When my mother discovered that I was married, held a respectable job, and owned a flat of my own, she arrived without warning, asking for financial support.
Mother had always been terribly strict with me. Father was often away on business trips, leaving Mother to raise me alone. Father adored me, but his homecomings brought armfuls of presents, as if gifts could fill the hollow left by his absences. Mother rarely showed me affection. One day, Father left on a journey and simply did not return.
At school, I never seemed to have any friends. I shuffled along in a threadbare uniform Mother had found abandoned in a skip. Shed always tell me, Wear what youve got to hand. I must sort my own life out first, and theres simply no money for you. And so, I suffered that ghastly outfit through all of Year Six.
Later, a neighbour generously passed down her daughters uniform after she finished school. I wore it right up to the end, even though my shoes were cracked and pinched my growing feet. They soldiered on with me for years until they were far too small. At last, I finished secondary school and resolved to study further. I chose economics at university, and wore whatever cast-off clothes friends gave me when they tired of them.
One afternoon, as if wandering through a hazy fog, I crossed paths with Dominic, who had left university a year or two before. We began seeing each other, and in time, he took me to meet his parents. Their home felt dreamlikelarger on the inside than out, smelling faintly of toast and old roses. I remember being embarrassed by my tired shoes, soaked by the English rain. His mother seemed not to notice, but the next day, she invited me round again and surprised me with a new pair, perfectly my size.
Id feared Dominics parents would judge me, but before long, they welcomed me as one of their own. I couldnt fathom what Id done to deserve such warmth. They gifted us a quaint house as a wedding present. When I graduated, my mother-in-law offered me a position in her company where the salary was more than generous. For the first time, I could afford all I needed. I still thank God for guiding me safely through this labyrinth of life.
Family games unfold strangely
When my mother learned of my marriage, my good job, and my own flat, she rushed over for support. Somehow, the conversation drifted through the walls like mist and reached the ears of my stepmother, who quickly called for my husband and my son to hurry home. In the end, my husband told my mother quite gently that she shouldnt expect anything further from me. He thanked her for having a daughter, but firmly said she must never come to our house again. From that surreal moment, my mother ceased all contact, and now, I await the arrival of my own child with a heart full of hope and relief.
