Im utterly certain we are in no way obligated to support my brother-in-law and his clanlet alone rent them a flat. Let me start by clarifying: this three-bedroom flat we live in is my own, bought back before I married, and its condition at the time was utterly dire. To paint you a picture, the front door barely held onto the frame. Still, the low price won me over, and little by little, I fixed it up. But thats not really what this is about.
By the time I met my husband, Id already renovated two rooms and even managed to put in some decent furnitureso everything was starting to feel quite cosy.
My husband was handsome, genuine, and living in a rented place himself. A few months after we met, he moved in with me. After getting married, I converted one room into a nursery; first, our little boy was born, followed by a daughter.
Everything sailed along marvellously until one brisk autumn evening. Our domestic bliss was completely unsettled by my mother-in-law. She arrived that day, arms laden with suitcases, her eyes red from crying.
“Could I stay with you for a little while? My sons brought a girlfriend back home. I do hope it works out between them maybe shell become his wife, and perhaps theyll live happily ever after I wont stay long, Ill help out, run the children to school and nursery, cook dinner. You know, Ive no one but you!”
How could I turn her away, sobbing on the doorstep? So, I let her in and gave her the largest room. Shed been retired for years, and true to her word, she did help with the children, but she never went back to her own flat. Her younger son, my husbands brother, had moved in with his second wife and two kids in her old one-bedroom flatone child was theirs, the other the wifes from a previous marriage.
Years ago, my brother-in-law married his school sweetheart straight after their GCSEs. My in-laws then sold their house, bought themselves a studio, and purchased a two-bedroom flat for him. Not long after, my father-in-law fell ill and sadly passed away.
My brother-in-law and his first wife had two children before they split up; he left the flat to his former family. Now, his ex lives there with her new husband and their three children. Post-divorce, the brother-in-law returned to his mother, telling her, “Mum, Ill live with you now. Im a free man, dreaming big! Ill get sorted soon, find my own place.” Yet one thing led to another, and before long hed brought his new girlfriend into his mothers flat.
Then, to complicate matters, my mother-in-law would bring her grandchildrenboth from the first marriage and the secondover to ours every weekend. Absolute chaos.
After a year of this, I told my mother-in-law she needed to sort out her living situation. Again, she burst into tears and really lost it.
It fell to me to have a word with my brother-in-law, saying it was about time he moved out of his mums place. He flatly refused, claiming he couldnt afford rent on his small salary, not with children to support. I honestly dont know what else I can do.
Things between me and my mother-in-law have soured terribly. Now, some days I actively dread returning home after work. I finally sat my husband down and told him frankly: he must sort out new accommodation for his mother, or Id have to call it quits.
My words stunned him, clearly. He had no idea where his mum could live, and couldnt bear the thought of turning her out on the street.
I suggested his mum could rent sheltered accommodation, even offering to help with the costwe have the means, after all. But she refused outright, demanding instead that we rent a two-bedroom flat for my brother-in-law and his family, so she could have her flat back.
The audacity was breathtaking. I told her plainly, if she doesnt move out within a week, Ill simply pack up her things and leave them by the door. What choice do I even have?
I dont believe for a moment that its our duty to keep my brother-in-law and his brood afloat, let alone provide them with a roof over their heads!
