You know, Mum was always quite strict with me. Dad was out travelling for work most of the time, so it was just Mum and me. Dad loved me, but whenever he did turn up, he’d always arrive with armfuls of gifts for me. Mum wasn’t nearly as affectionate, though. One day, Dad left for another business trip, but that time, he never came back.
At school, I never really had any friends. I used to turn up dressed like a pauper, wearing an old uniform Mum happened to pick up from a charity shop. She’d say, Wear whatever youve got. First, I need to sort out my own lifetheres no money for new things. So I wore that awful outfit all through Year Five without making a fuss.
Later on, a neighbour gave me her daughters uniform once she finished school, and I wore that right up to graduation. For shoes, it was whatever I had lying around, and I managed to squeeze into the same pair for years until they became far too tight. In the end, I actually did really well in my A-levels and decided to go to university, choosing economics as my degree. At uni, I still wore whatever my friends handed down when theyd grown bored of their clothes.
One day, I met Dominiched finished uni a few years earlier. We started dating, and before long he introduced me to his parents. When I first visited, I was mortified by how shabby and battered my shoes weremy feet were soaked through, but Dominics mum pretended not to notice. The next day, she invited me round again and gave me a brand new pair of shoes as a gift.
I was honestly worried Dominics parents wouldnt take to me, but quickly they started treating me like family. To this day, I still dont know what I did to deserve such kindness. As a wedding gift, they gave us a house, and after I graduated my mother-in-law offered me a job at her companywhich paid really well. At last, I could afford to buy what I needed, and Ill never stop thanking my lucky stars for seeing me through all those difficult times.
When Mum found out I was married, had a good job and my own flat, she showed up asking for financial help. But my stepmother overheard our conversation and called my husband and son over, saying they needed to come home immediately. Eventually, my husband explained to Mum that she shouldn’t expect anything else from me. He added that he was grateful to have a daughter, but Mum shouldnt come round again. Since then, she hasn’t contacted me, and now I’m just looking forward to the birth of my child.
