I looked him in the eyes, and for the first time in twenty years, I wasn’t afraid to tell the truth. «Yes, I blocked it,» I replied calmly.
«What? Why would you do that? Grace is at the checkout with a cart full of things. She’s being completely embarrassed,» Edward said, raising his voice.
«I didn’t give her permission to use my card. That money is mine,» I said, maintaining my composure.
«Mom, don’t start with that now. Grace was just going to buy a few things we need for the house. It’s not a big deal. Call the bank and unblock the card right now,» Edward ordered, with that authoritarian tone he had developed over the years.
«No!» I said simply.
Edward fell silent, looking at me as if he couldn’t believe what he had just heard. It was probably the first time in two decades that I had said no to him.
«What do you mean no, Mom? You’re not understanding? Grace is waiting at the mall with $82,000 worth of purchases. Do you have any idea how embarrassed she is right now?» Edward set his face, now red with anger.
«$82,000!» I repeated slowly, feeling the words burn my throat. «Edward, she was going to spend $82,000 of my money without even asking me.»
«It’s for the house, Mom. A new TV, a living room set, appliances that we need to replace. It’s not like it’s just for her,» Edward explained, as if that justified everything.
«I did not authorize those expenses. I saved that money working for 40 years. It’s not family money, it’s my money,» I said with a firm voice, though I was shaking inside.
«Mom, you live in this house. You use the electricity, the water, the gas, the internet. All of that costs money. Or do you think it’s free? It’s only fair that you contribute,» Edward said, crossing his arms.
«I give you my entire pension every month, $500 that you never give back. I cook, I clean, I wash, I iron. Isn’t that contributing?» I asked, feeling my voice break, but I stood my ground.
«That $500 doesn’t even cover your food expenses. Mom, you’re being selfish. You have $130,000 saved up that you’re not using for anything. What do you want it for? What are you going to do with it at your age?» Edward said. And those words hurt me more than any physical blow.
«At my age,» as if at 68, I no longer deserved to have dreams, plans, dignity. «That money is to buy my own apartment and stop being a burden to you,» I said. And I saw Edward’s eyes widen in surprise.
«What are you talking about? Nobody said you’re a burden,» Edward replied, but his voice didn’t sound convincing.
«You just said it five minutes ago in the living room. You told Grace I lived here for free, that I ate her food, that I used her utilities. That I was old and didn’t need that much money,» I said. And I saw Edward’s face go pale as he realized I had heard everything.
There was a long, uncomfortable silence. Edward opened his mouth several times as if trying to find words, but nothing came out. «Mom, I… I didn’t mean it like that,» he finally said, but without looking me in the eye.
«But you said it, and you thought it. And right now you’re more worried about Grace’s embarrassment at the mall than the fact that she tried to spend $82,000 of my dollars without my permission,» I said, feeling the tears trying to escape, but I kept holding them back.
«She’s my wife, Mom. It’s normal for me to defend her,» Edward said.
«And I’m your mother. Isn’t it normal for you to defend me?» I asked. And the question hung in the air between us like a ghost.
Edward fell silent again. He looked at his phone. Then he looked at me. Then he looked back at the phone. I could see the conflict on his face, the battle between his conscience and his loyalty to Grace.
«Mom, please just unblock the card for today. Grace is already there. She’s already picked everything out. We can’t leave her looking like a fool. We can talk about this calmly later,» Edward said in a softer tone, now trying to manipulate me with guilt.
«No, Edward. And tell Grace to come home. The three of us need to talk,» I said with a firmness I didn’t know I had.
«Mom, don’t make this bigger than it is. Please,» Edward pleaded.
«I didn’t do anything. You are the ones who took my card without permission. You are the ones who were planning to spend my money as if it were yours. I’m just protecting what belongs to me,» I said. And I took a step back to close my bedroom door.
Edward stood in front of my closed door. I heard him knock gently with his knuckles. «Mom, open up, please. Don’t be mad,» he said in that voice he used when he was a boy and did something wrong. The voice that used to melt my heart but now just made me angry.
I didn’t answer. I sat on my bed and waited. I heard his footsteps walking away. I heard him talking on the phone with Grace in a low voice. I heard him explain that I had blocked the card. I also heard Grace’s screams from the other end of the phone, so loud they came through the receiver.
«Your mother is crazy! I’m standing here like an idiot in front of all these people. The cashier already called the manager. This is humiliating!» Grace screamed, and I didn’t feel a single ounce of guilt.
Let her feel embarrassed. Let her feel what it’s like when someone makes you look bad. I had felt embarrassed for 20 years every time I was introduced as «the mom who lives with us» at family gatherings. Every time Grace told her friends that I «helped around the house,» as if I were the maid.
Half an hour passed before I heard Grace’s car pull up. The door slammed open so hard it shook the walls. I heard her heels clicking on the hardwood floor, the sound that always announced a storm.
«Where is your mother?» Grace asked in a voice full of venom.
«Grace, calm down. Let’s talk about this calmly,» Edward said, trying to appease her.
«Calmly? Calmly! Your mother put me through the biggest embarrassment of my life. There were like 20 people watching while the cashier tried to run the card over and over. I had to leave everything there and run out!» Grace screamed, and I could picture her perfectly with her red face and her hands waving in the air.
«I know, honey, I know. But she heard what we talked about this morning. She’s upset,» Edward explained.
«So what if she heard? We told the truth! She lives here without paying for anything. The least she can do is help us when we need it. It’s not fair that she has $130,000 saved up while we’re killing ourselves, working and paying all the bills for this house,» Grace said, and every word confirmed what I already knew. To her, I wasn’t a person, I was a source of money.
I got up from the bed and opened my bedroom door. I walked towards the living room where they were both standing. Grace looked at me with those eyes full of fury, still holding the empty shopping bags.
«Josephine, we need to talk seriously,» Grace said, without even greeting me, without a «hello» or «good afternoon.»
«Yes, we need to talk,» I replied calmly, and I sat in the armchair that was the only place they allowed me to sit. The large sofa was Grace’s exclusive territory.
«Why did you block your card? Why did you embarrass me like that?» Grace attacked immediately.
«I didn’t embarrass you. You brought it on yourself by trying to spend $82,000 of my money without my permission,» I replied, looking her directly in the eye.
«It’s not just your money. This is a family. Families share!» Grace shouted, taking a step towards me.
«I am not your family, Grace. I am Edward’s mother, and my money is mine. I earned it, I saved it, and I decide what to do with it,» I said, keeping my tone calm, even though inside I wanted to scream everything I had held back for 15 years.
«Mom, please don’t be like that. Grace just wanted to buy things we really need for the house. The TV in the living room is 8 years old. The couch is all worn out. The refrigerator is making weird noises,» Edward intervened, trying to justify the unjustifiable.
«If you need those things, buy them with your own money. You both work. Edward makes good money as an engineer. Grace works at that clothing store. You have two salaries. Why do you need mine?» I asked.
«Because we have expenses, Josephine. This house doesn’t maintain itself. The mortgage is $1,200 a month, utilities another $300, food about $500, the internet, phones, the car insurance. It all adds up. There’s nothing left at the end of the month,» Grace explained in that victim tone she knew how to use so well.
«I give you $500 for my pension every month. That helps,» I said.
«$500 is nothing, Josephine. That barely covers your food,» Grace said with contempt.
«Then let me go. Let me buy my apartment with my money and stop being a burden to you,» I said. And I saw Grace and Edward exchange a quick glance, a look I couldn’t interpret at the time, but later understood perfectly.
«Mom, don’t say that. Nobody wants you to leave. This is your home,» Edward said. But his words sounded hollow, rehearsed.
«This is not my home, Edward. You said it yourself this morning. This is your house. I just live here,» I said, feeling my voice finally break.
«Oh, for God’s sake, don’t start with the drama, Josephine. Nobody said that. Edward was just talking,» Grace intervened, rolling her eyes.
«He did say it, and he’s right. That’s why I want to leave. I want my own place, where I’m the owner, where I pay my own bills, where nobody makes me feel like I’m a burden,» I said, and the tears finally started to roll down my cheeks.
«Mom, you can’t live alone. You’re 68 years old. What if you get sick? What if you fall? Who’s going to take care of you?» Edward said with that fake concern that angered me more than his insults.
«I’m 68, not 108. I’m perfectly healthy. I can take care of myself. I did it for 40 years before I came to live here,» I replied, wiping my tears with the back of my hand.
«But it’s different now, Mom. You’re older now. You need to be with family,» Edward insisted.
«What I need is respect and dignity, and I don’t have that here,» I said, getting up from the armchair.
«Look, Josephine, let’s be honest,» Grace began, crossing her arms. «You have nowhere to go. You have no other family. Your friends are in the same boat as you, or worse. You have no one. If you leave here, you’ll end up alone in some sad little apartment, eating alone, watching TV alone, dying alone. Is that what you want?»
