From the start, Jacob’s mother looked down on me. Coming from a rural background didn’t help, especially with my brother being a slacker and my mom demanding a hefty wedding gift of 380,000 dollars.
After the wedding, every call from my mom was about money or some trouble with my brother or niece.
This only fueled Margaret’s disdain for me, and she would even join my son in calling me an ungrateful leech.
“What are you dawdling for? Where’s my coffee? I have a meeting today!”
I snapped back to reality; in preparing breakfast for my son, I’d forgotten to make my husband’s morning coffee.
“On it!” I hung up my apron and rushed to brew it.
But when I returned, the table was a mess. Margaret was heading out to take my son to school, and my husband was off to work.
Not wanting to waste food, I prepared to eat my son’s leftovers. “Only beggars eat leftovers! My mom’s a beggar!” he laughed, bouncing out the door with his grandmother.
I struggled to swallow the pasta, my eyes stinging with tears. In that moment, I felt like a total failure, unable to even raise my own son properly.
Just as my son stepped out the door, my phone rang.