Claire raised her eyes.
Margaret looked at her carefully.
“You and Daniel have a lovely two-bedroom apartment. It’s spacious. You don’t have children yet, so there’s plenty of room.”
Something tightened unpleasantly inside Claire.
She already understood where this was going.
“What exactly are you suggesting?”
Margaret immediately brightened.
“It would be perfect for Emily and the children. The school is close, the daycare is only a couple of blocks away, and there are two rooms. The children would have space, and Emily would be comfortable.”
She offered Claire a smile.
“You could stay with me for a while.”
For a second, Claire thought she had misunderstood.
“Stay where?”
“With me, of course. Just for a few months. You work all day anyway. By the time you come home, all you need is dinner and sleep. My place is quiet and peaceful.”
Claire lowered her cup to the table very slowly.
So this was what Margaret was seriously proposing: Claire should give up her own apartment for her husband’s sister and her two children, then move into a one-bedroom apartment with her mother-in-law.
“Margaret, this apartment belongs to me,” Claire said evenly. “My grandmother left it to me. My things are here. This is my home.”
“Oh, no one is arguing about that,” Margaret said, waving her hand dismissively. “No one expects you to give it up forever. We’re talking about three or four months at most. Emily will find a job, recover a little, and then rent a place of her own.”
“And what happens if nothing changes after four months?”
“Something will change. Emily isn’t lazy. Once she finds decent work, everything will fall into place.”
Claire said nothing.
The proposal seemed so unreasonable that she did not immediately know how to respond.
The owner of the apartment was being asked to leave simply because someone else would find it more convenient to live there.
“I realize this is an unusual request,” Margaret continued. “But we’re family. Families are supposed to help each other. Emily is in a terrible situation, and the children are cramped. You really are in a position to help.”
“Why am I the one who has to move?”
“Because it would be easier for you.”
“Why?”
“Well, you’re an adult. You’ll adjust. Young children need stability. And besides, you’re hardly home for most of the day.”
Claire nearly laughed.
Apparently, she was expected to lose her comfort precisely because she worked so hard.
“What did Daniel say about this?”
Margaret nodded.
“I’ve already spoken with him. He agrees. He understands that his sister needs help right now.”
That was the moment Claire felt truly hurt.
Daniel had apparently agreed to hand over an apartment that did not even belong to him.
And for some reason, he had not thought it necessary to discuss that decision with his wife.
“I need time to think,” Claire said.
“Of course, think about it,” Margaret replied easily. “Just don’t take too long. Emily needs to know where she’ll be living.”
At that exact moment, a key turned in the lock.
Daniel came home.
He entered the kitchen, kissed Claire, greeted his mother, and almost immediately asked:
“Mom has already told you about Emily?”
“She has.”
“Great. So we’re going to help my sister, right?”
He said it as casually as if he were suggesting they give Emily an old cabinet or take her some groceries.
Claire studied her husband.
“Daniel, this is a serious matter.”
“What’s serious about it?” he asked, genuinely puzzled. “Emily has two children and nowhere to live. We can help her.”
“Not we. You’re suggesting that I leave my apartment.”
“Why are you putting it that way?” Daniel frowned. “It wouldn’t be forever. You’d only stay at Mom’s temporarily.”
“And Emily would live here?”
“Yes.”
“With the children?”
“Of course.”
“And where would you live?”
He hesitated.
“We’ll see. Maybe I’ll stay at Mom’s too, or spend most of my time here helping them.”
Claire felt the situation becoming more absurd by the second.
“Where exactly am I supposed to sleep at your mother’s?”
Margaret quickly joined the conversation.
“I have a perfectly good folding bed!”
Claire turned to look at her.
“A folding bed?”
“It’s very comfortable. We’ll put it in my room. There’s plenty of space.”
Claire pictured herself coming home after ten hours at the salon, walking into her mother-in-law’s one-bedroom apartment, and sleeping on a folding bed beside a wardrobe.
After the quiet bedroom she had always known as her own, even imagining it felt humiliating.
“I really need to think this through,” she repeated.
“Think about it,” Daniel said. “But Emily can’t wait forever.”
“Couldn’t she rent somewhere?”
“With what money?” Margaret interrupted. “She has no job yet, and no child support. Why throw money away when family has an empty place available?”
“I could help her financially for the first few months.”
Margaret pressed her lips together in disapproval.
“That isn’t the same. Money is money, but real help has to be personal. It has to be given as a family.”
Claire realized the conversation had reached a dead end.