Why arent you opening the door?
I dont want to, and Im not going to. Guests should ring ahead, not rummage through cupboards, the fridge or the wardrobe.
You mean you wont? Shes my mother! Shes here to see me!
Then meet her elsewhere just not in my flat.
At least Emma gets along with my mum.
You know, if I start listing everything my ex does better than you, well both feel embarrassed.
Im not sure about myself, Natalie says, nervously wiping the kitchen table. If you both got along so well with Emma, why did you break up with her?
Victor turns away, his face darkening as he looks out the window.
You know the story already
I do. So dont start telling me about your Emma, Natalie snaps. Otherwise Ill become your next ex.
Natalie is already ready to take drastic steps.
She met Victor about a year ago at a mutual friends party. She also knows the same Emma, though only loosely. Emma brought Victor along, and a few months later Emma vanished from everyones radar.
One night, a drunken Victor bragged that he split from Emma after catching her cheating, even shedding a tear.
Natalie finds that oddly sweet: a man who isnt ashamed to show his feelings and who values love. Something clicks, and she feels compelled to console him.
She realises the something is more motherly instinct than romantic interest, yet its enough to spark a relationship.
Things start nicely. He picks her up after work, drives her home, sends daily sweet messages, asks if shes bundled up warm. Natalie feels surrounded by care.
She first worries when Emma texts her.
Hi. I heard youre seeing Victor. Its not really my business, but you should be careful with him. He and his mum are a tightknit duo.
Natalie notes it but shrugs it off. Love can weather such bumps. After all, if Victor had a rough patch with one woman, it doesnt mean the next will be the same.
Hi. I think well sort it out ourselves. Thanks for the warning, Natalie replies.
She doesnt want the conversation to go any further; it feels a bit rude toward Victor.
Victor, however, doesnt think about her comfort at all.
When his mother, Margaret, first drops by unannounced, Natalie stays surprisingly calm. Maybe they both dont grasp how inconvenient it is. After all, Margaret probably worries about her son and wants to see who he lives with.
Natalie tells Victor to greet his mum, throws on a hastily tied bun, pulls on a sweater, and, halfasleep with bags under her eyes, walks into the living room to meet her potential motherinlaw. Shes already halfinspecting the sideboard.
Ah, everythings a bit mixed up, Margaret says with a indulgent smile. And your socks will never match. Natalie, well have breakfast, and Ill show you how to fold clothes so nothing gets wrinkled or lost.
Thats her version of hello. Saying Natalie is flustered would be an understatement. A stranger rummaging through her drawers in her own house feels downright rude.
But responding rudely to rudeness at the start of a relationship feels wrong, so she holds her tongue.
Oh love, you look exhausted! Margaret coos. You need cucumber masks. Better still, check your kidneys. I have a friend
Natalie smiles, nods, and pretends to be fascinated by the health tips of a woman she barely knows. She just wants to crawl back into bed; its only eight oclock in the morning on a Saturday. She stayed up late last night, hoping to catch up on sleep.
She drifts off.
Margarets visit drags on until evening. Natalie endures a torrent of criticism and valuable advice on watering plants, cleaning the bath, and polishing cutlery. She even gets a chance to practice a bit. She feels squeezed like a lemon. Throughout it all Victor never offers to help or suggest to his mother that they need a break.
Do you always have a mother this energetic? Natalie asks cautiously before bedtime.
She likes the idea of a big, closeknit family, but she also craves some distance.
Well, yes. What of it? She just wants to be friendly, Victor shrugs. We used to live with Emmas mum; it was cosy. Now shes bored on her own.
I hope were not living together threebythree, Natalie sighs.
Whats the problem? Youre against my mum? Victor snaps. Emma and she got along fine.
Natalie stays quiet. Emma is eight years younger and has a habit of ingratiating herself with people. Of course they were friends.
Margaret probably knows all her friends by name, diagnoses, ironed sheets perfectly, and bakes pies from her motherinlaws recipes. Natalie wont sign up for that happily ever after. Shes already got enough life experience to know that the fewer outsiders meddle in a couples affairs, the better. Victor, however, thinks otherwise.
My mum is very sociable. She can chat with anyone,
Thats fine, just not everyone will be thrilled, Natalie thinks, but says nothing.
Things get worse. Margaret returns the next day, early again, this time launching a fridge inspection.
Freerange eggs? I only make Victor quiche with quail eggs; theyre healthier for men, she declares, looking important. Your shelves arent very clean Youll eat that later. Natalie, could you wipe them down?
Honestly, I dont eat straight off the shelves, Natalie thinks.
Ill clean them, Margaret, she promises. We wanted to relax today. Its the weekend, after all
Victor, by the way, spends the day sleeping while Natalie endures his mothers endless chores.
Exactly! A weekend is for cooking and cleaning, Margaret says flatly. Grab a sponge and a cloth. Next weekend Ill teach you Victors favourite meat pie. Youll lick your fingers clean!
Natalie freezes, arms crossed over her chest. Shes not ready to be bossed around for a second day.
Margaret, could you maybe write down my number? So you can call before you drop by. I might have plans next weekend.
Call? I cant even visit my own son? the woman says, hurt.
Of course you can. Its just that your son now lives with a woman. Itd be lovely if we all respected each others schedules.
We never had such problems with Emma, Margaret retorts, smiling thinly.
My expartners mum never rang early in the morning, either, Natalie cuts in. She used to bring cherry pies. Want the recipe?
Margarets face tightens, a wrinkle deepening on her forehead, a flash of anger in her eyes.
Natalie, think carefully. In our family, the night owl never outstays the early bird.
Margaret leaves, but a sour feeling lingers with Natalie. She doesnt know what to do. Victor seems deaf to her; his mother treats their flat as if it were her own home. And the ghost of Emma haunts their relationship.
Emmas cabbage rolls were better Her mum taught her, Victor mutters over dinner.
Then let her teach you, and youll cook for me too, Natalie replies.
She suspects Margaret is trying to control her son, but doesnt want to discuss it. She simply wants to erase the issue from her life.
The next month passes quietly, without visits, until the pattern repeats. Natalie wakes to the doorbell. This time she decides firmly not to open.
Is that wrong? Maybe. But is it right to keep letting strangers barge into her home after a polite warning?
Within minutes, Victor appears in the hallway, halfasleep, annoyed, even angry.
Why arent you opening the door?
I dont want to! Im not. Guests should give notice and not rummage through cupboards, the fridge or the wardrobe.
You mean you wont? Shes my mother! Shes come to see me!
Then meet her elsewhere! Not in my flat.
Victors outburst echoes through the hallway, probably heard by the neighbours. He berates Natalie for rejecting his mother, and therefore him. Margaret shouts from outside, demanding entry, phone ringing nonstop.
In the end Natalie issues an ultimatum.
Enough! Either you send your mum home right now and explain to her what guest means, or we break up!
Victor chooses the latter.
Natalie isnt devastated. They havent even finished the paperwork. Maybe its for the best. She doesnt want a life that comes with a formergirlfriend saga and an overbearing mother.
A few weeks later an unexpected piece of news reaches Natalie. Victor has a new lover. Their mutual friend from the same office tells her.
We work together. She moved in with him and his mum, but now she wants to get out. She asked me to set you up, the friend smiles.
Really? For what reason?
If you believe Victors mum, youre the perfect woman: pretty, strongwilled, and a good cook.
Are we talking about Victors mum again?
Probably, because his mum seems to favor anyone whos no longer living with Victor, the friend shrugs.
Since then Natalie listens to outside opinions, but keeps her own head. She doesnt swallow everything she hears, yet she doesnt ignore rumours completely. She also treats men who constantly talk about exes and cling to their mums with great caution.
With such machos, life never works out a mother will always be first in line. That may be right, but only within sensible limits. Do you agree?
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