Those words sounded polite but carried the tone of a warning. At the time I believed hard work and kindness could eventually earn her approval. After the wedding she persuaded me to quit my stable office job, insisting that a proper wife should focus on the home rather than chase meaningless ambitions.
Travis supported her opinion and said gently, “My mom just worries about family values. I will handle the finances, so you can enjoy a comfortable life taking care of the house.”
I trusted him, and that decision slowly turned me into an unpaid housekeeper inside my own marriage. Every morning I woke at five thirty to prepare breakfast exactly the way each family member preferred.
Doris demanded fresh pressed green juice without pulp, my father in law liked eggs over easy with perfectly crisp bacon, and Travis would only drink coffee brewed from a particular roaster using a French press. After they finished eating they would leave the table without looking back while I cleaned the kitchen and began a long day of laundry, grocery shopping, and endless chores.