Margaret rocks her granddaughter, fidgeting to find a comfortable grip until the little one finally drifts off. Poppy has been a restless infant; during her first months she cries almost nonstop. Breastfeeding never clicks for Margaret and Poppys mother, Emma, so they resort to formula, which leaves the baby with a constant tummy ache. They swap brands, offer dill water, chamomile teaeverything they try proves useless. In the end Margaret spends hours rocking the cot. The elderly homecare nurse they call merely waves her hands and says, Shell outgrow it by three months, Im sure.
Margaret gazes tenderly at the tiny, sleeping face. Shell grow into a beautiful, clever girl, just like my Emma, she murmurs.
Her thoughts are interrupted when soninlaw Mark wanders into the kitchen, peers into the pot of soup, snorts quietly and shuts the lid. Margaret flinches and thinks, I cant wait for Emma to finish her lectures at universitythen I can go home.
Mark believes Emma should have quit her studies as soon as she gave birth, while Margaret secretly opposes the idea of Emma marrying Mark. They reach a compromise: Emma must finish her degree, without taking a leave, because many students drop out after a break.
The compromise comes at a priceMargaret pauses her own parttime job to look after Emma and the baby until Poppy can start nursery. She tightens her belt, as she has no other income. Scrimping on groceries, she often arrives at Emmas flat hungry, loses weight, and feels drained. Yet the real troubles are just beginning.
Mum, can you believe it? In a month all the modules and my dissertation are due, and I havent started a single thing. Tomorrow I have four lectures; can you watch Poppy? I cant miss any seminars or tests or theyll bar me from the exams!
Maybe Mark can look after her tomorrow; isnt it his day off?
Margaret, I need a break too. Emma, if its hard for mum, stay home tomorrow. Nothing will happen to your degree. You wont even get a firstclass honours anyway.
Im not even aiming for firstclass now, Emma sighs sadly. I just want to pass. Mathematical modelling is a total nightmare. I understand nothing, and the formulas take half a page each.
This studying wont get you anywhere. I never went to university, yet Im in civil service, earning a decent salary, and Ill be retired by forty. And your mum studiedwhats a teachers pay like now?
Emmas heart clenches at the sting of her mothers words, but she forces a apologetic smile and suggests everyone have a cup of tea while the baby sleeps, avoiding a fight.
The gloomy forecasts never materialise. Emma passes the semester with top marks, and every subsequent exam as well. Two years later she graduates with firstclass honours and lands a teaching post in her own department. Margaret swells with pride, thrilled that her daughter has achieved such brilliant results. Mark, however, brushes off the celebration, condescendingly telling his wife and motherinlaw that these degrees are useless nowadays.
Poppy grows, starts nursery, and begins to babble, play tricks, perform at school concerts, and dress up in pretty dresses. Her innocent charm fills Emmas heart, pushing aside the bitterness toward Mark, whose attitude grows colder and harsher.
A new strain appears in their marriage: Marks baseless jealousy. When male colleagues call Emma about work, he snatches the phone and barges into the conversation. Emma feels embarrassed and awkward in those moments, but she endures, holding onto the love she feels for her daughter and the hope that one day the tension will ease.
