Oh mate, let me tell you about Lucy. She grew up in an orphanage, didnt have a family to call her own, and honestly never really got to see what family life was all about. She got married at eighteen super young, right? She didnt have a clue about being a wife or what married life should feel like, mostly because none of her mates were married either. Once she moved into her husbands flat, she tried to soak up everything she could about what makes a wife ideal, and her main guide turned out to be her mother-in-law.
Lucy, bless her, had heard loads of those classic horror stories about mothers-in-law, but she figured, since she didnt have her own mum, maybe her husbands mum might step in and really care for her. And you know, she wasnt entirely wrong, because her mother-in-law didnt actually wish her harm, but things just went sideways. Her mother-in-law rolled up her sleeves and started teaching Lucy her version of family life, dropping these little nuggets of wisdom, like: If your husband cheats, its your fault as the wife.
Lucy always thought that the person who cheats is the one to blame, but apparently, she was told that the wife is guilty simply because she must have stopped looking after herself or lost her appeal. Her mother-in-law said she had to keep her figure slim right through to her old age dont put on weight so Lucy wrote that down in her diary and joined the local gym.
She was already slim, but the pressure made her obsess over staying thin. When she nailed that task, her mother-in-law had another pearl for her: In a normal family, both partners work.
Lucy was fine with that, actually. She wanted to work. She wouldve taken any job. She asked her mother-in-law what she’d recommend when a womans on maternity leave, and her mother-in-law replied, Sorting out parental leave is your responsibility figure it out yourself!
Lucy didnt jot that advice down, but years later, when her baby arrived and she went on maternity leave, she started working part-time as a nanny on top. She felt happy, but her husband and mother-in-law started complaining that she wasnt bringing in enough money.
So she thought, Maybe I can spend a bit on a haircut, but then came another classic: While youre on maternity leave, you dont need new clothes! Save your money and when you get back to work, then you can get your hair and makeup done.
Lucy used to give every penny she earned to her husband. Really, these life lessons from her mother-in-law ran through their entire married life: A good wife handles all the housework herself!
And thats exactly what happened. Lucy was running herself ragged, doing everything at home. She was so worn out shed fall asleep standing up. Fainting pretty much became routine for her. Most nights, after getting the youngest to bed at nine, shed be cleaning or prepping food for the next day, while her husband would have already clocked out for his tenth nap, exhausted from earning his wage.
Honestly, it made sense she ended up in hospital. Shed ignored all those odd pains, not realising something serious was brewing. She was in hospital for over two weeks, and neither her husband nor her mother-in-law visited once. Lucky for Lucy, she had her phone and rang her friend, who brought her everything she needed. As soon as Lucy was discharged, she immediately filed for divorce.
