Before I could put on my shoes, Mark appeared in the doorway. He had just returned from work. Samantha immediately called him to the table. She took baked fish, salad and potatoes out of the oven and then called her husband to dinner. I stood in the hallway, waiting for my daughter to call me to the table. But no. They ate deliciously and pretended I wasn’t there.

My daughter met a guy on the Internet six years ago and moved to live with him in another city. My children rarely came to visit me: they have work and their own worries. And the distance is not small.

But in March, my daughter called me and told me to move in with them, because she would soon need my help. I packed my bags and came to see my children. Samantha, my daughter, was going to give birth any day now. The road was not easy, and I was very hungry. I took a taxi and came to my daughter’s house.

Ten minutes later I knocked on Samantha’s door. She opened the door and immediately hugged me. I was extremely tired from the road and told my daughter that I had eaten in the morning.

My daughter put two pieces of bread and tea in front of me. I was very surprised. But I kept silent – maybe Samantha wasn’t feeling well, so she didn’t have time to cook anything. Then I drank some tea, rested a bit, and decided to go to the store to buy something tasty for my son-in-law and daughter.

Before I could put on my shoes, Mark appeared at the door. He had just returned from work. Samantha immediately called him to the table. She took baked fish, salad and potatoes out of the oven and then called her husband to dinner.

I stood in the hallway, waiting for my daughter to call me to the table. But no. They ate deliciously and pretended that I was not there. At that moment I felt very embarrassed. My heart was full of resentment. We have spent our whole lives working hard for our only daughter, so that she could have everything. And now this is how they thank me for my care.

Then I quietly went to the room where I had left my things. I took my suitcase and went to the train station.

My daughter didn’t even call me that day. I had to look for a place to stay for the night. Samantha didn’t seem to understand anything at all. The next day she called me, asking why I had left their home.

My daughter heard that I was reluctant to answer her questions. Is it really so hard to guess what’s going on?

I feel sad. I invested so much in raising my only daughter, and she grew up so indifferent. Then I broke down and told her everything, and Samantha just threw objections at me. Like, I’m creating problems out of nothing.

How should I treat my children now?