“You really want to spend your life elbow-deep in people’s insides? That’s just so rough.”
She hoped I’d pick something more feminine.
Literature maybe, or psychology, something delicate.
But I’d wanted to heal things since I was five.
Bandaged my dolls with toilet paper.
Gave them shots with orange peels and toothpicks.
Mom thought it was a phase.
It wasn’t.
Then I married Eric and moved to Oklahoma.
He’s a doctor, too.
Emergency medicine.
Different apartment.
Same chaos.
We run into the mess when everyone else runs out.
My mom didn’t like him from the start.
Not because he did anything wrong, but because he didn’t let her swallow me whole like she was used to.
Our first official visit was Christmas.
Me, him, and a ring on my finger.
Holiday cheer, judgment in sequins, turkey served with passive aggression.
Mom tried to play nice, but subtlety’s never been her strong suit.
Think broken microwave door energy.
Over dinner, she asked if maybe we were rushing things.
“You two barely know each other. Tiffany, you could take your time.”
I stayed quiet.
Survival tactic.
Classic.
Eric, though.
Eric looked her in the eye, calm as ever, and said, “I think Tiffany’s more than capable of making that decision. And honestly, I’m honored she chose me.”
No yelling, no flex, just boundaries with kindness.
The table went silent.
Forks paused midair.
Mom looked at him like he tracked mud onto her all-white carpet.
That was it.
From then on, he was not her kind of person.
Translation: he didn’t play by her rules.
Didn’t let her control the narrative.
When Olivia was born, they brought over a towel.
Pink embroidered.
“Practical gifts are important, too,” Mom said.
When Joan had her first, they showed up with a dresser, stroller, air purifier, and oh, Mom herself.
Moved in to help with the baby.
When Joan got divorced with three kids, no job, debt out the ears, Mom said, “She’s had a rough year. We need to support her.”
And they did.
Now they all live in my parents’ house, rent-free, powered by love and family values.
Meanwhile, I was paying my parents’ health insurance, covering part of their mortgage, sending monthly just-in-case money.
I even covered Joan’s daughter’s college tuition.
And yet, Olivia?
She never quite counted.
Not like Joan’s kids.
They don’t get left out in the cold.
Mine?
Apparently, she does.
I think I knew it all along. I just didn’t want to admit it, but the signs were everywhere.
Last Christmas, Jeremy, Joan’s son, got a drone.
Like full-on camera, GPS, the works.
Olivia got dog-print pajamas and socks.
Mom said, “Very sweet. It’s good for girls to learn to be homey.”
When Olivia won a regional robotics and engineering award, yeah, regional, I sent a photo to the family group chat.
Crickets.
Two days later, Dad replied with a thumbs-up sticker.
An hour after that, he posted a photo of Jeremy at a school fun run.
