This is all your friends doing, says the exhusband.
Hold onstop, stop, stopI dont get any of this, I blurt out.
Exactly, you dont! You pretend to be all clueless, eversokind, and completely out of touch, he snaps. Do you think Ill just ignore everything?
Sometimes life is smooth. Theres a decent income, a loving family, a solid circle of friends, and even a boyfriend who actually cares for you.
Then, out of the blue, a tiny grain of sand appears. Its barely visible against the backdrop of prosperity, but the longer it stays, the more it irritates you, making you want to fling it far awayaway from the nasty colour, taste, even the voice.
In Emmas world that grain is a person, someone shes close to.
Her best friend Claire has been beside her since nursery. Everything seemed fineuntil after university, when both women step into adulthood, Claires role shifts.
Maybe their social circles simply drift apart, or perhaps Claires circumstances look worse than Emmas, sparking envy. That jealousy finds a strange outlet.
Honestly, the first year, two years, even five, pass without incident, but then
As the saying goes, Constant dripping wears away the stone, and it finally wears her down.
Emma, that dress isnt suitable for a mumtobe, Claire remarks. You could buy it, sure, but you need to get your shape back firstby the time that happens, the trend will be dead.
Better to go for the little suit we saw earlier, she adds.
Emma steps out of the fitting room, eyes Claire, feeling something boil inside her.
Listen, can you stop dousing me with crap?
What crap? Claire snaps, eyes wide.
The ‘not for a mumtobe’ stuff, the ‘wait until youre in shape’ line Are you a fashion police?
Emma, you invited me to help you choose. Im being honest. If you just wanted me to say look, its gorgeous, take it, you should have told me that from the start.
Tell me what? That I shouldnt pester people with my toxicity? That I need to stick to some normal boundaries?
Hold onstop, stop, stopIm not following any of this, I say again.
Exactly, you dont! You act like youre clueless, kindhearted, and utterly unaware. Do you think Ill just stand by and let you dump all this negativity on me? Do you think Ill stay the naïve fool you can unload on?
Im done. Thats enough. You can stop calling me. Ill still take the dress, so know that, Emma says, snatching the dress and bolting past the frozen Claire.
Claire, meanwhile, cares less about the onlookers watching their spat and more about the fact that a nasty little comment has landed on her friends tail. She pauses a moment, mulling something over, then smirks and walks toward the exit of the Westfield centre as if nothing happened.
Emma never calls Claire again, nor does she try to patch things up, because she sees where the sudden animosity grew from. It either reaches her or notshe cant coax any more influence from the other side.
Emma keeps living the life she decides is best. The snide remarks about family help, about her husbands involvement at home, and, most importantly, about little Vickys nursery start all disappear.
Her motherinlaw, hearing about the fight, sighs and mutters that sooner or later shell have to shake the parasites off her neck. Emmas own mother says the same. Then the oddities begin.
First, the new nursery teacher, sounding oddly like Claire, points out that Vicky shows behavioural signs that could hint at an unpleasant diagnosis. She suggests a private visit to a neurologist and psychiatrist to catch any issues early.
Ah, they just love to label children, the motherinlaw sighs at home when Emma tells her about the teachers warning. Weve never had autism or anything like that in our family.
Nevertheless, Emma, wanting to ease her conscience, takes Vicky for the appointments. The doctor says, Good youve come earlyif we catch it now, treatment will be simple and Vicky can adapt to a normal life without major hurdles.
Thats when Claires words echo in Emmas mind for the first time. Six months earlier, Claire had mentioned a neurologist and psychiatrist, saying Vicky should be seen because she doesnt act right. Back then Emma dismissed Claire as toxic and bad, not giving weight to her warning, and now the comment comes back full circle.
Further worrying calls come from Emmas mother and motherinlaw. Claire constantly tells them that the grandmothers actually need the grandchild, not Emmas wallet. As soon as extra money is needed for Vicky, the grandmothers vanish one by one, citing busy lives and endless chores.
When Emma asks for help with babysitting, the response is the same canned line: Wed love to, but were swamped.
Then her husband drops the bomb: hes filing for divorce.
Understand, Emma. I promised to stay through good and bad, but Vickys diagnoses and the constant chaos leave you with no time for the rest of the family. I cant live like this, he declares.
Within months the happy household tears apart.
Emma takes Vicky and moves into a flat she inherited from her grandmother. This forces a clash with her own mother, whos used to the flat being a hub for visiting relatives.
Emma, you know itll be awkward if you move in there! Families should support each other in tough times, and you
Yes, yes Ive heard it all, Emma replies. Only Claire, viewing things from the outside, had pointed out that everyone was getting onesided help from Emma. Claire hadnt been letting toxic comments go, as she now seems, but tryingwithin her limitsto open Emmas eyes to what was happening at home.
Now her mother, as if nothing changed, tries to spin the old record again. She had repeatedly refused to help her daughter during hard periods, yet now worries about where to put visiting relatives so they dont stumble into a mess or cause extra inconvenience.
Claires stance feels justified, while Emma feels the weight of her own mistakes. She should have listened to her friend, looked at things from her perspective, but she didnt.
Having finally made peace with her mother and settled into the grandmothers flat, Emma grabs flowers, champagne and chocolates, hoping the gifts wont be hurled back at her at the door, and heads to Claires house to reconcile.
Claire, please hear me out, dont shut me out straight away, she pleads as the door opens. Im such a fool, Claire
Come in, tell me everything, Claire sighs, letting Emma in with her modest gentlemans kit.
Tears flow, promises of lasting friendship are made, and Emma swears shell never again doubt a true friends intentions.
Now Emma knows who genuinely wishes her well and who only looks out for themselves, fleeing when times get hard.
The two friends eventually mend, though Claire warns Emma that she wont tolerate a repeat of the past. Emma vows shell never let it happen again.
The exhusband later tries to make amends, but Emma flatly refuses to rebuild what he shattered.
This is all your friends doing, turning you against the family, the ex declares.
Exactly the same line was shouted at Emma by her mother and former motherinlaw, oblivious that the cradle they all blame was built by Emma herself, with no Claire involvement at all.
