
Then Simon started showing her plots of land, hinting *he* wanted a house builtin *his* name. Mum gushed to Emily about their future patio.
Mum, *wake up*! Hes a con artist! Hes not even your *husband*!
What do *you* know? Mum hissed. Its *my* life! Dont I deserve happiness?
After that, Mum stopped mentioning himsmall mercies.
By third year, the money stopped entirely.
Got laid off. Youll have to manage, love.
Betrayed, Emily bit her tongue. She scraped byonline tutoring, odd jobsanything.
She *finally* graduated, saved a bit, and rang Mum, ready to give the tenants notice.
Then came the bombshell: *No flat left to return to.*
But Emily had a card to play. A small onehalf of *Mums* flat.
It took her two weeks to sort a rental, then she called.
Since you sold *my* flat, Im selling *my share* of yours. Cold, but fair.
*Excuse me?!* Thats *mine*!
Lifes unfair. You sold my homeI need one.
You never *paid* for anything! *I* dealt with tenants, *I* fixed it up!
And *you* broke Grandads promise, Emily thought, but stayed calm. Either buy me out, or I sell to strangers.
I *raised* you! Mum shrieked. Youre *worse* than your father!
Emily hung up. Next day, she sent a formal noticeno face-to-face.
A month later, the money landed in her account. Enough to start fresh.
Sorry, Grandad, she whispered. But you taught me not to trust words.
She felt rotten. Hed wanted them happy, each in their own home. But *her* home had become Simons carso shed fought fire with fire.
