My mother was well-known in the neighborhood for being the kind of person who always put others first. During my pregnancy, I was weak and frail. When a neighbor came over to borrow beer, my mother bought a whole box out of her own pocket and even gave away the vitamins I had been using to replenish my strength. The daughter of our neighbor had a crush on my husband, so my mother directly intervened and tried to match them up. I was so furious I fainted on the spot and ended up being sent to the hospital. Then, when my uncle Damian Tucker came over to borrow money, my mother didn’t hesitate for a second to give him my house. When I rushed home to find out, my cousin Breck Tucker pushed me down the stairs, and I died right there. After my death, my husband and the neighbor’s daughter naturally ended up together, and my mother became a guest of honor at their wedding. Whenever someone mentioned me, my mother would say that my death was the cold, heartless retribution I deserved. When I opened my eyes again, I found myself reborn, back to the day the neighbor came over to borrow beer. ***** “Mrs. Burton, are you home? We have guests, and they need a few bottles of beer. Do you have any?” “Sure, sure! Let me find some, and I’ll bring them over in a minute!” The moment I heard those familiar words, I knew for sure that I was really back. In my previous life, not only did my mother buy a whole case of beer with her own money, but she secretly gave away the vitamins I was using to regain my strength. I had paid a lot for those vitamins. I was weak, and during my pregnancy, I needed extra nutrition. But before I even opened the vitamins, my mother gave them away as gifts. When I asked where the vitamins were later that evening, my mother casually said she’d given them away. Furious, I demanded, “Why did you give them away? You know I’m weak, pregnant, and need those to nourish my body! Those were my vitamins!” Without hesitation, my mother slapped the table. “We’re neighbors, aren’t we? How would it look if we didn’t lend them something? “And besides, I promised them. You can’t break your word!” I felt my head spin. “They wanted a beer. Why did you give away my vitamins?” She raised an eyebrow. “Well, they came over, didn’t they? It’s rude not to offer something in return!” I was about to go to the neighbor’s house to get the vitamins back, but she grabbed my arm. “How dare you? You never listen to me! You’re insulting me!” Then, with a flick of her lip, she squeezed out a few fake tears and fell to the floor, accusing me. “I’ve raised you all these years! How could you be so selfish?” She always acted like this. If things didn’t go her way, she would throw a tantrum. She’d deliberately leave the door wide open, waiting for the neighbors to come by and gossip. She would get the neighbors to speak on her behalf. When a crowd of people criticized me, I could only swallow my anger. She became the neighborhood’s famous “good person,” while I became the villain who stopped her from being kind to others. In my past life, I was weak during my pregnancy, and, with some depression, I needed a lot of care. But my mother ignored me, often going over to help the neighbors instead. When she had a free moment, she would cook for her brother, Damian Tucker’s son, Breck Tucker. She gave away my vitamins to the neighbors, my car to Damian, and my house to Breck. Even my husband was handed over to my mother. After my mother gave away my house to Breck, I was pushed down the stairs by him. Just thinking about it made me shiver. “Where are the beers? Where did you put them?” My mother muttered, hunched over, rummaging around the house. “What are you looking for, Mom?” “Philip’s got guests. They need a few bottles of beer.” Philip Scott was our neighbor. Our families weren’t close at all until my mother came along, and then we became like family. From then on, our two families visited each other constantly, and Philip had gotten into the habit of borrowing things from us. After all, my mother was the type to lend anything to anyone. “I’m pregnant. We don’t have beer at home. Stop looking.” But my mother never listened to me. “That’s not right. When the neighbors ask for something, it’s a good thing. They trust us and think we’re kind people, so we should help.” I didn’t bother arguing. While she went to the kitchen to look for beer, I quietly put my vitamins in another cupboard and locked it up. In my last life, my mother disregarded my wishes, often giving away my things and forcing me into doing things I didn’t want to. Her actions ultimately killed me and my unborn child. This time, I was determined to stay away from all of that… My mother hurriedly barged into my room. “Sweetheart, why is your cupboard locked? Open it!” I thought to myself, “Great, she’s taking the bait.”
When I didn’t move for a while, my mother yanked the blanket off me, sending a chill through my body. “Hurry, hurry! Philip’s waiting downstairs for those beers.” I sighed dramatically. “Why don’t you just go downstairs to buy some? Why do you have to rummage around here?” With complete justification, she answered, “Fine, but you’ll need to give me the money if you want me to go buy it.” When she was dating my father, it was the same story. She’d spend my father’s money on gifts for others but never spent a cent of her own. My mother earned a good reputation, yet still blamed my father for not earning enough to buy a big house. After she divorced him, she started spending my money. “Those supplements are the only thing in that cupboard. Where’s the beer?” I pretended to lead her to the cupboard. I opened the door. There were several bottles of expensive wine on the shelf, with my vitamins hidden at the back. Without saying a word, my mother grabbed a bottle of wine and held it up in front of me. “Isn’t this beer?” That wine had been hidden by my husband, Frankie Walker. Frankie had treasured that bottle for years. He hadn’t even opened it during our wedding. Recently, his company had been laying people off, and he wanted to give the bottle to his boss as a gesture to help his career. In my past life, my mother and I had argued at the table. I cried, gasping for breath. Frankie had scolded me, “You’re the one who didn’t store things properly, leaving such an expensive item out in the open. Ellen just wanted to help us build a relationship with the neighbors.” At the time, I had been confused, not understanding why Frankie sided with my mother. Later, I discovered my mother had been trying to set Frankie up with Madge, the daughter of our neighbor, Philip. I sneered at the memory. “This is Frankie’s wine. You should call him first to ask if it’s okay to give it away. Maybe it’s important to him.” “Got it!” Without a second thought, my mother grabbed the wine and rushed out the door, never once considering calling Frankie first. After all, in my mother’s mind, even the smallest thing in someone else’s life was a big deal, while matters within our own family barely mattered. Dinner that night was, as usual, only some bread. But my mood was surprisingly good, and I had a big appetite. “Mrs. Burton, I’m here.” There was a knock at the door. My mother excitedly opened it. “Thank you for the wine earlier! We had a little left over. Would you like some more?” Madge stood in the doorway, her face flushed with embarrassment. She was talking to my mother, but her eyes were fixed on Frankie. “Oh, you’re too kind! Drink it up! We don’t have anyone at home who drinks!” My mother pushed the wine bottle back into Madge’s hands. Frankie asked, “Where did this wine come from? Did your mother go out and buy it?” “No, my mom found it at home while she was looking around.” Frankie’s face went pale, and he rushed over to her. When he saw the expensive wine in Madge’s arms, he nearly collapsed. With a trembling voice, he asked, “Ellen, how… how could you just take my wine?” My mother acted as if it were the most natural thing in the world. “Philip had guests at lunch. Shouldn’t we send something over?” Madge looked awkward. “Mrs. Burton, didn’t you tell Frankie?” “And what’s wrong with that? It’s just a bottle of wine. Can’t I give it away?” Frankie snatched the wine bottle from her, shouting in anger, “This wine is worth hundreds of thousands! And you just gave it away like it’s nothing?” My mother stared at him in surprise. “It’s that expensive?” I spoke coldly, “It’s because you didn’t store it properly. If you had kept it safe, she wouldn’t have found it.” My mother stammered, sweating bullets. Seeing me defend her, she quickly chimed in, “Right, right! I didn’t know it was so expensive. But I was just trying to do a good deed!” Madge looked even more embarrassed. “Frankie, I’m really sorry!” Frankie was seething with anger. He slammed his fist into the wall, venting his frustration, then glared at me and shouted, “Irene, don’t you think you should control your mother? She’s always giving things away!” “Frankie, you can’t talk like that! If it weren’t for you and Irene, do you think I’d be dealing with these neighbors every day? You’re so ungrateful!” My mother’s voice rang out, sharp and indignant, as she scolded Frankie without hesitation. Frankie didn’t have a retort. He punched the wall again, his face reddening with suppressed fury. Suddenly, blood began dripping from his hand. “Oh no, darling, you’re bleeding!” “Frankie, you’re bleeding!” Madge and I exclaimed at the same time. My voice was cold, but Madge sounded genuinely concerned. Soon enough, people had gathered outside the door to watch the drama unfold. The scene ended with Frankie bleeding. He took a cab to the hospital by himself while I went back to my room to rest. My mom muttered to herself in the room, “Ugh, how are we supposed to manage these neighborly relations? Tomorrow, I’ll send Madge something nice.”
After that argument, my mother became infamous. For several days in a row, she stayed home, not stepping outside once. When I returned from my pregnancy checkup, I overheard the older women in the neighborhood gossiping about my mother and me. “That’s her. That’s the pitiful girl. Her mother really has no sense of propriety. She sent out bottles of liquor worth over a hundred thousand dollars!” “I’ve seen that old woman giving things away everywhere. At first, I thought she’d lost her mind.” I couldn’t help but feel satisfied hearing these comments. When I got home, I was a bit surprised to find guests at our place. My mother had made a lavish spread, even including seafood. Madge was sitting at the table, smiling, a few bottles of beer in front of her. “Mrs. Burton, I really didn’t realize that liquor was so expensive. Let me make it up to you and send a few bottles as an apology.” My mom smiled, “Madge, you’re too kind. We should be the ones apologizing. I know that last incident must’ve shocked you.” Frankie, looking flushed, picked up a glass and took a drink. Madge, her face blushing, kept serving him food, acting as though they were incredibly close. They looked like a family. I cleared my throat and realized my mother had once again taken my things to serve Madge. My plate had only a slice of bread on it. Seeing my silence, my mother started to lecture me. “Look at Madge. She’s slim, polite, and always speaks so gently. You, on the other hand, are always throwing tantrums, and your figure’s terrible. You could learn a lot from Madge.” I rolled my eyes. “Frankie, get me a glass of water.” Madge immediately stood up and poured the water, speaking sweetly to Frankie, “Oh, don’t bother with such small things, Frankie. You’re too important for this.” A wave of disgust washed over me. And, of course, Frankie seemed to relish the praise. He exchanged a glance with Madge, his face turning even redder. Seeing them like this, my mother quickly chimed in, “Madge really understands, doesn’t she? You’re right. Men should be doing big things! Actually, you and Frankie look pretty well-matched.” I raised an eyebrow. “Mom, do you even know whose husband Frankie is?” Only then did my mom seem to remember me. She appeared a little embarrassed and said, “What’s wrong with that? Frankie’s your husband! If you keep acting like this, looking so sloppy, he’ll divorce you sooner or later! I said all that to remind you! “Look at you, you’re pregnant, and you’re not even living with Frankie. You’re not fulfilling your duties as a wife! If you weren’t my daughter, I wouldn’t care about your business at all.” I stayed silent. My eyes were fixed on Frankie and Madge exchanging looks, and an idea began to form in my mind. The next day, I made up an excuse, telling them I needed to go to the hospital to pick up my checkup results. I casually mentioned that I wouldn’t be back for dinner. The look of joy on my mother’s and Frankie’s faces as I left didn’t escape me. I sneered inwardly and walked out of the door, clutching the paper in my hand. At the hospital, I sat with the report confirming the baby’s health, my heart filled with a bittersweet emptiness. I gently placed my hand on my stomach and thought to myself, “Baby, since the heavens have given me a second chance, I will protect you with everything I have…” On the very first day of my rebirth, I had secretly installed surveillance cameras at home. I opened the monitoring app on my phone. As soon as I left, Madge showed up. My mother acted as if Madge were her own daughter. “Mrs. Burton, I can’t believe you’re helping to set me up with Frankie.” Madge snuggled into Frankie’s arms. “But if Irene finds out…” Before Frankie could finish his sentence, my mother cut him off, looking proud. “This is nothing. You two are clearly meant for each other. Irene’s my daughter, and I know her well. She’s just not good enough for Frankie. You two are perfect together.” “Thank you! Mrs. Burton!” “Don’t worry, even if Irene and I divorce, I’ll still treat you well.” “You’re both such good kids!” My mother’s eyes welled with tears, and the three of them hugged each other tightly. I watched the scene through the camera feed, my heart sinking. Even though, having lived two lives, I already knew what kind of people my mother and Frankie were, seeing this unfold in front of me still hurt. For the sake of pleasing others, my mother had handed her daughter’s husband over. It was also possible that, in order to please Frankie, she had orchestrated the whole thing between him and Madge… She had never once considered me. I continued to watch the footage. Madge and Frankie lay down on our marital bed, embracing and kissing each other. I wiped away my tears as I saved every single video to my phone. I knew these videos would be the key to my new life.
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