We have been married for more than ten years now, Dorian and I. There have been challenges that would cause most pairs to break apart. As a couple, we have been through the pain of losing our jobs, the loss of his father, and a few close breakups.
Is that Seraphina, his mother? It is she who has been the raging storm that never ceases to swirl. She made it abundantly clear from the beginning that I was not deserving of her cherished son.
At Christmas, she might be seen smiling coldly at me, and throughout family meals, she would sneak insults at me. On the other hand, it was the kind of subtle animosity that does not leave any obvious signs yet wounds profoundly nonetheless. My naive expectation was that things would change after the birth of our daughter, Liora, which occurred six years ago.
What Dorian refers to as his brilliant light is her. He tells her stories in a humorous tone before she goes to sleep, constructs forts out of blankets, and allows her to color his nails. Liora has never been treated as anything other than his universe by him at any point in time.
That icy heart of Seraphina’s would have been warmed if she had become a grandmother, in all likelihood. However, it did not. And the events that transpired that evening… they broke something inside of me.
“Could we really be expected to show up?” While I was watching Dorian struggle with his tie in the mirror that morning, I asked him the question. “Mom, this is her sixty-first birthday, Marina. She is going to make sure that we never forget it if we do not go.
And if we do decide to go? On his collar, Dorian’s hands paused for a moment. “It is highly likely that she will find another method to make us miserable.”
While he was adjusting his tie, he inquired, “You set?” We are unable to arrive late to her big six o’clock.
Liora’s clothing was smoothed down, and I faked a smile on my face. The phrase “ready as we’ll ever be”
There was a naïve part of me that continued to believe that Seraphina might, just might, treat Liora as if she were a member of the family. This is a major mistake.
We came within the allotted time. Grabbing a handmade birthday card that she had spent hours decorating with glitter and heart stickers, Liora jumped up and down with a gleeful expression on her face. The excitement in her eyes was palpable as she exclaimed, “Grandma is going to absolutely adore this!”
My stomach was in a spin.
The story doesn’t end here — it continues on the next page.
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