But she said she didn't let anyone walk all over her. I sat in silence, staring out the cafe window.
Folsom had changed and become more crowded. Or maybe it was I who had changed and become easier to ignore.
Rosie pushed a plate of lemon cake toward me and told me to eat because I had lost weight. I picked up the fork, because it was useless to argue with her.
I told her it was all the same. Melinda bosses everyone around while Phillip stays silent.
They treat everything in the house as if it were their property. They criticize me if I touch their things.
Melinda finds fault with every little thing. She says I didn't wash the dishes well or that I listen to the radio too loud.
Rosie asked me what Phillip thought of all this. I answered that he says nothing or simply plays it down.
He says I know Melinda and that she just likes to have everything under control. Rosie scoffed at that excuse.
She asked me about the grandchildren. I answered that Skyler understands and tries to defend me.
Jace has retreated into his world of video games and headphones. We used to walk and talk a lot, but now he barely comes out of his room.
Rosie said the situation clearly wasn't healthy for any of us. She told me I had to do something.
I asked what exactly I should do, since they had been with me for three years. They don't have the money to afford a place of their own.
Rosie told me I didn't have to throw them out, but that I had to set limits. She said that was my home and I deserved respect.
I sat in silence as her words echoed inside me. Something stirred within me, but it quickly faded because I was terrified of being alone.
I promised I would think about it. Rosie snorted skeptically, but changed the subject to a new computer system at the library.
I got home around five with the groceries. Usually Phillip does the shopping, but today he was working overtime.
The apartment was unusually quiet. Jace's door was closed and Skyler was at a friend's house.
Muffled voices came from the master bedroom. I quietly went into the kitchen and started unpacking the groceries.
Melinda's voice broke the silence through the closed door as she asked him if he was serious about the fifteen thousand dollars. I froze, listening, even though I knew it was wrong.
Phillip weakly said he was sure the team would win. Melinda, on the other hand, was almost shouting that it was all their savings.
I covered my mouth with my hand. Phillip had lost fifteen thousand dollars gambling.
He desperately promised to win it back because he had a system. Melinda's shrill laugh rang in my ears.
She said his system had gotten them into my house three years ago. Phillip tried to reassure her, saying he would pay it all back.
He said he could ask me for a favor. Melinda snapped that she'd had enough of favors and didn't want to depend on me any further.
I carefully set the bag of vegetables on the counter. My heart was pounding.
He had started gambling again and had lied to me. There was no overtime.
The bedroom door flew open. I barely had time to turn toward the fridge.
Melinda stormed out, slamming the door. She stopped when she saw me and said I was back already.
Her eyes were red with anger and her hair was disheveled. I asked her what was for dinner and told her I had bought everything for a casserole.
Melinda stared at me for a few seconds. She shook her head and said she was leaving.
She grabbed her bag and rushed out. I breathed a sigh of relief when Phillip came out of the bedroom looking pale.
He asked me if I had heard everything. I nodded and asked him how he could have lost fifteen thousand dollars.
He looked down like a child. He mumbled that he thought he would be lucky this time.
I took his hand and begged him to stop. He promised he would, but we both knew it was a lie.
I told him to go and rest and that I would call him when dinner was ready. I went back to cooking, but Rosie's words kept echoing in my head.
I knew Melinda's anger would eventually be taken out on me. Dinner passed in an oppressive silence.
Phillip barely touched his food. Skyler tried to lighten the mood but gave up right away.
After dinner, I washed the dishes while Phillip watched TV. Melinda came back around ten and she wasn't alone.
She was laughing with a woman named Jessica. Melinda said Phillip was probably sleeping and that the old lady was unlikely to start poking her nose in.
I stood still in the doorway of my bedroom. I wondered if she was talking about me.
Jessica asked if living with her husband's mother was uncomfortable. Melinda answered that it was a temporary solution because they had almost saved enough to buy a house.
She was lying. Melinda said I meddle in everything and that I'm the classic stereotypical grandmother.
Jessica said her own mother-in-law was a real nuisance too. They both laughed, and a lump formed in my throat.
Melinda said the hardest part was pretending to appreciate my favors, like the laundry and the cleaning. Jessica asked her why she didn't just leave.
Melinda sighed and mentioned the cost of housing. She said that for now they had to put up with the old burden.
I quietly closed my bedroom door and sat on the edge of the bed. My hands were shaking, but I didn't let the tears fall.
I looked at my hands and remembered how they had held newborns and closed the eyes of the dying. Melinda thought they were just tools in the service of her family.
Rosie's voice echoed in my mind again. Something broke inside me, like ice on a river.
The week after that conversation felt endless. Melinda's words rang in my ears every time I saw her.
Friday evening I was dusting the living room when Melinda came home earlier than expected. She said we needed to talk.
I set down the duster and asked her if something had happened. She told me she had gotten a promotion and was now the manager of the laundry chain.
I congratulated her. She said she had to work from home and needed a home office.
She said she was thinking of using my room. I froze and asked her where I was supposed to sleep.
Melinda shrugged and suggested the storage room. She said it was too big for one person and that anyway I only slept in it.
A wave of anger swept over me. I said I needed to think about it.
Melinda smiled smugly and said she wanted to start rearranging everything tomorrow. She had already ordered the furniture.
I asked her if she had talked to Phillip about it. She replied that he completely agreed and that this was their chance to get back on their feet.
I said I would talk to him. Phillip came home later and I asked him if he was okay with putting me in a storage room.
He looked down and said it was only temporary. He added that they would make it more comfortable with a nice bed.
I sighed and said it was a matter of respect. That was my home and I was still paying the mortgage.
Phillip said he was trying to provide for his family. He claimed the promotion was their chance to make up for their mistakes.
I asked how long it would take. I asked when he would do something for himself instead of just pleasing Melinda.
He stayed silent. I told him to talk to Melinda.
The next morning, I woke up to the sound of furniture being moved. I asked what was going on.
Melinda said they were getting ready to rearrange things. Phillip avoided my gaze.
I said I hadn't given my consent. Melinda snapped that there was no time because she had to start work on Monday.
I told them not to touch anything in my room. I went back to my room and felt strangely free.
By evening I still hadn't made a final decision. Skyler brought me some tea and said it wasn't fair.
She said they couldn't force me into the storage room. I replied that I had led them to believe I would give in.
Skyler hoped I wouldn't this time. Melinda walked in without knocking.
She told Skyler to go help her father with the boxes. Melinda started measuring the wall.
I said the answer was no. Melinda froze and said there was nothing to discuss.
I told her to find another solution. She asked me if she should take over the children's rooms.
She said I was retired and only needed a closet. Skyler was shocked by her bluntness.
Melinda told her to go to her father. Skyler said she would stay with me because it was my room.
Phillip appeared in the doorway. Melinda said I had refused to move for the sake of my junk.
She pointed at the records. I said it wasn't junk, but my life with George.
Melinda suggested selling them because we needed money. I answered that I would not sell my memories.
Melinda said she would take back her office even if it meant hauling the stuff to the dump. She picked up a rare album.
I told her not to dare touch it. Melinda laughed and said I was too scared to be on my own.
She said I only lived there because they put up with me. The silence was deafening.
I asked her what she had said. Melinda repeated that this was their home now and that I was just an old woman clinging to the past.
I told her she was right to want to face the truth. I reminded her that I had paid for that apartment and that they had moved in because Phillip had lost his money.
Melinda turned pale. I told Phillip I had stopped letting myself be walked over.
I took the record back from her and said no one touches my things. I told them to find another place to live if they didn't like it.
I went to my room and felt strangely calm. I looked at the old photo album and remembered the day we bought the apartment, in 1987.
George and I worked hard for it. We did all the renovation work ourselves.
We threw housewarming parties and bought records every month. Now Melinda wanted to throw it all away.
I decided to go to the bank and to a lawyer. The bank clerk told me I had only three payments left on the mortgage.
The lawyer said I had the legal right to ask them to leave. He called the situation emotional abuse.
I told the family I would spend a week with Rosie. Melinda was furious because she wanted me to cook and clean.
Phillip apologized, but I told him that apologies only count when they are followed by change. I spent a wonderful week with Rosie.
The kids called every evening saying they missed me. I came back with an official eviction notice.
I handed the envelope to Phillip. Melinda screamed that I couldn't make them leave.
I told her that thirty days was more than the law required. I offered the children the chance to stay with me.
Skyler and Jace both chose to stay. Melinda left in a rage, followed by Phillip.
I found myself alone with my grandchildren. I put on a record by a jazz artist that George adored.
I started dancing in the living room. Skyler said she hadn't seen me dance in years.
I told her it was time to remember how. I had finally gone back to being myself.
