My mother always criticized my weight and valued appearances more than people. So when I got engaged, I thought she’d finally celebrate and say she was proud of me. I was wrong. My mom decided I wasn’t worth the wedding fund my late dad left behind, and gave it away to my supposed “pretty” cousin.
I’m Casey. At 25, I work as a chef and dream of writing and directing films that’ll make people cry in the dark for all the right reasons. But my story? It had me crying for all the wrong ones.
I grew up in a house where we vacuumed even if the carpet was spotless, where smiles were worn like foundation, and where my mom, Janet, cared more about how things looked than how we actually felt.
It felt like living in a museum where I was the one exhibit that never quite fit. Everything had to look perfect from the outside — our lawn, holiday cards, and Sunday dinner conversations.
But inside these walls, I learned early that appearances mattered more than feelings, and I was consistently falling short of my mom’s standards.
I’m the only child, which you’d think would make me precious cargo. No. It just meant all of Mom’s scrutiny had nowhere else to land.
When my dad, Billie, died during my junior year of high school, something shifted in her. The criticism that used to come in whispers got louder, sharper, and more frequent.
“Do you really need more?” she’d snap while I reached for more food at dinner. “You’re already bursting out of those jeans.”
Or my personal favorite, delivered during a crowded lunch at Romano’s Bistro last spring: “God, slow down. You graze your food like cattle. Could you chew any louder? Everyone’s staring at us.”
The heat that rushed to my face that day could’ve cooked pasta. I wanted to disappear under the checkered tablecloth, but instead I just pushed my plate away and excused myself to the bathroom, where I cried ugly tears into scratchy paper towels.
But here’s what kept me going: Dad’s voice that kept echoing in my memory from those summer evenings on our back porch. He’d sip his lemon and honey tea and tell me about the wedding fund he’d set up, and how he couldn’t wait to walk me down the aisle someday.
“I might cry like a baby,” he’d said, grinning. “But I’ll be the proudest father there. Yes. The proudest!”
That account sat in Mom’s name for safekeeping, waiting for the day I’d need it. I used to picture the wedding it would pay for… nothing fancy, just people who actually loved me. And good food, of course! The cake would be the crown jewel… and I’d bake it myself. God, I had so many dreams about that day.
When my boyfriend Marco proposed last month in our tiny apartment kitchen while I was making his favorite lasagna, I thought about Dad’s words.
Marco got down on one knee right there between the stove and the refrigerator, pasta sauce splattered on his shirt, and asked me to marry him with tears in his eyes.
“You’re everything I never knew I needed,” he said.
I said yes before he finished the question.
Mom’s reaction to our engagement felt like a slap across the face. She barely looked up from her magazine when I showed her the ring.
“Well, I suppose someone had to say yes eventually!” She said with a shrug. “Though I can’t imagine what he’s thinking.”
I figured she was processing, maybe worried about losing me. So I gave her some space. And time.
Two weeks later, she called about Sunday dinner at Aunt Hilda’s house. She said the whole family would be there, including my cousin Elise.
I’d grown up watching everyone fawn over Elise… and honestly, I got it. She looked like she’d stepped off a magazine cover, all long legs, perfect skin, and confidence that filled every room she entered. At 23, she already had that effortless elegance I’d spent years trying to fake.But here’s the thing about Elise — beneath all that beauty, she’d always been kind to me. While other relatives made passive-aggressive comments about my weight or my “phase” of wanting to direct short films, Elise just listened. She asked about my aspirations and remembered details about my auditions that even Mom forgot or ignored.
So, fast forward to the dinner. It started normally. Aunt Hilda’s pot roast, Uncle Mark’s terrible jokes, and Grandma Rose complaining about her arthritis. I’d just finished telling everyone about Marco’s proposal when Mom stood up and tapped her wine glass with her fork.
“I have an announcement,” she said, and my heart jumped.
Finally, she was going to celebrate my engagement properly. Finally, she’d say some good things about me. That’s what I thought.
The table fell quiet. Even the kids stopped fidgeting. Butterflies fluttered in my stomach.
Mom’s smile spread wide as she looked directly at Elise. “I’ve decided to give Casey’s wedding fund to Elise. She’s such a beautiful girl with real potential to find someone special. It seems like the practical choice.”
It felt like a grave had opened somewhere inside me. My fork slipped from my fingers and clattered against my plate, the sound echoing in the sudden silence.
“Mom… I’m engaged. I’m getting married.”
She turned to me with a look of pure disdain. “Oh, please, Casey! Let’s not pretend this is a real engagement. You’re not exactly bride material. Look at yourself! You can barely fit into your own clothes. Elise actually has a chance of finding someone decent and charming.”
I was mortified. Every face at the table blurred except Mom’s, which remained sharp and cold as winter glass. I felt exposed and raw like she’d stripped me naked in front of everyone. God, it was crushing.
