My name is Rebecca, I’m thirty-two years old, and I work for a big company that has branches all over Europe. My job is basically to travel around and check on these foreign offices. It sounds cooler than it is; mostly I’m just looking at spreadsheets.
I got assigned to a six-month business trip that would take me to eight different countries. The company pays for everything, so I can’t complain. But six months is a long time to be away from home. I live in a nice house that I bought three years ago. It’s nothing fancy, but it’s mine, and I love it.
You can’t just leave a house empty for half a year, so I asked my parents if they could keep an eye on the place. My parents, Margaret and David, are both fifty-eight and retired. I also have a younger sister named Jessica. She’s twenty-eight and married to a guy named Mark. Jessica was always the favorite child—prettier, more social, better at keeping Mom and Dad happy.
“Of course, honey, we’ll take care of everything,” Mom said when I asked. “Just give us the spare key.”
I flew out to Frankfurt first. About two weeks later, I got a call from Mom.
“Hi, honey,” she said. “We have a favor to ask. You remember Jessica’s in-laws? Mark’s parents, Robert and Linda?”
“Yeah, from the wedding. They seemed nice.”
“They just moved to our city and are looking for a house, but don’t want to waste money on rent. We were thinking… maybe they could stay at your place? Temporarily, just until they find their own.”
My stomach dropped. “Mom, I don’t know. That’s my house.”
“They’re family now. And you met them, they’re very nice people. It would mean so much to Jessica.”
I thought about it. My house was just sitting there empty. “Fine,” I sighed. “But only temporarily, and I want them out before I get back.”
“Of course! Thank you so much, honey!”
An hour later, Jessica called. “Rebecca, thank you so much! This will really help me get closer to Mark’s parents.”
“Just make sure they understand it’s temporary.”
“Of course! They’re so grateful.”
The weeks flew by. About two months later, I got a call that changed everything. It was from Mrs. Patterson, my elderly neighbor.
“Rebecca, it’s Mrs. Patterson.”
“Oh, hi! Is everything okay with the house?”
“Well, that’s why I’m calling. Your new tenants seemed very decent at first, but now there are regular parties happening at your house.”
“Parties?” I couldn’t believe it.
“Yes, dear. Your parents and other people gather there, and they have a lot of fun, almost until morning. I thought you should know.”
I was shocked. A few minutes later, my phone started buzzing with messages from Mrs. Patterson: photos and videos of my house at night, loud music, people on my lawn, cars parked everywhere. They were treating my house like some kind of party venue. I immediately called my mother.
“Mom, the neighbors are complaining about Robert and Linda! They’re throwing parties in my house!”
There was a pause. “Oh, that. Well, Rebecca, nothing terrible is happening. They’re just making new friends.”
“Sometimes? Mom, this looks like every night! And look how these people are behaving!”
“You’re being dramatic, honey.”
“I don’t like this at all, Mom. This needs to stop.” And then she hung up on me. Just like that.
I called back immediately but got voicemail. I tried Dad’s phone. Same thing. So, I called Jessica.
“Jessica, I need Robert and Linda’s phone number. I need to talk to them.”
“What are you talking about?”
“They’re throwing parties! The neighbors are complaining!”
“Rebecca, you’re totally overreacting. They’re just being social.”
“I want their phone number so I can talk to them myself.”
“I’m not giving you their number. You’re making a big deal out of nothing.” And then she hung up, too.
After my family hung up on me, I was so angry I couldn’t think straight. I stopped calling them. What was the point? They’d made it clear whose side they were on, and it wasn’t mine.
I threw myself into work, trying to get everything done early. I just wanted to go home and reclaim my house. Finally, I managed to finish about two weeks ahead of schedule. Three days before my flight, I sent a text to both my mother and Jessica: I’m coming home in three days. Make sure Robert and Linda are out of my house by then.
I saw that both of them read the messages. Neither one responded.
The flight home felt like it took forever. When I finally landed, I was dead tired but wired with nervous energy. As the taxi pulled up to my street, I saw cars in my driveway. My heart sank.
I walked up to my front door, pulled out my key, and tried to put it in the lock. It didn’t fit. I tried again. No, the lock was completely different.
For a few seconds, I just stood there in complete shock. These people had actually changed the locks to keep me out of my own home.
I started knocking on the door, hard. “Hey! Open up! This is my house!”
I could see lights turning on inside, but nobody came. I kept knocking and shouting. Finally, after about five minutes of me pounding on my own front door, Linda opened it. She was wearing a bathrobe and looked annoyed, like I was bothering her.
“Rebecca. You’re back early.”
“Yeah, I’m back early, and I want to know why my key doesn’t work in my own front door.”
“We changed the locks for security reasons. Look, we haven’t found a house yet, so we’re not ready to leave. You’ll have to stay somewhere else for now.”
I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. “Are you insane? This is my house!”
“We’ll discuss this later. It’s late.” And then she closed the door in my face. At my own house.
I stood there for a minute, shaking with rage. Then I called Jessica.
“Jessica, your mother-in-law just told me I can’t come into my own house because they changed the locks. What the hell is going on?”
“Rebecca, please don’t make a scene. Come to Mom and Dad’s house. We need to have a serious conversation.”
I didn’t have much choice. I left my suitcase with Mrs. Patterson next door and drove to my parents’ house. When I walked in, it was like walking into an ambush. Mom, Dad, Jessica, and Mark were all sitting in the living room with serious, determined looks on their faces.
“What’s going on?” I demanded. “Why can’t I get into my own house?”
Jessica stood up. “Sit down, Rebecca. We had a family meeting last week, and we made some decisions. Robert and Linda are going to stay in your house.”
I felt like someone had punched me in the stomach. “What do you mean, ‘stay’?”
“They spent some of the money from selling their old house on traveling and shopping. So now they don’t have enough to buy a decent place here. Mark and I are going to save up and help them, but that’s going to take time.”
“How much time?”
Mark spoke up for the first time. “We need to save about $100,000.”
“$100,000?” I almost choked. “And where am I supposed to live while you’re saving up this money?”
Jessica looked at me like I was being unreasonable. “You can rent an apartment for now. It’s not that big a deal.”
I looked at my parents, waiting for them to say something, anything. Instead, Dad nodded. “It’s a good solution, Rebecca. It helps the family.”
Mom added, “It’s just temporary, honey.”
I realized then that they were all in on this. My whole family had gotten together and decided to give away my house without even asking me. I smiled at them. It wasn’t a happy smile.
“Okay,” I said. “I’ll solve this problem on my own.”
They all looked relieved. Jessica actually smiled back. “I knew you’d understand eventually. You’re such a good sister.”
I just turned around and walked out. They thought they’d won. They thought they’d convinced me to just roll over.
That night, I stayed with Mrs. Patterson, knowing exactly what I was going to do in the morning. I woke up early and the first thing I did was call the police.
“I need to report squatters in my house,” I told the dispatcher. “People are living there without my permission. They changed the locks and are refusing to leave.”
Within thirty minutes, two police officers showed up. I met them outside. “You’re the homeowner?” one of them asked.
“Yes. These people have been staying here temporarily, but now they’ve changed the locks and are refusing to let me in.”
The officers walked up and knocked. It took a few minutes, but eventually, Robert answered. He looked nervous when he saw the cops. They started talking about how I had given them permission, how they were family, all that garbage. But then I showed the police the locks.
“These are different,” I said. “They changed them without my knowledge.”
One of the officers looked back at Robert and Linda. “Is this true? Did you change the locks?”
“Well, yes, but for security reasons,” Linda said.
“Ma’am, this is her house. You can’t change the locks on someone else’s property without permission. And you can’t refuse to let the homeowner into their own house.”
“But we don’t have anywhere else to go!” Robert protested.
“That’s not our problem,” the second officer said. “You’re acting illegally. If you don’t leave voluntarily, you can be arrested for trespassing.”
Robert and Linda looked at me with pure hatred. I could see Linda pulling out her phone, probably calling my sister.
“How long do we have?” Linda asked.
“You need to be out today. If we get another call about this, you’ll be arrested.”
Sure enough, about five minutes after the police left, my phone started ringing. It was Jessica. I didn’t answer. Let her leave a voicemail. I finally went into my own house and was furious at what I saw. They had rearranged everything, painted the living room some ugly beige, and there were stains on my carpet.
“What the hell is this?” I said to Linda.
“It’s just paint and some pictures.”
“If you don’t put everything back the way it was, I’m going to sue you for property damage.”
That got their attention. “We’ll change it back,” Robert said quickly.
About an hour later, my front door burst open. In came my parents, Jessica, and Mark. They all looked furious.
“Rebecca, what have you done?” Mom yelled. “You called the police on Robert and Linda!”
“They were squatting in my house illegally. Of course, I called the police.”
“They’re family!” Jessica shouted. “You’re being selfish, and you’re ruining my relationship with my in-laws!”
“If you care so much about your in-laws, let them live with you.”
“Our apartment is too small,” Mark said.
“Then find them a bigger apartment and pay for it yourself. They’re not living in my house.”
“You’re being horrible!” Jessica’s face was red with anger. “They spent their money, and now they need help!”
“They spent their money on parties and shopping. That’s not my problem.”
“They’re going to think I come from a family of selfish people!”
“Maybe you do.”
Jessica looked like she was going to cry or hit me. I picked up my phone. “You all have exactly one hour to get out of my house, or I’m calling the police again.”
They loaded their stuff into their car while my family stood around looking defeated. Before they left, Linda gave me one last dirty look. “This isn’t over,” she said.
“Yes,” I replied, locking the door behind them. “It is.”
For about two months, things were quiet. I worked. I hung out with friends. Nobody from my family called, which was fine by me. I should have known better.
Two months after I kicked them out, my phone rang. It was Mom. Her voice was fake-sweet, the kind she uses when she wants something big.
“Hi, Rebecca. How are you?”
“I’m fine. What do you want?”
“I was hoping we could talk about Robert and Linda.”
“What about them?”
“Well, yes, they’re still living with Jessica and Mark, and that’s actually what I wanted to talk to you about. Jessica is getting really tired of having them there. It’s very crowded, and it’s putting stress on their marriage.”
“Okay, so they should find their own place.”
“That’s the thing, honey. They still don’t have enough money for a house. They need help with the down payment.”
“How much help?”
“About $100,000.”
I almost laughed. “And, well, we were wondering if you could loan them the money.”
I did laugh then, out loud. “Are you serious right now?”
“Rebecca, they’re family, and Jessica really needs this! Her marriage is suffering!”
“Mom, let me get this straight. These people spent their house money on parties and shopping. Then they moved into my house, changed my locks, and refused to let me in. Now you want me to give them $100,000?”
“It would be a loan.”
“With what collateral? They don’t have any money.”
“You’re being selfish, Rebecca.”
“No, this is about Robert and Linda. And I wouldn’t give them a penny if my life depended on it.”
“But Jessica—”
“Jessica made her choice when she sided with them instead of me. She can live with the consequences.”
“Rebecca, you can’t mean that.”
“I absolutely mean that. And you know what else? I’m done with all of you.”
“What?”
“You heard me. I’m done. You all chose Robert and Linda over me, your own daughter. You had a family meeting to give away my house and didn’t even invite me. You expected me to just roll over and pay rent while strangers lived in my house. Well, guess what? I don’t need family like that.”
“Rebecca, don’t say things you’ll regret.”
“I’m not going to regret anything. I’m going to hang up now, and I don’t want you to call me again.”
I hung up on her just like she’d hung up on me. But I wasn’t done. I went through my phone and blocked every single one of their numbers: Mom, Dad, Jessica, Mark. Then I blocked them on social media. If they wanted to choose Robert and Linda over me, that was fine. But they weren’t going to keep coming back asking for money when their brilliant plan didn’t work out.
It’s been almost a year now. I have no idea where Robert and Linda ended up. I don’t know if Jessica and Mark are still married. I don’t know if my parents ever realized how badly they screwed up. And you know what? I sleep just fine not knowing. I have a good job, a nice house, and friends who actually respect me. I learned that blood doesn’t make someone family. Respect and loyalty do. And my biological family had neither.