A mother screams, You betrayed me! while the father vanishes.
Elodie was deep in sleep when the phone ripped through the night. She grabbed the handset, her heart hammering in her chest.
Elodie! her mothers voice trembled with desperation. Come right now!
Mom, whats happening? Elodie jolted awake, trying to soothe her panic. Another fight with dad? Youve spent your whole life like that, figure it out!
Theres no one left to argue with! her mother shouted, her voice cracking. Your father is gone!
Mom Dad is dead? Elodie froze, cold blood rushing through her veins.
Come, youll see for yourself! her mother snapped. This isnt a conversation for the phone!
See what? Elodie nearly screamed, bewildered.
Come! her mother hung up.
Shaking, Elodie started getting ready. She rushed toward the family home on the outskirts of Lyon, unable to imagine what awaited her.
Elodie! Come! her mothers voice sounded like a tolling bell.
What now? she whispered, rubbing her sleepy eyes.
What now?! Im at the edge of a cliff, and she asks questions! Her mother cried almost.
Mom, its seven in the morning, its Saturday, she tried to reason, though anxiety grew. I have plans, the kids, my husband. Explain, otherwise I wont come.
You wont come? her mother choked with indignation. I dont matter to you any more! Youre mocking my grief!
Mom, you and dad have been fighting all your lives, Elodie cut in. Im tired of being your mediator.
Your father isnt here! her mother screamed before the line died.
Whats that? her husband, Theo, grumbled, sitting up in bed.
Something serious, apparently, she replied softly, still stunned by the words. I have to go.
Theyre unbearable! Theo erupted. Your mother doesnt get that you have your own family!
Theo, dont start again. You cant choose your parents, she sighed. I have to leave. Sorry, but youll have to handle the kids alone.
As if its the first time, he muttered. Tell your mother: if she calls like that, Ill ask for a divorce.
Elodie raised an eyebrow:
Seriously?
No, of course not, he gave a tight smile. But we should scare her. Maybe shell understand.
She wont understand, she shook her head while packing.
All her life the family house had been a battlefield. Her mother, HélèneMarie, shouted constantly, while her father, JeanLuc, stayed silent, lips pressed into a thin line. Outwardly he seemed to ignore her tirades, but Elodie knew he was simmering inside.
The fights began when she was a teenager. Initially rare, they soon became daily. Her mother, with a shrill, nagging voice, staged scenes that woke the entire building. Even the elderly couples downstairs would nod, How does he survive that? Poor guy.
No one asked how Elodie endured that hell. From the outside the family looked flawless: her father ran a university lab, earned a good salary, her mother didnt work, tending to the house and their daughter. But tending was a generous term. HélèneMarie controlled everything: her husband, Elodie, even the cleaner her father had hired to ease his burden. A futile attempt.
The quarrels were public and cruel. Elodie was just another piece of furnitureher feelings didnt matter. She dreamed of escaping. And she did. She went to study in Lyon, left their tiny village, and returned only rarely. Each visit, however, was poisoned by their shouting.
One day her father, fed up, roared at her mother, What do you want, Hélène? The moon? Her mother, shocked that he dared interrupt, burst out laughing before falling silent. Briefly.
At their wedding, her mother eclipsed the horror. She teased her husband, criticized everything, and when the MC proposed a toast to JeanLuc, she leapt in, Ill do it! We cant trust him with something important! The guests exchanged uneasy glances; Elodie burned with embarrassment.
After the wedding, her father secretly gave her an apartment in Lyon, urging her not to tell her mother. She kept the secret, sharing it only with Theo. What a surprise! he exclaimed. I hope we dont end up with secrets like this. Never, she replied, smiling. From my dad I learned I cant stand conflict.
These memories flooded her during the drive. She expected the usual complaints, her fathers weary eyes. The reality was harsher.
Her mother opened the door, wailing, I gave him everythingmy youth, my life! And he dares!
Mom, wheres dad? Elodie grabbed her shoulders.
Your father fled last night! her mother burst out, tears streaming.
Fled? The floor seemed to give way beneath her.
He left while I slept! He grabbed his things and gone!
Did you call him?
Of course! He doesnt answer! Call him yourself; he wont talk to me!
Elodie dialed. Her father answered immediately, his voice oddly calm, I know why youre calling. I deserve not seeing your mother. Im staying with a friend. If you need anything, Im herefor you.
Dad, where are you? she asked, feeling her mothers piercing stare.
In the countryside for now. Well see later. Okay?
Okay, she whispered.
What did you promise him? her mother shrieked. That traitor!
Mom, enough! Dad isnt a traitor. Hes tired of your dramas.
Is that what he told you?
No, thats me. Hes at a friends place. Hell come back, dont worry.
He never returned. Her mother found his address and rushed there. She knocked, shouted, but no one opened. She called repeatedlysilence. She suspected a lover. Not finding one, her anger intensified: How dare he leave me without reason? Im nothing? she sobbed.
One day Elodie snapped, Mom, he doesnt want your forgiveness. He isnt divorcing, he gives you his salary, he blames no one. He just wants peace. Hes had enough.
Its he whos had enough? her mother gasped. Im the one who endured everything! she wailed, finally collapsing as if an invisible blade had finally pierced her truth.
A Mother Cries Out: “You’ve Betrayed Me!” as the Father Vanishes
