“Find someone for her, at least!”
“I can’t take it anymore. I swear, I’ll end up an old maid because of her. Listen, Emma, just take Mum to live with you, please. Let her fuss over your kids instead of suffocating me.”
“Liv… You brought this on yourself. Made a mess when you were little, now youre paying for it,” Emma replied calmly, almost tiredly. “Shouldnt have thrown tantrums back then.”
“Okay, fine, I was wrong! I was young and stupid. Does that mean she gets to ruin my whole life now?”
“She doesnt have much of a life herself anymore, thanks to you. You wanted her to revolve around youwell, here you go. Enjoy.”
“Em-maaa, come on, think of something! Youre the clever one! If you took her in, itd be good for everyone. Shed help with the kids, and Id finally get out of this prison,” Liv said dreamily. “Or at least talk some sense into her. She listens to you.”
“Sort it out yourselves,” Emma narrowed her eyes, annoyed. “Best I can do is advise. You wrecked her personal life, now you fix it. Find her friends, hobbies, a blokeanything. Get her a puppy or a kitten. Just distract her.”
Liv, as usual, wanted someone else to solve her problems. Emma couldve humoured hershe did have a totally different relationship with their mumbut she wasnt having it. Let the one who threw the boomerang catch it.
Their dad had walked out when Emma was eleven. Liv was just three. With no one else to help, Emma grew up fast. She picked Liv up from nursery, cooked dinner, cleaned, and did her homework late at night when everyone else was asleep.
Maybe thats why she turned out responsible and mature. Liv well, those qualities skipped her.
Emma left the nest early, right after college. Simple reason: she wanted freedom, tired of being a second mum. Plus, she figured itd be easier for their mother, Valerie.
Emma understood Valerie was still a young woman with her own life. Fewer kids hanging off her meant more room for that.
Valerie took the chance and got close to Ian, a colleague. Liv, then twelve, acted like it was the end of the world. She didnt want outsiders in their space. Plus, she now had choreswhich she hated.
“Livvy, wash up when youre done, love,” Valerie would ask.
At first, Liv did it, sulking. Then she dug her heels in.
“No.”
“Why not?” Valerie frowned. “We all pitch in. I cooked, Ian brought groceries”
“Im not cleaning up after your Ian!” Liv snapped. “Why should I deal with his leftovers?”
Shed say this right in front of him.
Ian, despite Livs attitude, tried. He brought her stuffed toys like she was still a kid, asked about her interests, checked if anyone bullied her at school. Polite, patientbut it didnt help.
Maybe the issue was their dad leaving. Maybe Liv feared being left behind if Valerie focused on Ian. Or maybe she just hated sharing her home. Either way, she fought hard to push him out.
Liv provoked Ian, accused Valerie of “trading her for some random bloke,” threw fits. She slacked in school, even staged hunger strikesthough midnight fridge raids betrayed her.
Valerie hoped Liv would grow out of it. She didnt. The final straw was news of the wedding.
“Livvy, howd you feel about Ian officially joining the family?” Valerie asked carefully. “We all live together anyway.”
Cue the meltdown. Liv dug in, accused Ian of manipulating Valerie and eyeing their flat. When arguments ran out
“If you marry him, Ill leave! You wont need me anyway.”
“Liv! Dont say that! Youll always be our daughtermine and Ians.”
“Yeah, right. More like your errand girl. Fetch this, sod off. No thanks. Ill go live with Emma.”
Valerie was torn. She was scared tooof losing Liv, then Ian, just like her first husband.
Stuck between a rock and a hard place, she vented to Emma, who scoffed at Livs dramatics.
“Think Id let her in on those terms?” Emma snorted. “Shell stand in the hallway five minutes, then slink back. Or betterIll give her such a welcome, shell sprint home. Wants to live with me? Fine. But she pulls her weight. Im not her maid.”
Emma was sure Liv was bluffing. Valerie didnt want to test that.
“What if she actually leaves? If she comes to you and you shut the door she might end up on the streets. Something could happen”
Fear won. Valerie broke it off with Ian. They met neutrally at first, then faded out.
Just as Liv wanted, Valerie fixated on herbut not how shed hoped. Already overbearing, Valerie became a dragon guarding her princess. She drove Liv to and from school, banned solo outings, panicked if Liv was late.
“Its not safe out there! Someone could snatch you into a car! Well go to the cinema together when Im free,” Valerie insisted.
Liv thought it was revenge. Truth was, Valerie had nothing but her. No love life, just a daughter who might vanish. Emma had her own family now.
Liv tried escapingapplied to a uni out of town. Valerie sobbed, hands shaking, blood pressure soaring.
“Youd leave me alone? Youre all Ive got!”
“Mum, I need to learn independence!”
“Wherell you live? Some dodgy halls? Wholl protect you? Howll we afford it? Were barely scraping by”
Valerie clung like Liv was her last lifeline. Liv stayedmaybe scared of freedom, maybe guilt-tripped.
Worse, when Liv started dating, Valerie became a chastity crusader. The controlling calls continued, plus relentless criticism: too arrogant, a player, suspiciously polite. Every relationship fizzled fast.
Meanwhile, Valerie was the perfect mother-in-law to Emmas husbandbaking pies, never interfering.
No wonder Liv cracked. But Emma refused to step in. One, not her mess. Two, shed just get blamed. Let Liv sort it.
Oddly, she did.
One day, Emma checked Livs Facebookstatus updated to “In a relationship.” She called instantly.
“So, congrats?” Emma grinned. “Or just messing with your profile?”
“Guess you could say that,” Liv said, uncharacteristically calm. “Its early days. Just hope Mum doesnt wreck it”
“Whats Mum got to do with it?”
Then Liv spilled the plan. Shed tracked down Ianstill singleand invited him for coffee, pretending she wanted to apologise. Then she booked Valerie into the same café and didnt show.
Valerie was livid at first.
“You set me up without warning? Liv, I wasnt even dressed properly!”
But that little unplanned date sparked something long buried. For the first time in years, Valerie felt like a woman, not just a mum.
She and Ian reconnectedno youthful passion, but enough to give Valerie her own life. No talk of marriage or moving in, but she stopped smothering Liv.
Liv finally breathed. Emma, hearing the story, thought: full circle. Liv destroyed their mums love as a kid, now she brought it backsort of. No fairy tale, just life with its losses, fears, and small wins. But everyone got what they deserved and a little hope, too.
