“Emily is young, shell have more children, she once declared. In the end, no one had any need for the child.
Emily and Thomas grew up together in a small English town, both attending the same primary and secondary schools. After finishing their A-levels, they moved to London to pursue university and start a new life. Together, they rented a modest flat, landed their first jobs, and lived as partners, never marrying. When Emily discovered she was to have a baby, Thomas left her. He had never planned for a child.
Shaken, Emily decided to return home to raise the child alone. Thomas’ mother, a woman of some standing in their town, quickly let it be known that Emilys baby had been fathered by someone else and that the child was nothing to do with her family. The situation was made worse by the fact the families lived on the same street, and both were well known in the community.
Many friends were aware of what had unfolded. In due time, Emily brought a beautiful baby girl into the world. She never voiced grievances against Thomas family. All she wished was to bring up her daughter in peace. Yet, Thomass mother persisted in telling everyone: the child could not be her sons.
Look at them! she would explain to neighbours. That child has pale hair, not like ours! Her nose, her faceits not our family at all! We are a handsome lot, and this child hardly matches! Shes trying to worm her way into our family. These are bad people!
At her wits end, Emily suggested a paternity test to put Thomass mothers mind at ease. Why did she go this far? The results arrived at once. Thomass mother immediately invited Emily round to meet her granddaughter, suddenly full of warmth. The baby was showered with beautiful, expensive gifts. For Emily, who was relying on her mothers pension, these gifts were a godsend.
A little while later, the new grandmother insisted she be allowed to take the child to hers for a visit. Emily, knowing her daughter was but a year old, declined; she was too little to be apart from her mother for several days. The woman was incensed.
She warned Emily she would take her to court for access to the child. She added that Emilys girl would be better off with her grandmother, who could offer every advantage for her upbringinggood surroundings, plenty of money. She said the courts would favour her: after all, the father had a flat and supported his child (she would show proof of this), while Emily was an unemployed single mother. In any case, she told Emily, You are still young. Youll have children again. She urged Emily to give her up willingly, hinting that the local judges, all of whom she knew, would tip the scales her way. Emily, though, resolved to keep her daughter and fought relentlessly for years in the courts.
The child, once rejected by her influential kin, became fiercely desired and fought over. Relatives brought forth witnesses, followed Emily, complained and photographed her. Eventually, Emily fled, hiding quietly away. So many trials happened over those years. In time, things settled. Thomas married and had a son, and the matriarch turned her interests to her new grandson. Emilys daughter started school, and Emily herself returned to London. But she travelled home as much as possible to see her mother and child. It was then she met a young man, and at her mothers urging, began to build a new life. Her mother promised to care for her granddaughter during this time, and Emily planned to bring her daughter to live with her once things were settled.
Emily remarried, rented a new flat, and was expecting another child. All seemed right. Yet she hesitated to take her daughter from her mothers homethe girl had friends, stability, and school there. Emilys new husband was distant regarding her daughter, and Emily feared she could not provide for her properly with a baby on the way. Her mother was not alone, and her daughter was well cared for. But then her aging mother grew ill, requiring ambulances and hospital stays. The little girl spent time with elderly neighbours, but the once powerful grandmother of Thomas became utterly uninterested in her granddaughters fate. When she happened across Emilys mother, she would only offer a cold smile:
You should have listened to me! Had you given me the girl, Id have seen to her! Shed be at the best girls grammar, fluent in French and German, playing the piano beautifully. And yes, her mother cast her aside. What will become of her now? she would sigh. Now, I look after my grandsonIll give him everything: the finest preparatory, the best tutors!
Thomas never showed interest in his daughter. In the end, the girl for whom there had been so much struggle and strife, ended up wanted by no one. What tomorrow holds for her, no one knows.
