Sometimes I just couldn't stand it anymore. I'd ask Fay to clean up after herself, but Rebecca would immediately smooth things over.
"A little mess gives the house character. Too clean and it doesn't feel like a home."
Connor would chime in too.
"My family's lived like this our whole lives. You can't expect people to change overnight. Just be a little more understanding."
But now?
My mother had dropped a single strand of hair.
And they wanted to throw her out in the middle of the night.
I pushed away the money Connor held out and said coldly, "My mother isn't going anywhere tonight."
"She's staying here."
Rebecca's face twisted with panic.
"Zoe, there are only three bedrooms in this house. One for you and Connor, one for me, one for my daughter and my granddaughter. Where exactly is your mother supposed to sleep?"
I stared at her, a fire burning in my chest.
"Rebecca, I cleaned the guest room yesterday specifically for my mother. You went behind my back and invited your daughter and her kid over to take that room. And now you're telling me there's no space?"
I'd known my mother was coming. I'd scrubbed the guest room spotless, put on fresh sheets, bought new slippers and a brand-new set of toiletries. Everything was ready for her.
Then I went to work for a single shift. By the time I got home, Fay was back again, barely two days after her last visit, with her daughter in tow.
The fresh sheets I'd laid out were soaked with her daughter's urine.
The new slippers were on Fay's feet.
The toiletries had been squeezed and smeared across every surface in the room.
I'd been furious. Everything I'd carefully prepared for my mother, ruined.
Rebecca had talked me down.
"Kids are kids. They make messes. We already scolded her."
"Zoe, my daughter isn't as lucky as you. She didn't marry a good man."
"Her husband has a terrible temper. They fight constantly. What's she supposed to do? She has nowhere else to go but here."
"When your mother arrives, I'll have my daughter squeeze in with me. It absolutely won't affect your mother's stay."
Connor had backed her up.
"My sister's raising a kid on her own. Cut her some slack. When your mom gets here, I'll replace everything brand new, exactly what you bought. I promise she'll be comfortable."
They'd both sworn up and down, so I swallowed my anger and let it go.
But now I saw it clearly.
They had never intended to let my mother stay in this house. Not from the beginning.
That was why they'd brought Fay and her kid in to take the room. That was why they'd picked a fight with my mother over nothing.
When I brought this up, Rebecca's expression flickered, but she recovered quickly, her voice righteous as ever.
"Zoe, that's not fair."
"My daughter came because she was in trouble. We're her family. It's only right that we help each other out."
"Your mother just came to visit because she had nothing better to do. There's really no need for her to stay overnight."
"Besides, it's not like we're leaving her on the street. A motel for forty bucks a night, cheap and simple. My son even offered to pay. What more do you want?"
What more did I want?
I wanted my mother to sleep in the house I'd paid for.
Was that really too much to ask?
I was about to say exactly that when my mother tugged at my sleeve and whispered, "Zoe, don't let me cause problems between you and your family. I'll go to the motel. It's fine."
Then she lowered her head and smiled apologetically at Rebecca and the others.
"I'm so sorry for the trouble. I'll head out now. Please don't fight with Zoe because of me."
