She added, "It's a shame Mom's gone. Otherwise, I'd have given her a grand celebration for her 80th birthday."
My heart ached. Yes, mom had gone. So how could a funeral for the dead compare to an 80th birthday for a living person?
Romance at the proposal, sweetness after marriage. Lucy and I had been together for seven years. The seven-year itch, as expected.
Lucy began to become irritable and angry, losing her temper for no reason. Sometimes she'd skip meals for a whole day over trivial matters.
I always indulged her, coaxed her and gave in to her. No matter how harsh her words or how extreme her actions, I endured them.
One day, Charlie appeared beside her, becoming very close and intimate with her. My mother once asked her about this, but she flew into a rage, smashing many things around the house and yelling that she didn't believe her. But my mother was just asking, not accusing her for cheating on me.
That night, she cried heartbrokenly. For the first time, I felt resentful of Lucy. She had forgotten how kind my mother had been to her when we first got married, treating her like her own daughter.
When my mother was sick and hospitalized, she didn't even visit once. I figured if she didn't want to go, then she didn't have to; I could take care of my mother on my own.
I worked, cared for her and coaxed her all at the same time. Every day was exhausting. But I figured that once the seven-year itch was over, hoping we could get back together. I endured it all. I made it through.
But my mother didn't. And I finally realized my initial assumptions were wrong. Lucy and I would never be the same again.
The day before my mother's funeral, she left.
The next day, she called and asked me to postpone it. The reason was actually to attend Charlie's mother's 80th birthday.
How could the dead matter be less important the living?
How ridiculous.
She had completely forgotten the phrase "the dead deserved respect."
Not to mention, she was my mother's daughter-in-law.
I so hoped that after receiving my message, she would realize her mistake and rush back immediately. Instead, she didn't reply at all and instead sent a picture of my junior's mother's 80th birthday.
At that moment, my heart completely sank.