From the very start, even while I was expecting, I knew I’d be raising my child alone. When the father discovered the news, he begged me, tears streaming down, to give up the pregnancy. I stood firm; my resolve was stronger than his pleas. Luckily, my parents rallied around me with true support. They urged me to give birth, promising they’d take care of all the detailsand they kept their word. My boyfriend vanished without a trace, but my mum and dad were over the moon to have a granddaughter. Dad earned a decent living, happily shouldering every financial responsibility for our family. Mum was a diligent housekeeper. She kept every corner spotless and cooked meals for everyone, always with the same steady hands.
Whenever I tried to contribute my own money to the household, Dad would take it right back, saying, “Why put the childs money in here? You ought to spend it on your own little one.” If I tried lending a hand in the kitchen, Mum waved me away. “Dont trouble yourself. Stay with your daughter; Ill handle the cooking.” Time passed, and after I returned to work, I started buying bits and bobs for the house, but my contributions felt almost ceremonial. Mum insisted on looking after both home and granddaughter, taking everything in stride. On the surface, everything seemed perfectly ordinary, but the moment I spoke of having a man in my life, my folks became fretful. “Did you learn nothing? They’re all the same. Hell leave, and you’ll be expecting again!”
The older my daughter got, the more my parents tightened their grip. I was treated like a schoolgirl. Mum rang constantly to ask where I was, when I’d be home, who Id spoken to, what Id eaten, even about mysterious voices in the background. After work, Dad made a habit of escorting me back to our doorstep. Eventually, a man drifted into my life. When Mum learned about him and our date, she clutched her chest, feigning illness, and insisted I stay by her side. Her behaviour spilled over, souring my relationship. My partner cancelled a date; then another, and another still. By the tenth, he simply called off all our plans. He found someone else, someone whose mother was heartier and less suffocating.
