“What holiday? You’ll pay off the mortgage first!”
“Tom, what’s that smell? Do you smell it?” Emma asked, concerned.
“Yes, it’s strange. It’s like someone’s been here.”
This was odd since Emma and Tom lived alone.
It was their shared flat, which they had taken out a mortgage on in different shares. When it came to finding a place to live, no one had volunteered to help the young couple.
Emma’s parents couldn’t afford to help, and Tom’s mother, Rachel, had a firm stance on the matter.
She believed young people should earn everything themselves. So, if they wanted to live in a rented flat and own one, they should sort it out themselves. As it turned out later, that attitude didn’t apply to everyone.
For five years, Emma and Tom paid off the mortgage on their own. They tackled the renovations themselves and saved wherever they could, especially since hiring builders was costly.
After all those years, they’d broken free from the chains of the mortgage and could finally take a deep breath.
“What are you planning to do now?” Rachel asked, curiosity piqued, looking at the couple.
“The first thing, we’re going to the seaside,” Tom replied, voice filled with satisfaction.
“Well, aren’t you living the life! I haven’t been to the seaside in ten years,” she remarked.
“Mum, what do you mean? We haven’t been either. We only just finished paying off the mortgage.”
“That was your choice.”
“I know. That’s why I believe my wife and I have every right to a holiday,” Tom asserted.
Rachel pursed her lips in disapproval and continued the conversation.
“Interesting, Tom.”
“What’s that supposed to mean, Mum?”
“You’re off to have fun, yet you could help your brother.”
“Why should I?”
“Because he’s your brother, and he’s got nothing of his own.”
Rachel was referring to Tom’s younger brother, Steve. Though he was younger, he was hardly a child at 25. He was quite capable of supporting himself, but he simply didn’t want to. That was a different matter entirely.
“Mum, what makes you think I owe Steve anything?”
“Who said support him? I’m talking about helping.”
“In what way?”
Rachel threw up her hands in frustration.
“How? Financially!”
This time, she wasn’t hinting. She openly suggested giving the money to Steve instead of spending it on a holiday.
“No, Mum. I won’t give him any money or help him. No one helped me pay the mortgage, and I didn’t ask for it.”
“Well, that’s because you earn more.”
Rachel had an annoying habit due to her difficult nature. She loved counting other people’s money, especially her son’s and daughter-in-law’s. If they were earning well and making a good living, they should share it, she thought. As for herself, she didn’t owe anyone anything. She had given birth, raised her son, and that was it. Now, he owed her, not the other way around.
Tom had encountered this attitude before and wouldn’t tolerate it this time.
“Mum, stop counting my money. This conversation is over.”
“Well, I didn’t raise an older son to be this selfish.”
Honestly, Tom hardly paid any attention to his mum’s remarks. He understood it was a form of manipulation. Rachel had behaved this way before.
Over time, he realized it was pointless to prove anything to her. So, he firmly refused and started preparing for the holiday.
A week later, the couple went on holiday. Rachel didn’t even bother seeing them off.
The holiday was excellent. The couple returned refreshed and happy, recharged for their upcoming work.
However, when they returned, a genuine “surprise” awaited them, albeit an unpleasant one.
When they entered the flat, they noticed something odd.
“Tom, what’s that smell? Do you smell it?” Emma asked, concerned.
“Yes, it’s strange. It’s like someone’s been here.”
This was odd since Emma and Tom lived alone.
When they stepped into the flat, they didn’t recognize it. There was chaos they had never seen before.
Clothes were strewn about, dishes were dirty. The floors… It seemed as if no one had cleaned them at all.
“Tom, what’s happened to our flat?”
Initially, Emma thought they’d mistakenly entered the wrong address and just happened to have a matching key.
She genuinely couldn’t recognize their own place.
“I’d like to know, too.”
Then it all made sense when they saw Steve, Tom’s brother, standing before them.
“And what are you doing here?” Tom demanded.
“That’s a strange question. Living here. Isn’t it obvious?”
“Living here? Have you lost your mind? This is my flat. How did you get the keys?”
Steve hesitated, and the answer was clear. Rachel gave him the keys, promising to water the houseplants while the young couple was away.
Naturally, Tom didn’t mince words and kicked his brother out. Their relationship had been strained for years.
“Mum, do you have any sense of shame?”
“What do you mean by that? How dare you speak to me that way?” Rachel fumed.
“How else should I speak after what you’ve done?”
“What have I done?”
Surprisingly, Rachel didn’t feel guilty even then and tried to make her son Tom feel that way.
“You let someone into my flat without my permission, thinking it’s perfectly okay?”
Rachel had had enough and finally burst into yelling.
“What do you mean ‘someone’? Steve is your own brother, you know.”
“So what? Do I have to bow down to him now?”
“Don’t be cheeky.”
“And don’t you dare manage my property because it doesn’t belong to you!”
“Well, you know, I’m tired and wanted to live independently.”
“Then he should rent a flat, for goodness’ sake!”
“He doesn’t have the money.”
“That’s not an argument. He should go out and earn it. I don’t want to see either of you in my flat again.”
Since that day, Tom had a severe falling-out with his mother. For half a year, they didn’t speak.
He believed she had no right to behave that way. Rachel, meanwhile, didn’t think she was wrong.
After all, she was twice his age and knew what she was doing. In her view, she was accountable for her actions and didn’t need to justify or defend them to anyone.
It’s astonishing how some people feel no guilt and live as calmly as ever. Tom couldn’t understand such behavior, especially aimed at a son. Nor did he want to understand, just as he didn’t want to communicate with his mother.
