Aurora.

Five in the morning, I wake up as usual, making a nutritious breakfast for my family was my greatest satisfaction, I took care of every detail in the preparation of their food, I have three children, the oldest is Alfredo, my firstborn, he graduated from school and decided to become independent, now he is 24 years old and lives in the capital, I have my two daughters Juliana, 22 years old, and Nancy, 16 years old, in my care, each one is special, at least my little Nancy is allergic to peanuts and I always have to be very careful with her, my daughter Juliana doesn't like certain foods, I selected each meal for her, my dear husband Jose Luna, I say my husband because we are not legally married, we have been living together for 25 years under the common-law partnership, he loves coffee, and as always I have it ready for him every morning on the table.

He owns a mechanic shop, it's not very big, but he works day after day to support us and make sure we don't lack anything, I'm Aurora Manrique, I'm 44 years old and my husband is 45 years old, we both started from the bottom when we were young, we saved every penny so that he could have his own workshop, I'm a full-time housewife, I took care of his savings, and above all I had a hot meal every day for my family on the table.

Juliana---: Mom, I have to go to university, my breakfast isn't ready yet.

Nancy---: Mom, this is disgusting, how do you think I'm going to eat that, (looks at her dad) dad, give me more money to eat something at school.

Jose---: Of course, honey.

Aurora---: Jose, she should eat everything, it's just scrambled eggs with toast.

Nancy---: Mom, I had that for breakfast yesterday, can't you invent another breakfast, aahh and by the way dad, can't you go to my meeting at school, because mom always smells like onions and is badly dressed, I'm ashamed to say she's my mom.

Juliana---: (laughs) Now you understand why I didn't want her to go to school, she always dresses old-fashioned, not like your friend's mom, she always dresses nicely, I wish I had a mother like her.

Aurora---: Too bad for you but I am your mother, and I don't smell like onions.

Nancy---: We urgently need a new mother, dad. (they leave).

Aurora looked at her husband hoping that he would defend her from the attack of her daughters, but he just smiled, finished his coffee and left ignoring his wife, that attitude of theirs had become normal in the house, sometimes she didn't know if she was really the mother of her daughters and wife of Jose or just the unpaid employee inside her own home, they didn't have luxuries, even her daughters studied in public institutions, but each disparaging word hurt her sensitive heart.

After organizing the kitchen, she began to tidy up her house, she entered her eldest daughter's room and arranged all her mess because she even left her feminine hygiene products anywhere but in the trash can, in her youngest daughter's room she picked up all the notebooks and books, also her diary where she wrote about the perfect mother she wanted, she even had a photo of her friend's mother, next to them were her husband and her eldest daughter, that seemed strange to her, since Jose never got involved with her daughters' friends and much less with their mothers.

She tried to assimilate what they saw in that photo, they seemed like a family of five members, her husband smiled, Lucia Sanchez was very attached to him, Juliana her eldest daughter smiled with happiness, and Nancy who was taking the selfie also smiled, it seemed that they had gone for a walk, a walk to which she was not invited, and behind the photo was written and said "how much I wish she was my mom '" Not that ugly mom I have"

Those words were very disparaging, and she felt a pain in her chest, not for what she saw in the photo but for the words that her youngest daughter had written, the pain she felt was sharpened because she had carried them for nine months in her womb and had raised and cared for them until the age they are and as a reward she receives that treatment in such a cruel way. Jose had forgotten some things and returned, he called his wife asking for the things, Aurora came out with the photo in her hand and demanded an explanation, she had tearful eyes and made Jose feel moved and give her an explanation for the first time.

Jose---: We took that photo when I went for our daughter who was with Jamilec's mother in a restaurant and as Juliana was with me we took advantage of the moment and took a photo.

Aurora---: Are you talking about Lucia, Nancy's best friend's mother.

Jose---: Yes, she works at the Pacific Bank, you know she is a single mother and that day she invited our daughter for a walk and we went to pick her up, that's all, dry those tears, we have been together for 25 years, don't distrust me.

Aurora---: You promised me a wedding, and it still hasn't been fulfilled, it has only remained a wedding promise and sometimes I feel you very far from me.

Jose---: Woman, what's the point of marriage, the important thing is that we are together, we have our children, isn't that enough for you. The workshop is not in good condition and spending on a wedding now is not right.

Jose gave her a kiss on the top of her head, leaving her lost in her thoughts, she still remembers when she gave up all the comforts of her home. To follow the love of Jose, where he promised her a beautiful wedding that he has not fulfilled until now, the years passed and she still hoped that that promise would come true. She continued her work and when she went to wash her husband's clothes she found a motel bill in his pants pockets.

Aurora---: What is this?

Meanwhile, in the workshop Jose already dressed in his blue overalls ready to work, received a call, he answered with a smile on his lips and joy was drawn on his face, on the other side of the line Lucia Sanchez she invited him and his daughters to lunch, he gladly accepted, but before that she with her flirtatious voice invited him to have an appetizer before lunch, Jose smiled with emotion hung up the call and ordered his helpers to continue with his work and changed and left the workshop directly to Lucia Sanchez's apartment who was waiting for him anxiously.

While driving he called his daughters, to inform them about the invitation, they accepted without caring about the effort their mother made in preparing lunch as they liked to eat, Aurora didn't care if she had to make several dishes, the important thing for her was that her daughters had full bellies and were satisfied with the food.

Jose lamented for his wife, but for some time she had stopped mattering to him as a woman, now she had become only his housemate, even as a contact in his cell phone he had her added as the mother of his children.

Without imagining that two hours away, and in the solitude of his house there was already a man, who over time would take away the love of Aurora that now stopped mattering to a Jose enveloped in illusion for his lover, Javier Mendoza still disappointed with life drank his glass of red wine, and smiled bitterly when remembering how he was abandoned at the altar more than twenty years ago.

Aurora, still worried because the food wasn't ready, hurried to cook. Her daughters and husband would be back soon. Looking at the counter, she saw that motel bill again, which wouldn't let her concentrate. She took a picture with her cell phone and sent it to her husband, asking for an explanation. She hoped he would have a good explanation for that bill found in his pants pockets.

In the south of the city, Jose saw his wife's message and ignored it. He went up the stairs to the third floor, pressed the doorbell, and the door was opened almost immediately. Seeing the freshly bathed woman with a pleasant scent excited him. He pulled her close, giving her a passionate kiss. There were two hours left before his daughters arrived for the lunch invitation, so he didn't hesitate to undress her. His desire for her was incomparable; he liked everything about her, because she never said no and was always willing, especially in intimacy, where they complemented each other.

He was happy in the moments they spent together. Even his daughters agreed with that relationship, but there was only one obstacle to completing his happiness: Aurora, the mother of his children, the woman of his youth. On several occasions, he wanted to tell her the truth, but he hadn't found the right moment to tell her.

Lying on the living room rug, their naked bodies craved more. They became intimate again. With their bodies tired and exhausted, they went to the shower, bathed together, and waited for their daughters, who arrived half an hour later. Nancy greeted Lucia very affectionately with a smile. Juliana also arrived after several minutes, bringing a gift. They got along very well, as if they were mother and daughters.

Jose's heart rejoiced, and he immediately thought that when he separated from his wife, he would have his daughters on his side, and above all, there would be no discontent because his daughters already accepted Lucia as his wife.

Jose: I have a gift too.

Nancy: What is it, Dad? Give it to her so she can show us what you got her.

Jose took out a black velvet box, approached Lucia, who was smiling at him, and opened the box. Inside was a gold necklace with small fragments of diamonds. Lucia's eyes lit up, and she smiled, thanking Jose with a kiss on her lips. Jose put the beautiful jewel around her neck, and his daughters applauded and asked for another kiss from the couple.

Juliana: You look beautiful, Lucia. That jewel was made for you.

Jamilec: You look beautiful, Mom. Thank you, Uncle Jose, for spoiling my mother.

Nancy: Lucia is worthy of being spoiled. Congratulations to both of you, Dad.

Nancy finished speaking, and her phone vibrated. Looking at the screen, she looked at her sister and her father, indicating with her eyes who was calling. Juliana took out her cell phone and turned it off. She didn't want her mother to interrupt. Jose also did the same. For her part, Nancy silenced her cell phone. The moment was too beautiful and pleasant to be ruined by her mother.

Jamilec: Who is it, friend? Does my uncle and you have to leave quickly?

Jose: No, we won't leave right away. We're going to order ice cream and watch a movie.

Jamilec, because of her attachment to Jose, her best friend's father, called him uncle, so she could be more familiar with them, after lunch. They sat in the living room, the ice cream arrived, they ate the ice cream while watching the movie. Jamilec and Nancy shared a sofa, Juliana sat alone in an individual armchair, while Jose lay on Lucia's legs, sharing the largest piece of furniture. At first glance, it looked like an afternoon with a family of five members.

Meanwhile, in the villa, Aurora looked out the window, watching when her family returned. She looked at the clock tirelessly. It was after five in the afternoon, and she didn't know where they were. Worried, she started calling her daughters' friends and her husband's workers, but she got no answers. She intended to go out and look for them, but she didn't know where to start. Her tears of worry began to flow. The food she had prepared was already cold.

Night came, and Aurora's worry increased. She had heard her neighbor say that if she prayed with faith, "everything she asked for in the name of Jesus would be given." Aurora remembered those words, and all she wanted was for her family to return safe. She knelt in the middle of the living room and prayed to the creator through tears, supplication, and with much faith, asking that her family be well.

While she was praying, she heard keys jingling. She smiled and got up very quickly. She ran to the door, finding her daughters entering with laughter, laughter that vanished when they saw her and they looked at her with disdain. Aurora, seeing that everyone had arrived together, smiled, became emotional, and hugged her daughters, although she was immediately rejected by them.

Nancy: Mom, you don't even let us arrive, and you're already being clingy.

Aurora: I was worried because you weren't arriving, look, it's already night.

Juliana: For God's sake, Mom, stop the drama, we're fine.

Aurora: Where were you, Jose?

Juliana: We went to the movies and had ice cream. We didn't invite you because your appearance embarrasses us. Stop harassing my dad with your questions.

Jose, seeing her with swollen and tearful eyes, sighed deeply. He considered his wife dramatic, which really bothered him. He didn't bother to give her an explanation, took off his jacket, and threw it on the furniture, annoyed. Indifferently, he asked for water, an order that Aurora obeyed immediately and took his glass of water to the furniture where he was sitting.

Aurora: Honey, why didn't you tell me? I was very worried.

Jose: The girls wanted to go to the movies, and I took them. Then we went for ice cream. You know, Aurora, don't you get tired of making drama? You're harassing the girls, let us breathe, find a job. I'm going to shower, I'm exhausted.

Aurora: Aren't you going to eat? I'll prepare something hot and quick.

Jose: Don't worry about me, I'm not hungry. Ask the girls if they want to eat your food.

Aurora pressed the empty glass against her chest. Her family was getting colder with her every day, and even she thought that maybe she was exaggerating. Regretting showing so much worry, she lowered her head, dried her tears, and went to her daughters' room. Unfortunately for her, they also rejected her food. Frustrated and disappointed, she went to the kitchen, put all the food she had prepared on trays, looked for plastic bags, and left her house. Two blocks away, there was a widow with three small children, the oldest was barely 12 years old. It wasn't the first time her family had rejected her food. Aurora had taken food to that house with so much need before.

She warmed the food on the stove with her own hands, and together with the young widow, they served the food. She ate dinner with them. Helping people in need was her greatest satisfaction. The children ate her food with pleasure, and she smiled as the young widow thanked her.

After dinner with the widow and her children, Aurora said goodbye to them with a contented heart. The food that had cost her so much effort to make, and which was despised by her family, fed a needy family who didn't hesitate to eat it. When she arrived at the villa, everything was silent, even the lights were off, implying that they didn't care if she returned or not. She smiled, sitting in the solitary and dark living room. Her family was home, but loneliness reigned within her. Everyone was minding their own business.

However, she had to move on and give them the space they were asking for. How she missed her eldest son, he was always attentive and affectionate with her. After meditating for a while, she decided to take a shower. She entered her bedroom where her husband Jose was reading a book. She only took a towel and entered the bathroom. As in the last 10 months, her husband had ignored her presence.

Aurora was not an ugly woman, despite having three children, she maintained her slender and curvy body. She had a flabby abdomen with small rolls when sitting. Her long brown hair cascaded down her back. Her white skin and amber eyes highlighted her beauty even without makeup. She came out of the shower only wrapped in a towel, looked in the closet for an almost transparent silk robe, took off the towel, remaining naked in the presence of her husband, thinking of getting his attention, but he only looked at her and continued reading his book.

Aurora wasn't going to give up. The nightgown was sexy. Her breasts could be seen through the sexy robe. She lay down, hinting things to Jose, getting closer to him, practically invading his side of the bed. She had a pleasant smell, but Jose was still concentrated on his reading, ignoring her presence. There were days when his wife's presence annoyed him, and this was one of those days.

Aurora—-: Honey!

Jose—-: mmm!

Aurora---: Don't you want to be intimate? It's been months since we've done it.

Jose---: I'm tired, you better sleep.

Jose covered himself with the blanket and turned his back. Aurora sighed to stop the desire to be intimate. She was a human being and also had needs. She looked for her side of the bed and silently let out her tears. Her emotions were connected in body and soul, and she felt that her fragile body couldn't withstand so much pain from her family's lack of love. Even sharing a room and the bed, her husband's coldness made her feel alone, while she thought that her husband no longer loved her as before. For more than two years he had been cold with her. When they had intimacy, Jose ejaculated very quickly, leaving her wanting and without releasing dopamine, which is the hormone that gives pleasure at the time of having sexual relations. Also, there were no longer caresses or kisses on the mouth. He no longer enjoyed her body. He finished and got up, and immediately went to the bathroom, as if he wanted to get her smell off his body.

She dried her tears and clinging to her pillow she slept because exhaustion overtook her. The next day her routine continued. Very early she got up to make breakfast for her daughters, and a good coffee for her husband. When her daughters arrived at the dining room, the delicious breakfast was on the table. This time she didn't speak or sit at the same table, she stood leaning on the counter, watching her cold family. Nor did they complain or criticize the breakfast. Jose, upon arriving, noticed that there was no plate placed in his wife's place.

Their gazes went towards the kitchen, finding her leaning on the counter, unwilling to share breakfast with them. He didn't give importance to that attitude, he talked with his daughters. At the end of breakfast he left the money as usual for the weekly market and then they left without saying goodbye to her. Aurora felt like she was just another piece of furniture in her own home.

She threw the rag she had in her hand on the counter, to go to the window and see how her family leaves without saying goodbye. Through the curtains she collected the dishes from the table, taking them to the sink. She cleaned her room and in her husband's pants pocket was a bill from a jewelry store indicating the value of a gold choker with diamond fragments. The cost was quite high and a smile appeared on her face. In a week it would be her birthday and she thought that her husband had spent a lot of money to give her a gift.

Aurora---: He still cares about me, how stupid I am putting silly ideas in my head, he almost always forgets my birthday, I don't think he will this time (smiles).

With the tender smile that always characterized her, she continued cleaning the house. It was the turn of the youngest daughter's room. As always, her room was messy and clothes thrown on the floor. She started picking up and when pulling a coat and a new picture frame of her daughter fell to the ground, breaking into pieces.

Aurora---: And this is....

It was a photo of her family along with the mother of her youngest daughter's best friend. It was as if they were a happy family of five. She didn't have a photo with her now teenage daughters, only with her husband. She took off her glasses, rubbed her eyes because they were itching, making tears come out. Now she felt excluded from the life of her 16-year-old daughter.

But then she smiled remembering that bill, thinking of the detail that she would have from her daughters and her husband. Her eldest daughter's room was locked. She went for the keys, and when trying to open it, the main door opened, it was her eldest daughter who had forgotten her cell phone and had to return in a taxi.

Juliana---: What are you doing mom?

Aurora---: I was going to tidy up your room.

Juliana---: I have forbidden you to enter my room today mom, (breathes) don't mess it up, you can clean when I tell you to, now I need you to leave.

Juliana entered her room, practically closing the door in her mother's face. She didn't want her mother to see a picture of her father with Lucia that she herself was painting for them on their second anniversary. If her mother notices the portrait, she was sure that she would make a drama as usual.

Juliana---: It's so pretty that it's turning out for my mom to ruin it.