I never thought I saw the day when my sweet Penelope would look me with such disappointment in the eyes. Those same eyes that lighted up when I entered a room now refused to meet my own. Something had changed between us, and I desperately needed to fix it before it broke both of us.
For sixteen years, my husband Sam has been my rock, my constant. We met at the university and he quickly became the family I chose.
A man looking straight ahead of him. Source: Midjourney
I was raised by a single mother who had two jobs to feed our family. My father was never present and Mom rarely talked about him.
There were only the two of us in our little apartment, doing our best with what we had. She taught me everything about resilience and love, about creating something beautiful from difficult beginnings.
When Mom died last year after a brief battle with cancer, I felt detached for the first time.
A close-up of a coffin. Source: Pexels
His last weeks have been filled with whispered confessions and old photos that I had never seen before. The secrets she had kept for decades were finally revealed, changing everything I thought I knew about our family.
Now, all I have is Sam and our daughter Penelope. They’re my universe.
Our modest three-bedroom house is a place where we are all there for each other, and where love is not complicated by secrets.
A cosy house – Source: Midjourney
“Mom, can we eat a pizza tonight?” “Penelope asked by spinning in the kitchen while I was cooking.
“Only if you help me with salad,” I replied, and she groaned dramatically before she fetched vegetables from the refrigerator.
These simple moments were sacred to me. Routine, jokes and the certainty that the next day will be even richer in twists and turns.
I cherished our little family more than anything in the world.
A few days ago, my husband left for a short work trip. Penelope and I were alone at home. Everything was fine until, suddenly, she stopped talking to me.
Close-up on a woman’s eye – Source: Pexels
I first noticed him at dinner. She pushed the food around her plate, her eyes down and her shoulders stiff.
“How did the school go today? I asked, trying to fill the silence.
“Good. One word, flat and definitive.
“Has something happened with your friends?” ”
She then looked up, and the coldness of her gaze made me jump. “Nothing happened with MY AMIS. ”
The tone she employed did not escape me. Something had happened. But not with his friends.
Close-up on cutlery – Source: Pexels
Later that evening, I knocked on the slightly half-open door of his room with a hot chocolate mug. That was what she had preferred since she was a child.
“Penny?” Can I come in? ”
“No. ”
“Honey, what’s wrong?” Did I do something? ”
It was at that point that it broke up.
“How could you, mom. His voice cracked under the emotion.
I stayed frozen, the cup warming my hands as my heart got cold. “What are you talking about?” ”
“I never thought my mother could be like that. ”
“To be like what? I begged him, completely confused.
She didn’t mean anything. She just slammed the door in my face and refused to go out or say one more word.
One closed door – Source: Pexels
I sat in front of her door for hours, begging her.
“Pentelope, please talk to me.” Whatever you think I did, we can solve this problem. Please, honey, open the door. ”
Silence.
“I can’t fix something if I don’t know what’s broken,” I said, pressing my forehead against fresh wood. “We’ve always been able to talk about things, remember?” Even when you broke my favorite vase last year? I wasn’t angry at that time, and I won’t be any more angry now. ”
“It’s not about a stupid vase. “she ends up shouting, her voice stifled but undoubtedly hurt.
A little girl standing in her room – Source: Midjourney