I knew it.
That’s when the tears started.
“Emily, please,” she sniffled, trying to look pitiful. “I don’t have anywhere else. You know how hard things have been for me.”
I held up a hand. “Save it, Lisa. I’ve heard it all before. I gave you years of free rent, free food, free everything, and you repay me by laughing about how stupid I was behind my back. I think I’ve been more than generous.”
“But… but…”
She looked around frantically, like the walls were closing in. I could see the wheels turning in her head.
Lisa had never been held accountable for anything in her life. Every time she messed up, someone bailed her out. And if it wasn’t me, it was our family.
Which is exactly why I wasn’t surprised when she played her next card.
“I’m calling Aunt Marie,” she snapped, grabbing her phone.
Ah, yes. The family intervention move.
I didn’t even try to stop her.
Within 10 minutes, my phone rang.
“Emily,” came Aunt Marie’s signature disappointed sigh. “Lisa just told me what’s going on. You’re really kicking your own cousin out on the street?”
I held back a laugh. “She has a job, Aunt Marie. She’s not going on the street.”
“You know she’s struggling.”
“She’s struggling because she spends all her money on takeout and online shopping,” I said. “She’s not struggling enough to cut back on Starbucks, but she’s struggling too much to pay rent. Funny how that works.”
“She’s family,” Aunt Marie said, like that was some kind of magical argument that made everything okay.
I let out a breath. “So you’ll take her in, then?”
Silence.
Aunt Marie stammered. “Well, I… I can’t do that. You know how small our place is, and—”
“Right. So she’s my responsibility, but not yours.”
“That’s not what I said.”
“That’s exactly what you said,” I cut in. “You don’t actually care about Lisa having a place to stay. You just don’t want to deal with her yourself.”
Silence.