Claire lifted her eyes.
Margaret watched her closely.
“You and Daniel have a wonderful 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.
“And what exactly are you suggesting?”
Margaret’s expression brightened at once.
“Emily and the children would be perfectly comfortable here. The school is nearby, the preschool is only a couple of blocks away, and there are two rooms. The children would have space, and Emily would be able to manage.”
She smiled as if she had found an obvious solution.
“You could stay with me for a while.”
Claire stared at her, certain she had misunderstood.
“Where?”
“With me, of course. For a few months. You’re out at work all day anyway. In the evening, you only need to eat and sleep. My place is quiet and peaceful.”
Claire lowered her cup onto the table very carefully.
Margaret was seriously proposing that Claire give up her own home so Daniel’s sister and her two children could move in.
And Claire herself was supposed to sleep in her mother-in-law’s one-bedroom apartment.
“Margaret, this apartment belongs to me,” Claire said calmly. “My grandmother left it to me. My belongings are here. This is my home.”
“Oh, who’s arguing with that?” Margaret waved her hand dismissively. “No one is saying you should surrender it forever. We’re talking about three or four months at most. Emily will find work, 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 a proper job, everything will start falling into place.”
Claire said nothing.
The proposal was so absurd that she could not immediately decide how to respond.
The owner of the apartment was being asked to leave simply because someone else would find the space more convenient.
“I know this is an unusual request,” Margaret continued. “But we’re family. Families are supposed to help one another. Emily is in a terrible position, and the children are crowded together. You truly have the ability to support them.”
“Why am I the one who has to move?”
“Because it would be easier for you.”
“Why?”
“Well, you’re an adult woman. You’ll adjust. Small children need stability. Besides, you’re hardly home during the day.”
Claire nearly laughed.
Apparently, the fact that she worked hard was now being used as evidence that she needed her own home less than anyone else.
“What did Daniel say about this?”
Margaret nodded.
“I’ve already spoken to him. He agrees. He understands that his sister needs help.”
That was when Claire felt genuinely hurt.
Daniel had apparently agreed to hand over an apartment that did not belong to him.
And for some reason, he had not thought it necessary to discuss the matter 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 an answer about where she’s going to live.”
At that moment, a key turned in the lock.
Daniel came home.
He entered the kitchen, kissed his wife, greeted his mother, and almost immediately asked, “Mom has told you about Emily?”
“She has.”
“Great. So, we’re going to help my sister, right?”
He said it so casually that it sounded as though he were suggesting they donate an old cabinet or drop off a few groceries.
Claire studied her husband.
“Daniel, this is actually a very serious matter.”
“What’s serious about it?” he asked, genuinely puzzled. “Emily has two children and nowhere suitable to stay. We can help her.”
“Not we. You’re asking me to leave my apartment.”
“Why do you have to put it that way?” Daniel frowned. “You wouldn’t be leaving forever. You’d stay with Mom temporarily.”
“And Emily would live here?”
“Yes.”
“With the children?”
“Of course.”
“What about you?”
He hesitated.
“We’ll see. Maybe I’ll stay with Mom too, or spend most of my time here helping them.”
Claire felt the whole situation becoming stranger by the second.
“And where exactly am I supposed to sleep at Margaret’s?”
Her mother-in-law immediately perked up.
“I have a perfectly good folding bed!”
Claire looked at her.
“A folding bed?”
“Of course. It’s very comfortable. We’ll put it in the room. There’s enough space.”
Claire imagined coming home after ten exhausting hours and lying down on a folding bed beside a wardrobe in her mother-in-law’s cramped apartment.
After having her own quiet bedroom and a proper bed, the idea felt almost insulting.
“I really need to think this through,” she repeated.
“Think, then,” Daniel said. “But Emily can’t wait forever.”
“Couldn’t she rent somewhere?”
“With what money?” Margaret cut in immediately. “She has no job yet and no child support. Why throw money away when her relatives have an empty room?”
“I can help her financially for the first few months.”
Margaret pressed her lips together.
“That isn’t the same. Money is money, but real help means making room for family.”