Driving That Man Crazy

I said, "But I'm still so young, I don't want to be tied down by a child. Can't we put this off for a few years?"

My mom retorted, "You're 27 years old! Do you still think you're young? Your elementary school classmates' kids are already old enough to buy soy sauce, and they're about to have their second child."

When I graduated at 22, I wanted to work in a big city, but my mom said I was just a kid who didn't know better and told me to stay close to home.

But now, just five years later, I'm suddenly an old person in her eyes.

I found it a bit funny. My life seemed to have always been arranged by my family.

I said, "What if I insist on not having a child?"

My mom suddenly stood up, her face contorted. "Then you're no longer my daughter."

Maybe it was because I openly defied her in front of everyone, and she couldn't save face. My mom then said harshly, "Don't call me mom anymore. I don't have a daughter like you!"

Silence filled the room. David watched like an audience member, and Sofia didn't say anything more. They were all waiting for me to give in.

Finally, my dad spoke up. "Lola, just listen to your mom. We won't do anything to harm you."

No one was on my side.

I gritted my teeth, wanting to leave.

Suddenly, my mom went to the kitchen and grabbed a knife. "You won't have me as your mom anymore!"

Everyone rushed to take the knife away, shouting and arguing.

I looked at David, and he looked back at me, his eyes seeming to say, "Give up the struggle."

This was a family of lunatics.

They quickly returned to normal.

Because I agreed to prepare for pregnancy.

Deep down, I still couldn't completely cut ties with my parents.

Family relationships were quite strange. On one hand, I wanted to escape my original family, but on the other hand, I hoped to be accepted by them.

My mom was happy again and turned back into a loving mother. "Lola, all mothers want the best for their children. When you have kids and reach my age, you'll understand my good intentions."

Sofia agreed, "Conditions are much better now than in our time. You just focus on having the baby. I'm retired now, so I can take care of the child without you worrying."

My mom was pleased. "We'll take turns caring for the child. I'll do Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, and you'll do Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays. On Sundays, we'll all have dinner together."

...

The atmosphere in the room became lively. My mom and Sofia were happily discussing the wonderful scenarios of caring for the child.

My nose felt sore, and I remembered when I was little, every time I didn't obey my mom, she would get angry and keep criticizing me. Even though I wasn't wrong, I would still give in.

After I gave in, my mom would be very nice to me again, telling me all sorts of reasons why it was "for my own good".

I suddenly regretted it. I should have moved farther away from home back then.

David seemed to notice I was crying and came over to comfort me. "It's okay, I'll take good care of you. When the baby is born, I'll be a good dad."

It was the first time I saw such eager anticipation in David's eyes.

I knew he didn't have feelings for me either, but I didn't expect that all the promises made before marriage were just lies.

After getting married, of course, there would be pressure to have kids. He knew all of this.

Three more months passed, and my belly was still flat.

This didn't surprise me much.

David could be described as having a low sex drive, or maybe he had someone else in his heart and wasn't interested in me.