Oh, for heavens sake, stop pretending youre some heroine and acting like youve got everything under control, said Olivia, setting a packet of nappies and a tin of baby porridge on the kitchen table. Ive seen your status updates. They look lovely if you have no idea how the real thing goes.
Ivy didnt even glance at her sister. She was hunched over her phone, stonefaced, while in the next room a twoyearold wail erupted: Archie, Ivys toddler, was demanding attention. Ivy didnt flinch.
Archie, Im coming! shouted their mother from the master bedroom, already heading to rock the little one.
Olivia, having shrugged off her coat and draped it over a chair, turned to Ivy, clearly fed up enough to stay.
Tell me straight. Do you honestly think youre coping, that youre a brilliant mum? Or are you just parroting whatever the parenting blogs tell you to say?
Ivy sighed, paused for a heartbeat, but never met Olivias eyes.
Listen, I never asked you to buy anything.
Right, you didnt. As usual, you sit there hungry and covered in dirty nappy wipes while Mum serves soup and picks up the nappies. Then you pretend to be a strong, independent woman again.
Silence fell. Even Archies cries hushed behind the wall. Only the soft, kindly voice of their mother could be heard. Olivia closed her eyes for a moment.
Theyd all been exhausted for the past year and a half.
Ivy had walked out on her husband just as Archie was barely six months old. She left dramatically, wailing that he couldnt even wash a plate or change a nappy. Dennis, her ex, could only shrug. He held two jobs, came home late, was so tired he sometimes fell asleep in his chair. Still, he tried: he washed bottles, lugged grocery bags, even sang lullabiesthough they were more offkey than soothing.
Hes betrayed us, Ivy snapped back then. He chose his work over us.
Olivia merely shrugged: everyone can make their own decisions.
Except when everyone ends up leeching off someone elses back and proudly refuses to pay child support. Ivy now lived like she was on a holiday resort. Dad paid the bills, Mum cooked, and she proudly posted about inner strength and female independence.
Their mother slipped into the room, two tired crescents under her eyes.
Archies finally asleep, thank goodness. Olivia, why are you picking on Ivy again?
Me? Picking on her? Olivia was about to laugh. All you ever do is forget to wipe his bottom, and shell never even notice. Shes happy with everything.
Im not asking for anything, mind you. No one owes anyone anything! Ivy flared.
Sure, you owe nothing. You just sit here and enjoy the comforts.
A memory flashed of two months earlier when Dad had once again postponed getting his dental crown.
No worries, Ill wait, hed said to Mum with a grin. We need to dress Archie up; hes already outgrowing the old one.
Dad never complained. Never. Later the family would discover hed stopped taking his vital medication because there was no money to buy it. Olivia quietly transferred the cash, hoping it would go toward his medicine.
Ivy sprang up, darting past Olivia, fleeing the conversation as per habit.
Olivia dont be like that Ivys
What about Ivy? Shes just fine. Its only her pride thatll get you all. You know, Mum you cant solve money problems with empty promises. Youve had a stroke, Dads got heart issues, and she pretends shes the heroine of a Hollywood melodramaalone, proud, misunderstood.
Mum looked at her daughter with plain anguish. Everyone understood, but no one could do anything.
Olivia slipped toward the door, then stopped, wanting to say something warm and kind so Mum wouldnt cry after she left.
Bye, Mum. Check the firstaid kit and have a word with Dad. Ill bring the tablets tomorrow if they run out.
Ol thank you, Mum replied, voice a little broken.
Olivia left without looking back, certain shed see tears later.
A week passed. Olivias visits became rarer. She didnt hold a grudge; she just didnt want to watch the parents drama unfold. She came to drop off cash, medicine, or something for Archie, then hurried out. Ivy accepted everything with a detached shrug, as if it were expected.
One morning, while scrolling through her contacts, Olivia stumbled on a nearly forgotten name: Caleb. Hed once worked with Dennis. Hope fluttered in her chest. Maybe this was a sign.
Three days later they met at a tiny café. Olivia fidgeted with a napkin. Dennis arrived seven minutes late, apologized, and sat opposite her. He looked thinner; the weight loss didnt make him look better, just older.
You see, he began after hearing Olivias long story. Im not shirking my son. Ive been trying to make things right. Its just even when I send money, she sends it back and throws a fit.
They wont last long like this, Olivia sighed. Dad halves his pills. Mum refused the spa treatment. And Ivy she clings to some ridiculous principles. No ones really at fault for her quirks.
Dennis nodded, clearly wanting to solve the mess.
Heres the plan. Ill transfer money to you, youll sort it out. Send receipts or photoswhatever. Well trust each other. I just want Archie to have a normal life and your parents not to suffer because of this whole circus.
Olivia wasnt sure it was the right thingalmost a betrayalbut her sister wasnt a saint either.
Two days later the first transfer arrived: £100. Olivia immediately sent the cash to Mum, who was surprised by the amount rather than the fact that her daughter was still helping.
A second, smaller transfer followed, earmarked for Dads medication, then a third for Archies new boots.
Ivy pretended not to notice, or at least acted like she didnt.
One evening Olivia dropped by for half an hour. Ivy was in the bathroom, Archie watched cartoons, Mum was rolling dumplings at the kitchen table, Dad kneading dough beside her.
Olivia, we bought Archie a new coat with your money! Mum beamed. Youre such a dear, always helping. Its getting a bit awkward to accept maybe well manage on our own soon?
Olivia felt a pang. Shed taken undeserved praise before, and it always tugged at her conscience. Now the whole support chain threatened to snap.
Mum I need to tell you and Dad something. It wasnt just me. It was Dennis. Hes been helping, she murmured.
Silence fell. Dad stopped rolling the dough. Mum froze with a spoon midair.
Dennis? she asked. Ivy told us hed vanished.
Right. He told me hed cut off her phone because she ignored him everywhere, Olivia sighed. Anyway, truth is always somewhere in the middle. What matters is the help.
The parents took the news calmly, almost without a blink. From then on they accepted the money without a second thought.
But a new problem emerged.
Oh, thanks to Dennis, its a bit easier now, Mum whispered to Dad while they discussed next months budget.
Mum didnt know Olivia was still up late, listening in.
And then everything went off the rails
So youve been taking my exhusbands money behind my back?! Ivy stormed into the kitchen. Youre all traitors! Youve conspired together!
A fullblown interrogation followed. Mum cracked under the pressure. Later Ivy started calling Olivia in the dead of night.
You thought you were clever, didnt you? Quietly fixing everything? Youve humiliated me! My child doesnt need these handouts! Ivy shrieked.
What are you on about, Ivy? Olivia replied groggily, yawning. Im just doing what you cant manage, either in energy or conscience. Stop blaming the sick for the healthy.
Go to hell! Ivy roared. I dont need anyones help! Ill survive without you!
The argument ended there. Ivy packed a bag, shoved Archie into his stroller, slammed the door, and vanished into the night without a word of where she was headed.
A line her friend Lara had said six months earlier kept looping in her mind: If you need anything, just call. It had sounded like a nice sentiment then, now it was the only thread left to cling to.
Lara didnt turn him down. She welcomed Ivy, kissed Archie, set up a spare room, even warmed up a dinner for them. The first night was quiet; Lara even seemed to enjoy the companyone person isnt so lonely.
Morning, however, brought the usual complaints. Ivy left dishes in the sink, then whined about the food being too salty or too greasy. The next day she rummaged out a sealed jar of instant coffee from a cupboard without asking, claiming it was for a present. That evening she began begging for cash.
Ive spent the last bit on nappies. Could you lend a few pounds? Please until I get a job.
Lara forced a tight smile and said shed see what she could do. Later that evening, after Archie was finally asleep, Lara approached Ivy.
Listen I have a situation. Artie is coming over. You remember him from Kent? We sort of arranged this ages ago. You get that
You want me to go? Ivy asked, bewildered.
Not exactly. Just maybe you have somewhere else to stay?
Yeah, I suppose I could manage, Ivy nodded, though inside she felt like a knot tightening.
At dawn Ivy packed in nearsilence, barely holding back tears. Lara moved about the kitchen, never crossing paths with her. Ivy changed Archies diaper, slipped on his shoes, and lingered a minute in the hallway, unsure what to say. Then she left without a proper goodbye.
Standing outside the block, she felt emptier than she had in agesempty, ashamed, terrified. Every possible route seemed like a knife to the heart. No return to her parentsnever. Let them spin with their pills and spa retreats. With Lara, things were already clear.
And then she remembered Dennis. Hed been eager to rekindle things, though shed been ignoring him. Of everyone who could possibly help, he was the only one left, so she dialed his number.
Hello?
Its me Ivy. Archie and I could we stay at yours for a few days?
A stunned pause.
Of course, Denniss voice was cautious but warm.
The call ended, and a tentative, trustless cohabitation began.
Olivia was the first to learn of their reunion. Her parents tried calling Ivy, got no answer, gave up after three days. On the fourth, Olivia finally rang.
Hello?
Yes, Ivy answered in a flat, almost deflated tone.
Where are you? Whats happening?
Were at Denniss. Ill call back later.
At Denniss? Is Archie okay?
Yes, were fine.
Olivia raised an eyebrow, surprised but relieved. She smiled faintly: better this than watching Ivy stuck on her parents necks. All she could do now was hope that the wounded pride that had driven Ivy to Dennis wouldnt snap the new arrangement once more.
