Right, so let me tell you about Lucyshe grew up in an orphanage, always feeling a bit outside the world of families, you know? She married at eighteen, still trying to figure out what it meant to be a wife, especially since shed never had married friends or even family. Her first real taste of family life was moving into her husbands flat, and she soaked up everything she could, mainly from his mum.
Lucy had heard plenty of stories about interfering mothers-in-law, but honestly, she hoped that since shed never had a mum of her own, her husband’s mum might sort of fill that role and look out for her. And to be fair, there was some truth in thather mother-in-law wasnt genuinely cruel or anything, but somehow, things didnt go quite right.
Her mother-in-law set about teaching Lucy all the family rules, and one piece of wisdom was: If your husband cheats, its the wifes fault. Lucy was gobsmacked. Shed always thought the one who strayed was at fault. But, apparently, the idea is that if the wife stops being attractive, then its her responsibility. So, Lucy scribbled dont put on weight in her notebook and signed up for fitness classes, determined to keep her wasp waist even as she got older.
Lucy was slim enough already, but the fear of getting heavy made her drop even more weight. Once shed finished this project, her mother-in-law had fresh advice: In a normal family, both husband and wife work.
Lucy wasnt botheredshe wanted to work anyway, and shed take any job. When she asked how it should work during maternity leave, the reply was: Thats your problem. You sort it yourself.
She didnt bother writing that one down, but a few years later when she went on maternity leave, she worked part-time and as a nanny. She was genuinely happy with her work, but her mother-in-law and husband complained she wasnt earning enough.
Lucy thought it was alright to treat herself to a hairdresser every now and then, but then the next pearl of wisdom hit her: When youre on maternity leave, you shouldnt be buying clothes! Wait until youre back at work to do your hair and make-up; you need to save.
Lucy used to hand all her earnings straight to her husband. Pretty much every bit of advice from her mother-in-law guided her through her marriage: A good wife does all the housework herself!
You guessed it, Lucy ended up doing absolutely everything around the house herself, often dropping from exhaustion but still pushing through, even fainting became a daily thing. After getting the children settled by nine at night, shed clean and prep for the next day while her husband had long since crashed out on his tenth napbecause he was the breadwinner, apparently.
Unsurprisingly, Lucy ended up in hospital. She’d ignored those random pains for ages, never imagining they were signs of something serious. She spent over two weeks there, and neither her husband nor his mum visited once. Thank goodness for her phone; she called her best mate, who brought all the stuff she needed. As soon as Lucy left hospital she filed for divorceenough was enough.
