**Diary Entry**
Theyd kept the new holiday cottage carefully hidden from the family. Everything had to be perfect from the startshovels in the garden, fresh soil turned. They werent supposed to find out.
The phone shattered the quiet of the morning so abruptly that Sophie nearly dropped her tea. The screen flashed: *Aunt Margaret.*
Sophie, darling! came the shrill voice on the other end. Guess whatwere coming to your country house!
Her mug froze mid-air. Aunt Margaret was the very one who’d “popped in for a quick stay” during her flat renovationthree endless months of, Why dont you have proper biscuits? and In my day, wed never serve tea like this.
How are you coming? Whos we? Sophie managed, voice thin.
Oh, just me and the girls! Fancy a week away, Aunt Margaret chirped, laughter and clinking glasses in the background. Whats the fuss? Were family!
That word*family*always worked like a skeleton key for Aunt Margaret, unlocking any door. After the flat ordeal, Sophie and James had sworn not to tell a soul about the cottage. Yet someone must have let it slipeven given the address.
Aunt Margaret, we really cant Sophie began, trying to steady herself.
Too late! Were on the train already, Aunt Margaret trilled. See you soon!
The line went dead. Sophies pulse raced as she dialled James.
James. Aunt Margaret and the girls are coming.
A weary sigh. Christ. Cant we just not answer the door?
Theyll camp on the doorstep and shame us to the neighbours, Sophie muttered, twisting the hem of her jumper. Remember the flat? Heartless niece turns her own aunt out into the cold!
By lunch, Aunt Margaret and her entouragethree formidable cousinshad commandeered the kitchen. The peaceful veranda was buried under strangers luggage. The fridge groaned under jars of chutney and suspiciously labelled wine bottles.
Sophie, where are the proper towels? bellowed cousin Mabel from the bathroom.
And loo roll! added cousin Daphne.
This shampoo is dreadful, sniffed cousin Edith, wrinkling her nose at the lavender bottle. Havent you got anything normal?
Sophie dug her nails into her palms. That shampoo was *hers*chosen, cherished, not meant for a gaggle of intruders. It was time to learn to say noeven to family.
Youve done well for yourselves here! Aunt Margaret declared, sinking into the wicker chairthe one Sophie and James had lugged back from France. Plenty of space, a sauna Why keep it from us? Were *family*!
Exactly why, Sophie murmured, a storm brewing beneath the words.
Pardon? Aunt Margaret cupped her ear theatrically. Didnt catch that!
*Exactly why!* Sophies voice cracked like a whip. Because youre the sort of relatives who barge in, take over, and treat our home like your own!
Sophie! Aunt Margaret reared back as if struck. How *dare* you
I dare! Something long-buried surged up, hot and fierce. Remember the flat? Just a weekthen three *months* of you rearranging my kitchen, criticising my curtains
The cousins materialised in the doorwaytowels and wine glasses in handgaping at the scene.
And were actually leaving tomorrow, Sophie said, forcing calm into her shaking voice. Trains booked.
Oh, dont fretwell manage without you! Aunt Margaret waved dismissively. Off you pop!
No. Sophies knees trembled, but her voice didnt. Youre not staying. Not for a week, not for a night. This is *our* home, and we want it to ourselves.
Aunt Margaret blinkedeither baffled or pretending to be.
They lasted three days. Three days of forced smiles and gritted teeth. Mornings began with strangers clattering in the kitchen, afternoons with endless critiques: Whys your lawn like *that*? Evenings brought raucous singalongs, heedless of the neighbours. Sophies geraniums wilted, ignored. Emilys toys vanished”cluttering the patio.” The cat fled to the Johnsons next door.
But on the fourth morning
Aunt Margaret. Sophie set the suitcases down with a thud. Youre leaving today.
*Leaving?* Aunt Margaret spluttered into her sherry. We agreed on a week!
We agreed on *nothing*, Sophie said coldly. You decided for us. Just like the flat. But no more. Our trains tomorrow, and weve packing to do.
Unbelievable! Edith gasped. Were *fami*
Yes, *family*, Sophie cut in bitterly. But that doesnt mean you trample all over our lives. You didnt *ask*you just invaded.
Its barely an *invasion*, Mabel huffed. Just a little holiday!
A *holiday*? Sophies temper snapped. Youve *occupied* this house. Moved things, judged everythingdo you know how many nights I cried in that flat because of you?
Aunt Margarets glass hovered mid-air. Sophie, we never meant
She remembered it perfectlythe knock at the door, Aunt Margaret tearful on the threshold: Sophie, love, the builders are in! Just a *week*! That week became three torturous months.
At first, it seemed harmless. The flata two-bedroom haven, every cushion, every mug *just so*slowly morphed under Aunt Margarets reign.
Sophie, these curtains are *drear*, shed tut, rearranging the china. Look at Edithslovely florals!
Theyre minimalist, Sophie protested.
Minimalist? A snort. Looks like a *waiting room*! Let me sort this properly
Day by day, their sanctuary became a boarding house. Floral tea towels appeared”cheers the place up!” The bathroom sprouted a forest of creams”the girls need options!” The hall drowned under coats”family must visit!”
Then came the gatherings.
Just a *quick* cuppa! Aunt Margaret would promiseyet by midnight, the flat thrummed with shrieks and clinking. James retreated to the bedroom, headphones clamped on. Sophie locked herself in the loo, muffling sobs.
Darling, why hide? Aunt Margaret would coo through the door. Come join us! Ediths brought her famous scones!
Mornings brought fresh critiques: Your fridge is *barren*! In *my* day
Those three words*in my day*were a death knell. In her day, women baked daily, hosted constantly, lived by unspoken rules. Each morning, Sophie vowed, *Today, Ill say enough.* But the words always died unspoken.
Hang in there, James whispered at night, holding her. Its temporary
That temporary lasted three months. Three months of foreign smells in her kitchen, strange knick-knacks in her cupboards, someone elses rhythm imposed on her home.
When Aunt Margaret finally packed
Sweetheart, how will I cope without you? shed simpered. Perhaps just *one* more week?
Aunt Margaret, Sophie had said evenly, your renovations finished, yes?
Oh, *that*! But family *sticks together*!
After she left, it took *weeks* to reclaim the flat. The gaudy tea towels were binned. The foreign creamsgone. Slowly, *their* home returned. And they swore: *Never again.* No unannounced guests, no just a quick stay.
Yet here she wassuitcases, cronies, and the same old *but were family*
The clock ticked loudly. Bees hummed in the roses. A train whistled past.
Very well, Aunt Margaret said at last, startlingly quiet. Youre right. We overstepped. Girlstime to go.
Within the hour, they vanished. No slamming doors, no theatrics. Just goneas if theyd finally understood.
That evening, tea in hand on the silent veranda, Sophie wondered: *Was it always this simple? Just saying no?* Not with excuses, not with liesjust *no.* Perhaps the hardest part wasnt learning the word, but finding the courage to say it when it mattered.
