An older woman finds herself discarded by her daughter and her husband when their child turns eight and they don’t need her anymore.
Kate Gallagher lived for her daughter. She and her husband Gustav had struggled to conceive for years, and when they had finally given up, Kate discovered she was pregnant at the age of 42.
Gus and Kate finally had everything they’d ever dreamed of — each other and their beautiful little girl. When little Donna was born, Kate had given up work. After all, Gus was a successful sculptor, and they owned their own little farm outright. Yes, life was good. Until Gus died.
For illustration purposes only | Source: Unsplash
Kate was devastated. Gus had been only fifty-two and their daughter just seven when he passed away. Kate’s financial situation wasn’t desperate, but she wasn’t exactly well off.
There was a comfortable little nest egg which would suffice to see Donna through college, and Kate got herself a nice job at the local library in the mornings, and in the afternoons she did admin work for the town lawyer.
Unfortunately, their little farm with its luxuriant cherry orchard and the herb gardens that Gus had so loved slowly started to run wild. Kate would pay her friend Lila’s boy Jake a few dollars to try and keep things neat but it was a losing battle.
Anyway, Kate’s focus was on Donna, beautiful, brilliant, vibrant Donna who looked more and more like her father every day. When Donna finished high school, she applied to several colleges around the country and eventually took an academic scholarship at Cornel.
For illustration purposes only | Source: Pexels
Even though Kate never let a tear show, she was heartbroken. She was proud of her daughter and happy that her dreams were coming true, but at the same time, she felt a sharp pain.
When she told Lila, her friend shook her head sadly. “You know, when they cut off an arm and a leg they do it quick — but when you separate from your child it’s a slow process, and you feel each cut and tear as they pull away.”
Lila had seven children and only Jake was left at home with her so Kate reckoned Lila knew what she was talking about. Donna came home, of course, during Spring Break and Christmas and Thanksgiving, but Kate was so lonely…
She kept thinking that as soon as Donna graduated, she’d be coming home with her brand new degree...
