“The kids are so excited and Sadie has already decided that she wants the bed by the window in the sewing room,” she said. It bothered me that she spoke as if my sanctuary already belonged to her children.
“And my mother Gladys is so grateful because she is getting very forgetful lately,” Penelope continued with a sigh. She was using emotional manipulation to make me feel like I was responsible for her mother’s well-being.
“Where exactly are you and Randall planning to sleep?” I asked while keeping my expression neutral. She explained that they would be on a sofa bed in the living room until they could find a larger house which I knew was a total lie.
“We are also going to help you with the monthly expenses because we know everything is expensive these days,” she added. I asked her exactly how much they planned to contribute and the question seemed to catch her completely off guard.
“Well, we were thinking of giving you whatever we can spare each month,” she replied while looking down at her coffee. That meant they would likely give me nothing while I paid for the increased utility bills for five people.