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Rose Hunter knew everyone had their share of struggles with their mothers. Still, she often felt her issues exceeded the usual tension between mother and daughter.
Her mother, Iris Hunter, seemed like the picture of a loving parent from the outside—kind, supportive, and always present. But appearances were deceiving. Behind closed doors, Iris was far from the ideal mother, and Rose often struggled with frustration.
One of Iris's most infuriating habits was her chronic procrastination. Whether it was paperwork that needed to be done or a special event on the horizon, Iris always waited until the last possible second to take action. Even something as simple as filling the gas tank became a source of anxiety. Iris would insist she could stretch things a little further, ignoring the gas gauge as it hovered dangerously on empty.
The chaos extended into their home life. Iris would spend hours lounging on the couch, engrossed in endless reruns of "Downton Abbey," smoking and drinking soda, while the apartment around her fell into disarray. Nobody in the household seemed to care enough to help keep things clean.
That left Rose to pick up the slack. She cleaned the apartment, tidied the backseat of her mother's car, and managed the garbage. If she didn't take out the trash or handle the chores, their landlord would likely evict them for the mess. Iris's neglect even extended to their cat, who was overfed and whose litter box was left untouched until Rose dealt with it. Their bathroom often smelled worse than a toxic dump, thanks to the constant buildup of waste.
But it wasn't just the neglect of their home that weighed on Rose. Iris was constantly late to essential appointments. Instead of leaving with time to spare, her mother would delay until the last minute, guaranteeing they'd be late to the doctor, dentist, or therapist. Rose always apologized for their tardiness, wondering why it was so hard for Iris to take things seriously.
Yet, the worst of it came from Iris's manipulative behavior. She would steal money from Rose or bully her into handing it over for cigarettes, ignoring her daughter's refusals. Even when Rose firmly said no, her mother would badger her until she gave in.
Iris's blatant favoritism toward Rose's twin sister, Lily, didn't help matters. No matter how childish or disrespectful Lily acted, she never faced consequences. When Lily slammed the car door, nothing was said. But if Rose accidentally closed it too loudly, her mother would scream at her. The same went for Lily's public tantrums—no matter how embarrassing her behavior, their mother turned a blind eye.
One of the worst incidents occurred when Lily threw a fit after being blocked by someone online. She demanded that Rose explain why one of Rose's friends had done it. Rose had tried to set boundaries, telling Lily it wasn't her place to interfere. But Lily wouldn't let it go, and their mother took Lily's side, insisting Rose provide an explanation. It didn't matter that Lily was acting irrationally—Rose was always the one forced to bear the brunt of the family's dysfunction.
When Rose tried to stand up for herself, things escalated quickly. One day, after a particularly nasty argument, her mother slapped her across the face. Rose had stormed out of the car and started to walk home, the sting of both the slap and the emotional betrayal still fresh. She had even called the police, desperate for someone to intervene. But when the officers confronted her mother about the assault, Iris's response was, "How else was I supposed to get her to stop talking?"
Rose could hardly believe it. Even with the threat of arrest looming, her mother didn't seem to care enough to change.
The constant mistreatment left Rose simmering with anger. No matter how hard she tried to improve things or get them to see reason, her mother and sister refused to acknowledge their behavior. They twisted everything around, leaving Rose feeling powerless. It was as though nothing she did could ever break the cycle.
But what could she do? How do you stand up to the people who are supposed to love you when they only seem to drag you down?
Rose didn't have an answer. And that was the hardest part.