Chapter 13 Traditional Views

• Victoria sat at the small kitchen table, her fingers tracing the rim of her coffee cup. The familiar smell of her mother’s homemade pastries wafted through the air, a comforting reminder of her childhood. Rita moved around the kitchen, humming softly to herself as she prepared breakfast.
• “Good morning, dear,” she said, her tone brightening as she caught sight of Victoria’s somber expression. “You look tired. Did you not sleep well?”
• Victoria forced a smile, but it didn’t reach her eyes. “Just a lot on my mind, Mom.”
• Rita frowned, setting a plate of fresh croissants in front of her. “You know, you really should take better care of yourself. Stressing over things that don’t matter will only wear you down.”
• “What do you mean by that?” Victoria asked, her heart heavy with unspoken truths.
• “Your family, honey. You need to focus on keeping the home together. Daniel loves you; you just have to remind him of that.”
• “I don’t think it’s that simple,” Victoria replied, her voice barely above a whisper.
• “Of course it is!” Rita exclaimed, wiping her hands on her apron as she leaned against the counter. “Marriage is about commitment, Victoria. It’s about making sacrifices for the family, no matter how hard it gets. Look at your father and me—we’ve been together for over thirty years. There have been tough times, but we worked through them.”
• “Mom, it’s not the same anymore,” Victoria said, the frustration bubbling to the surface. “People change. Relationships change. I feel like I’m losing myself trying to hold everything together.”
• Rita’s eyes widened, and she crossed her arms defensively. “You need to stop thinking like that. What will people say if they find out you’re unhappy? You don’t want to break our family apart. What would your father think?”
• Victoria felt a pang of guilt at the mention of her father, but she also felt a spark of rebellion. “It’s not just about appearances, Mom! I’m hurting inside. I can’t pretend everything is fine when it’s not.”
• Rita’s expression softened, but the underlying tension remained. “You don’t need to air your dirty laundry in public. People respect those who keep their struggles private. You’re a mother; you should be focused on your children’s happiness, not your own.”
• Victoria clenched her jaw, the weight of her mother’s expectations pressing heavily on her chest. “What about my happiness? Doesn’t that matter?”
• “Your happiness comes from your family,” Rita insisted, her voice firm but laced with concern. “You can find joy in the little things, Victoria. Make dinner together, help the kids with their homework, and cherish the time you spend as a family. That’s where true fulfillment lies.”
• “Mom, I feel like I’m drowning,” Victoria admitted, her voice cracking. “I don’t know how to keep pretending that everything is okay when it’s not. I can’t just smile and act like I’m happy when Daniel is shutting me out.”
• “Maybe you need to try harder,” Rita suggested, her tone softer now, yet still resolute. “Have you thought about planning a family outing? Something to remind you all of the love you share?”
• Victoria looked down at her cup, the steam rising in soft curls. “What if it’s not enough? What if he’s already made up his mind?”
• “Don’t speak like that!” Rita’s voice sharpened, and she stepped closer, her eyes flashing with disappointment. “You’re giving up before you’ve even tried. You’re stronger than this. You can’t let your feelings get in the way of your family’s stability.”
• “I don’t want stability at the cost of my happiness, Mom,” Victoria replied, her heart racing. “I don’t want to be just a facade for everyone to see. I want to feel real, to be seen and understood.”
• Rita sighed, the lines around her mouth deepening as she shook her head. “You’re still young, Victoria. You’ll understand these things better when you’re older. Right now, you need to think about your children. They need a stable home, and that means you and Daniel must work together, no matter how hard it gets.”
• “But what if he doesn’t want to work with me?” Victoria asked, her voice barely above a whisper. “What if he’s already made his choice?”
• Rita frowned, her brow furrowing with concern. “You can’t think that way. You have to believe in your marriage. Love is a choice, and you need to make that choice every day.”
• Victoria nodded slowly, her heart heavy with the burden of her mother’s expectations. “I’ll try, Mom. I’ll try to hold it together.”
• Rita smiled, the tension in her face easing slightly. “That’s my girl. Just remember, family is everything. You’ll see. In the end, it’s all worth it.”
• As her mother returned to the kitchen, Victoria felt the weight of those words settle over her. She wanted to believe them, but deep down, a storm of emotions raged within her. She watched Rita bustling around, the embodiment of traditional values, and wondered if she could ever fit into that mold again.
• The warmth of the sun streaming through the window felt distant as the shadows of doubt crept closer. Victoria felt lost, trapped in a world of expectations and unfulfilled desires, unsure of how to navigate the heartache that lay ahead.
• Victoria sat at the kitchen table, pushing the remnants of her breakfast around on her plate. The sun poured in through the window, casting a golden glow across the room, but it felt like the warmth was just out of reach. Rita bustled about, tidying the kitchen, her movements quick and efficient, oblivious to the heaviness settling over her daughter.
• “Do you want to help me bake some cookies?” Rita asked, her voice brightening the stillness. “It’ll be fun, and the kids will love them when they get home.”
• Victoria forced a smile, but her heart wasn’t in it. “Sure, Mom. That sounds nice.” She stood up and moved to the counter, her mind elsewhere.
• As they gathered ingredients, Rita chattered away about upcoming family gatherings, the kids’ activities, and plans for the holidays. Victoria nodded along, but her thoughts drifted back to Daniel—his late nights, the lingering scent of another woman’s perfume on his clothes, the emptiness that seemed to fill their home.
• “Have you thought more about what I said earlier?” Rita asked, breaking through her thoughts. “About planning a family outing? I really think it could help.”
• “Yeah, I’ve thought about it,” Victoria replied absently, measuring out flour. “But I don’t think a trip will fix things.”
• Rita paused, her hands resting on the countertop. “Why not? Sometimes, getting away from the routine can reignite the spark. Just a weekend together, just you, Daniel, and the kids. You know, reconnecting.”
• Victoria bit her lip, her chest tightening. “What if the spark is already gone, Mom? What if we’re just going through the motions?”
• “Oh, don’t say that!” Rita exclaimed, shaking her head as if to dispel Victoria’s words. “You have to believe in your marriage. Love is about working through tough times together.”
• “I get that, but…” Victoria hesitated, the words caught in her throat. She wanted to tell her mother everything—about the texts, the late nights, the hollow feeling that clung to her—but the fear of disappointing her held her back. “It’s just hard.”
• Rita’s expression softened as she stepped closer, placing a comforting hand on Victoria’s shoulder. “Honey, every marriage has its struggles. Your father and I have had our share, believe me. But we never let anything come between us. We made a choice to stick it out, no matter how tough it got. That’s what families do.”
• Victoria’s eyes misted over at the mention of her parents’ marriage. They had built a life together, seemingly unshakeable, and yet here she was, feeling the ground beneath her shift with every passing day. “I just don’t know if I can keep pretending everything is okay.”
• “Pretending isn’t the solution, but working through it is,” Rita said gently. “Sometimes, you have to put on a brave face for the sake of your children. They need to see that love can endure, even in the face of difficulties.”
• Victoria sighed, her heart aching. “But what if it’s not just difficulties anymore? What if it’s something deeper?”
• Rita looked at her, concern etched on her face. “What do you mean?”
• Victoria swallowed hard, staring at the bowl of cookie dough in front of her. “It feels like we’re just two people living in the same house. We barely talk anymore. I feel…alone.”
• “Oh, sweetheart,” Rita murmured, pulling Victoria into a brief embrace. “You’re not alone. I’m here for you. We all go through rough patches. Maybe it’s time to reach out to Daniel, to ask him what’s going on.”
• “I don’t think he’ll be honest with me,” Victoria said, pulling away to avoid her mother’s searching gaze. “He’s changed, Mom. It’s like he’s become a different person.”
• “People evolve, Victoria. Sometimes, it’s hard to recognize them. But you have to try to see it from his perspective too. Maybe he’s dealing with something himself,” Rita suggested, her tone gentle yet firm.
• “I don’t know if I can do that,” Victoria confessed, her voice barely a whisper. “What if he’s just not interested anymore?”
• “Then you need to confront it,” Rita replied, crossing her arms. “You deserve to know the truth, but you can’t make any assumptions without having a conversation first.”
• Victoria nodded, her heart heavy with doubt. “I guess you’re right. I just don’t know if I have the strength to face whatever the truth is.”
• Rita smiled softly, her eyes filled with warmth. “You’re stronger than you think, my dear. You have me, and you have your children. They need you to be the best version of yourself. Don’t let fear control you.”
• Victoria felt a small flicker of hope igniting within her, but it quickly dimmed as the weight of her reality settled back in. “I’ll try, Mom. I promise.”
• “Good,” Rita said, returning to the counter. “Now, let’s finish these cookies. The kids will be home soon, and we want to surprise them, right?”