We were married following the birth of my son. Personally, if there's a day I could go back in time and relive, it would be that day. Planning the water theme was extremely enjoyable because I love nature. Our wedding took place on an island, and it was stunning.
Naturally, I invited my neighbor and her spouse to the wedding, as I'm a fair person. I knew deep down that I would have to live with this for the rest of my life even after we had exchanged vows and glanced over at each other's faces. They were included in the bundle, which was the deal breaker.
Everything in my life seems to have two doors. Everything happy, including dancing with my spouse and sharing our first kiss as his wife, is contained behind one door. Observing my young child carry the rings on his pillow as he walked down the aisle.
And all the rumors about me, about how he should have done better, are all over the other door. Naturally, this neighbor invited her friends to our wedding, so on my special day, I had to listen to all of their gossip! It was unfortunate that she became the woman he married, she said, and I had to listen to her.
As a family, wonderful moments and time pass. Seeing your child grow up is the greatest feeling in the world. Then, our second son had been conceived. We moved into the rental home owned by my neighbor's close friend. Sadly, there was only more verbal abuse. As I previously indicated, my neighbor was an extreme control freak. She enjoys having things above us, and since her friend owned the house, she felt like she was the owner. She used to drop by without warning, entering the home without even knocking. In addition, she would say things like, "You know you live in my friend's house, so your husband will get the house if he decides to leave you."
We eventually had to vacate that rented house when my husband and I had four children together. The landlord had some plumbing issues, but she didn't want to address them. It was her right and her decision to sell the house. It was an extremely frightening period. A chance of being homeless with four children will always rank among the most terrifying and depressing experiences of my life. Of course, my neighbor blames me for not working, not the piping for our current situation. Although we didn't have any money saved, it was my fault because I didn't work, even though we had to start our life with my money.
I detest the criticism that stay-at-home mothers receive. We simply can not afford daycare, and there is no chance that we ever could. I quit my job as a teacher to become a stay-at-home mother, and I have no regrets about it. I got to raise my children and spend a lot of time with them, but being a victim of abuse like I did makes you face a lot of criticism. Everything was always my fault because I didn't work, but my husband couldn't work if I hadn't watched the kids, cleaned the house, and taken care of household duties.
Given this circumstance, we ultimately buy the house next to my neighbor, which is how she got to be my neighbor in this novel. What a sign.