Our mum left us quite early on, and while I was somewhat prepared for ithaving watched her struggle daily with kidney disease and knowing how much pain she enduredmy little sister Molly, five years younger than me, was utterly bewildered. We were left with only Dad and Granny, neither of whom could ever fill Mums shoes. Molly would often lash out at me, grumbling that I was the eldest and had spent more time with Mum, that I knew her better, and all she had left were photos.
Mostly, these were old snaps from faded albums, dominated by wedding pictures and shots of Mum when she was expecting. We hadnt clocked it at first, but Molly had developed a fixation with becoming Mumgetting married as soon as possible, having a baby, and recreating her own little world to somehow replace the family she so desperately missed.
She got married before I did, aged twenty, because, well, the baby was already on its way. Some were thrilled, others took it as a shock. I couldnt fathom the rush; her studies werent finished and she worked part-time. Yet every month of her pregnancy things got odder. At first, Molly was simply glowing, but then I noticed she became seriously anxious about her unborn child, obsessing over every detail because she believed their healthhers and the babysdepended on it.
It was harmless enough until Molly started having meltdowns at mealtimes (whether at home or at restaurants). If her food wasnt exactly what she wanted or didnt taste precisely as she imagined, shed go volcanic. Once, in a fit of rage, she flung a plate of fish at the waiter in the seaside pub Dad used to take us to when we were kids, all because there was a bone in it.
Now shes retreated completely. Molly stays at home, and her world really only revolves around her pregnancy bump and her husband. She doesnt want to see anyone else and practically smothers him with her attention. He occasionally pops round after work to escape for a bit, telling me shes become intolerableconstantly chatting to the baby, narrating her moods, swinging from one extreme to another, convinced shes ill, insisting on trips to the hospital for endless tests, then deciding doctors know nothing and planning a home birth
Honestly, Im worried about Molly and her unborn child. Dad hasnt noticed anything off; Granny says its just hormones; her husband can barely cope, but no ones pretending its normal. The truth is, nobody really knows who to turn to or what on earth to do about it…
