Natalie was on her way home from work. It had been an incredibly grueling day, and she was exhausted, dreaming of nothing but lying down for some rest. She worked at a local hospital and shared a three-bedroom apartment with her mother and her younger sister, Megan. Buying her own place was a distant dream; her entire paycheck went toward supporting their small household. Her mother's Social Security check was meager, and Megan was a university student who wasn't working yet.
As Natalie stepped into the apartment, she bumped into her sister at the door. Megan was clearly in a hurry to get somewhere.
"I'll be back late, don't wait up!" Megan tossed over her shoulder as she rushed past.
"Where are you going, Meg?" Natalie managed to ask just before the door slammed shut.
Their mother walked out from the living room.
"Oh, Natalie, you're home. Did you stop by the store? We're out of sugar and we need something to have with tea."
"Mom, why didn't Megan go? She's been home all day," Natalie said, her frustration rising.
The students at Megan's university had been moved to remote learning, and she had been doing her classes from home for two months now.
"Natalie, why must you start complaining the second you walk in? Is it really that hard to just go? The store is right around the corner," her mother said, sounding agitated.
Natalie had no choice but to turn around and head back out to the store. Any hope of rest had vanished.
***
When Natalie returned from the store, she noticed that nothing had been started for dinner. There was a mountain of dirty dishes in the sink, and a pile of dry, wrinkled laundry sat untouched on the ironing board.
Natalie couldn't stand clutter. She immediately got to work, and an hour and a half later, a delicious dinner was ready, and the apartment was spotless.
Finally, Natalie sat down to catch her breath and talk to her mother.
"Mom, I'll be home late tomorrow. I'm going to Sarah's birthday party. You remember her from high school, right?"
"That flirt?" her mother snapped, instantly souring the mood. "I remember her. Why do you even hang out with her? What do you two even have in common?"
"Mom, why would you call her that? She's a perfectly normal person!"
"Oh, I remember. I remember how she spent the whole night at prom twirling around with all the boys!"
"What's so bad about that? That was years ago. She's married now and has a kid. Her husband adores her—he's throwing her a surprise party at a café tomorrow."
"Adores her, please," her mother scoffed. "He's probably just as much of a social climber as she is."
Natalie dropped the subject, realizing there was no use trying to change her mother's mind.
***
The next day, Natalie was in high spirits, looking forward to a wonderful evening. She had bought a new dress for the occasion and had her hair done. Her excitement was fueled by the knowledge that Sarah's brother, Mark, would be at the party. Natalie had had a crush on him for a long time.
At exactly 6:00 PM, all the friends gathered at the café. Sarah was completely blindsided by the surprise and was overjoyed. Everyone was having a great time, including Mark. Everything was going exactly as Natalie had hoped.
Just as the first toast was made and dinner began, Natalie's phone rang. She saw it was Megan calling. Stepping away from the table, she answered quietly.
"Hey, Megan. What's up?"
"Natalie, you have to come home right now! Mom's blood pressure is through the roof—it's 200 over 100. I don't know what to do, please hurry!" Megan was nearly sobbing into the phone.
"Megan, call 911! I'm on my way!" Natalie regretfully said her goodbyes, apologized to Sarah, and prepared to leave.
Sarah stepped in immediately and asked Mark to give Natalie a ride home and then come back. Mark happily agreed; he had liked Natalie for a long time but hadn't quite found the courage to approach her. As he dropped her off at her building, Mark finally gathered his nerve and asked for her number.
***
Natalie rushed into the apartment, but everything seemed calm. Her mother was lying in her room watching TV, and Megan was in her own room.
"Mom? Megan? What happened? Did the paramedics come?" Natalie asked breathlessly.
"Oh, we didn't end up calling them," her mother replied, looking quite energetic. "I took a pill and my pressure went right down. I feel fine now."
"Oh, Natalie, since you're home anyway, I think I'll head out for a bit," Megan said, already grabbing her coat.
Natalie was on the verge of tears. On one hand, she was devastated that her evening was ruined; on the other, she felt guilty for being angry at her family, suspecting them of being selfish.
The evening was unexpectedly saved by Mark. He called to check on how Natalie's mother was doing. They ended up talking for nearly an hour and a half. By the end of the call, Mark asked if she'd like to go out somewhere this weekend. Natalie happily agreed.
***
On Saturday, Natalie was getting ready for her date with Mark. Megan picked up on her sister's romantic mood and decided to gatecrash the plans. Their mother backed Megan up, practically begging Natalie to take her sister along... "just in case."
Natalie checked with Mark to see if he minded a third wheel. He didn't care; he wanted to see Natalie so badly that he would have agreed to almost any condition.
Mark picked up Natalie and Megan and took them to a local bistro. They had a great time. Mark told jokes and funny stories, and afterward, he drove them home. Megan ran inside immediately, but Natalie stayed behind for a few moments by the entrance. The night ended with a kiss.
From that day on, Natalie and Mark began dating steadily. He came over often, and they spent a lot of time together. Sometimes Megan would join them. Natalie felt like Mark was becoming part of the family and that her mother and sister were happy for her.
However, after a while, Natalie noticed that Mark seemed to be avoiding Megan. He started coming over to the apartment less frequently, suggesting they meet at places far from her neighborhood and asking to spend time just the two of them. Natalie tried to talk to him about it, but he avoided giving a straight answer.
One evening, Natalie was on her laptop chatting with Mark on social media. Megan came into the room, spoke sweetly to her sister, and suggested they have some tea together. Natalie agreed and happily went to put the kettle on. After tea, Natalie took a shower and went to bed early.
***
The next day, Natalie couldn't get a hold of Mark. His phone was on, but he wasn't answering. She decided to log on to see when he had last been active online.
When she opened their chat from the previous night, her face went pale. There were messages sent from her account, following their "goodnight" exchange, that she hadn't written.
Her last actual message had been: "Goodnight." Mark had replied: "Goodnight, babe! Love you!"
It was after that message that Natalie had gone to make tea. But the transcript continued: "Mark, it actually grosses me out when you call me 'babe.' I like you, but you're just too clingy and sweet. I need a man with some actual backbone. And I think I've found someone like that. We're done."
Natalie began to shake. She realized why Mark wasn't answering his phone. she burst into Megan's room, but her sister wasn't home. Natalie tried to tell her mother what Megan had done, but her mother dismissed it as an "innocent prank" and told Natalie to calm down, saying there were "plenty of fish in the sea." She even defended Megan, saying she was doing Natalie a favor by getting rid of a "pushover" like Mark.
Natalie called Sarah and told her everything, including the fact that she couldn't reach Mark. Sarah suggested they drive over to his office together to straighten things out.
***
Mark was stunned when Natalie and his sister showed up at his workplace. As it turned out, he had accidentally left his phone at home and hadn't seen the social media messages yet. After they had said goodnight the previous evening, he had simply gone to sleep.
Natalie breathed a sigh of relief and told him the whole story. Mark advised Natalie to have a very serious talk with her sister, mentioning that Megan had tried to pull several stunts behind Natalie's back recently. He didn't go into detail, but added that it was exactly why he had been avoiding the apartment and Megan's company lately.
When Natalie got home, she confronted her sister. Megan denied everything, even acting offended that Natalie would accuse her. Their mother, as usual, took Megan's side.
***
Shortly after that incident, Mark proposed to Natalie, and they were married a few months later. Natalie moved into Mark's house and is very happy. However, at least once a week, she still stops by to see her mother and sister. She brings them groceries, listens to their endless criticisms, cleans up the apartment, and then hurries back home to the man she loves.
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