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“The kitchen is tiny.”
“The carpet is disgusting. You’ll have to tear it all out.”
“Why you’d purchase somewhere so far away is beyond me.”
“Is it too late to back out? This doesn’t seem like a very sound investment.”
My vision blurs, not with tears but with anger. I lean against the doorframe to steady me. “Most people — mostparents— would just say congratulations, you know?”
My mother turns to face me and there’s not even a hint of joy for me in her expression. “Why on earth would we congratulate you? This isn’t an achievement, Amber.”
A lump forms in my throat. It’s so big, I think I’m going to choke on it. “Mum. I’ve just bought a house. Bymyself. Without any help from you two, or Dad, or anyone.”
Patrick clears his throat. “I wouldn’t say we haven’t helped you. You stay in our home for well below market price rent. We’ve taken a big hit by letting you stay, and that’s allowed you to save for this…home.”
“I’m yourdaughter.” The word comes out like venom on my tongue.Daughter. “Or, at the very least, I’msupposedto be. I shouldn’t have to thank you for letting me live at home.”
“You’re 28-years-old for Christ’s sake,” my mother snaps. “You should’ve been out years ago. Honestly, Amber. It’s like you’re stunted somehow. You’re in a dead-end job—”
“I amnot.”
“And you’ve purchased a filthy, tiny, run-down home, and you expect us to tell you that we’re proud of you?” She huffs out a humourless laugh. “We shouldn’t have to keep babying you like this.”
“You’veneverbabied me,” I cry. Tears are flowing freely now, but I don’t care and neither do they apparently. “Not even when I was a baby and actually needed it. You just act like I’m such a big inconvenience and that I should be grateful for you doing the bare minimum.”
My mother presses a hand against her chest and gasps. “Howdare you. Do you know how much I’ve had to sacrifice for you?”
“You’re mymother,” I sob. “That’s what you’re supposed to do. I shouldn’t have to thank you for it. And you.” I whirl around and glare at Patrick. “You’ve been in my life for nearly two decades. You’re the closest thing to a father figure that I have, and you act like I’m just getting in the way of what your perfect idea of family is. You both do.”
Patrick flinches like I’ve slapped him, and my mother inhales sharply. “Don’t you dare talk to him like that. Patrick’s been so good to you — to us both. He took you in and stepped up when your father refused to.”
Stepped up? Does she really think thatthisis stepping up? Treating me like an afterthought? Dismissing every little thing I do?Really?
“He doesn’t even call me his stepdaughter.” I tell her. “Not once in the entire time I’ve known him. And I’m tired. I’m so, so tired of not being enough for either of you. Or for being too much. I don’t know. I just know that I’m done. I brought you here today because I wanted to share this amazing achievement with you. Iwantedyou to be excited for me. To hug me. To tell me that you’re proud of me for the first time in my life.”
“Amber—”
I shake my head and point to the door. “Like I said, I’m done. I’ll come back to the house soon to collect my stuff, but that’s it. Until something changes here, I’m not coming back. This is my safe space. This is myhome. And if you can’t respect that, I’m going to ask you both to please leave.”
There’s a small part of me that hopes maybe this will be the turning point. That maybe my mother will suddenly see the error of her ways and apologise. Maybe she’ll pull me into a deep hug as she sobs and tells me how sorry she is.
But that doesn’t happen.
My mother’s jaw twitches, her eyes harden, and she gives Patrick a little nod. Neither of them say a word to me as they push past me and leave.
I wait for a little while, half-heartedly hoping that they’ll come back and apologise, but they don’t.
It’s just me.
Alone in the home I was so excited about just twenty minutes ago, but now I can’t stand it. Everywhere I look, I hear their complaints.
Maybe itistoo small, and the natural lighting does suck, and yes, I really should get rid of this carpet shouldn’t I?
I hate that they’ve done this. Taken something that I loved and turned it into something horrible.
I need to get out of here. But where? My parents’ home isn’t an option right now for obvious reasons. Bailey is atherparents’ house and I don’t particularly need Mr and Mrs Clarke to know about this — they’re still on friendly terms with my parents, and while I don’t think they’d do anything maliciously, I don’t want them to know what’s happened. So that leaves…
Finn.
