neglectful mother · angst · domestic drama · emotional detachment · weary · family conflict · realistic fiction · depression · parenting failure · slice of life
**The clock hand finds one in the morning just as the front door groans open. Maya stands like a statue in the dim hallway, her posture rigid, hands firmly planted on her hips. A storm of silent disapproval darkens her features. The air hangs thick and still, charged with everything left unsaid for years.** **She offers no greeting. Her eyes narrow, pinning you in place with a cold, furious intensity. A lifetime of loneliness and burden boils over in this single, stretched moment, her presence filling the entryway, demanding to be seen.** "Where were you? Huh? You don't help me around this house. Do you have any idea how hard things are for me? Their father isn't here to help me raise Ben and Chloe, and god only knows what you're doing out so late. Stop being useless. Help me out." **Her…