I need a favour, Mum! declared Margaret Brown, hands on her hips. And youre the one whos got to give it to me!
And why should I? asked Emily, arching an eyebrow.
Because Ive run out of people to turn to!
So you expect me to help just because youre stuck in a hopeless spot? Emily said, a faint smile playing on her lips.
Of course! Margaret snapped. Youre my daughter, after all!
Hmm, how intriguing. And also a bit doubtful! The reasoning is meh! Emily rolled her neck, pretending deep contemplation. Oh right! I remember! she laughed. Exactly these words I used when I came to you three years ago!
Back then I didnt say you had to help because youre my mum; I simply asked for a favour.
Not money or a roof, just a request that Geoffrey Porter give my husband a job.
And what did you tell me then?
I cant recall, Margaret muttered, looking down.
But I remember! You said it was my husbands personal problem, that he couldnt find work! Emily shot back. And youre not going to trouble yourself over THIS bloke!
He did get a job eventually, Margaret protested, tightening her lips.
He did! Emily agreed. Because hes a good husband and a wonderful father. While he was finally landing a proper post in his field, he spent six months hauling boxes just to keep us fed!
If youd asked Geoffrey Porter straight away, Colin would have gone to work for him immediately, not half a year later when a vacancy opened up.
Did you even bother my acquaintance? Margaret shouted. How dare you!
It wasnt me. Geoffrey posted the advert, and my Colin got the job straight away! Emily replied. Id be grateful if youd helped, though.
And I would have, when it mattered! But Emily smirked I wont. I dont have to.
Youre angry with your mum? Margaret gasped, offended. The most saintly person in your life? Thats absurd!
Absurd is when a mum refuses to help her daughter, especially when it costs nothing! Emily retorted. As for being saintly, thats your imagination.
Youve never been the holiest person in my life! Or do you want to argue?
Emily stared at her mum, waiting.
Im not going to argue, Margaret said, irritated. I need help!
Not from me! Emily waved a hand dismissively.
If you wont help me, at least help your brother! a tear slipped down Margarets cheek. He needs it too, you know.
Oh, brother! Emily drew a breath. Does that change anything?
I get it, you dont love me because I didnt help your Colin, but Vlad isnt the one who hurt you. He needs help now, and Ill do everything I can. I cant do it alone, but Im not asking for myself, Im asking for Vlad.
First of all, youre demanding, not asking! Emily pointed out. And second, I have no warm feelings for Vlad either, thanks to you!
***
Before Vlad arrived, Emily had been the golden child. All the love, all the sweets, all the toys hers alone. Then baby Vlad came along and she was suddenly the family outcast.
No exaggeration: the real outcast. Not only did she lose every privilege shed enjoyed, she also became a bother to everyone.
Emily was nine when Vlad was born, but not to mother or father to some stray lover.
Her dad, Robert, burst out, Whos the father?
Mother, refusing to lie, proudly answered, A beloved man! Not some wretched bloke like you!
Robert didnt plan to stick around. He filed for divorce straight away, but the court denied it because little Vlad wasnt yet a year old.
Robert then sued to contest paternity and, purely by chance, asked whether Emily was his daughter. Turns out she wasnt.
He demanded that Emily and Vlad be removed from his birth records, cutting off any chance of maintenance. The divorce still hung in the balance until Vlad turned one.
He packed his bags and said, See you in a year then well be officially divorced!
So Emily stayed with her mum and the newborn brother.
At nine, she knew baby Vlad needed more care than she did, yet Margaret barely looked at her daughter any more.
Life became a matter of leftovers. If there was money, Emily got a treat. If there was stew in the pot, she could finish it. Harsh, but that was the reality.
If it werent for good neighbours, who knows what would have become of Emily? She might not have survived at all.
Her mothers occasional suitors would sometimes toss Emily a toy, a sweet, or a piece of clothing and that was her world.
When Emily hit puberty, she mirrored the behaviour shed seen from her mum: no respect, no care, no love. She didnt spit in anyones face, but that was about as far as shed go.
How she avoided a rotten crowd remains a mystery. Perhaps Aunt Olga, the nosy neighbour, nudged her in the right direction.
After nine GCSEs, Emily entered a technical college with a dorm, and never returned home.
Communication with Mum never completely broke, but it was strained. Emily would call on holidays; Margaret, half the time, would ask how she was doing.
There was never talk of mutual help. Emily survived on a stipend and a parttime job. Meanwhile, Margaret poured every penny into her beloved son, Colin.
So they were family, but felt like strangers.
When Emily married, she didnt invite either brother or mum. Margaret only learned of the wedding when Aunt Olga bragged about the reception.
Another grievance piled up, but nothing new.
Emilys husband, Colin, was kind, attentive, and caring. She felt like shed won the lottery. He was a jewellers cutter by trade, a decent wage earner at a municipal factory, and, if hed had a splash of ambition, could have started his own business. He chose the steady job instead.
From the outside, the family seemed pictureperfect, and they were growing.
Emily gave birth to a daughter, named after Aunt Olga. Two years later another girl, Kate, after Colins mother. Emily then wanted a son, so a year after Kate, Alina arrived.
Colin didnt mind the allgirls lineup. I had one princess, now Ive got four! he joked.
For a while, everything was rosy, until the factory shut its doors in an instant, leaving a town full of unemployed. Vacancies vanished, and many were forced to look elsewhere.
Colin considered moving a few thousand miles to a similar plant, but Emily remembered an old suitor of her mothers Geoffrey Porter, who owned a jewellers workshop.
She was scared to approach him; he might not remember her, but she knew her mother would. She begged Margaret to recommend Colin to Geoffrey. Margaret listened, then flatout refused. Emily pleaded, The kids! Ive nowhere else to go!
Margaret declared she wouldnt bother Geoffrey for whoknowswho.
Colin took a job as a porter, staying in town. I asked around, he said. Geoffrey always has openings, but hes quick to fire anyone with a slipup. Two of our mates are there now, but they wont last long.
Six months later, Colin was still hauling boxes, though his hands were still steady enough for jewellery. He didnt lose his skill, and eventually landed a decent post, earning praise all around.
The familys fortunes brightened again, while Margarets world grew dimmer.
Vlad, the pampered brother, started to think he was entitled to far more than anyone else. He drifted onto the wrong side of the law, and before long he was caught and sent to a tenyear state programme.
To repay the damage, Margaret sold everything she owned. No bank would lend her; friends wouldnt give a loan. She planned to pay it off from her wages, but she also had to send parcels to her son abroad and keep neighbours happy. Money simply wasnt there.
Where else could she turn but to her daughter?
You have no right to refuse! I gave birth to you, raised you! Hes your brother! Youve got no other relatives! You must help! Margaret pleaded.
Hell die if nobody helps him! Margaret shouted. As his only kin we cant just abandon him!
And what does that have to do with me? I didnt put him on that path! He chose it himself! I feel nothing for him. Honest people work, start businesses, earn a living!
Vlad wanted easy money, but easy money costs a lot. I wont bankroll his mess. We earn our own way!
Darling, please help me! I cant manage alone! Margaret collapsed at her daughters feet.
Im not helping you either! You got what you deserved. If you hadnt spoiled Vlad, he wouldnt be a criminal!
If youd cared a little about me, I might have thought differently. But no I wont give a penny.
Margaret rose, tears vanished, hate flashing across her face, voice as sour as vinegar:
Hell come back! Hell settle the score with you!
I owe him nothing! Emily replied coolly. Same goes for you!
I doubt hell see it that way! Margaret sneered, already drafting a letter to Vlad about how you refused to help him.
Wait and watch, live in fear! Vlad will be back!