Chapter 6: Missed Dinners and Late Nights - II

"When do you plan to have a baby?" 

The harmonious conversation between the family was broken when Daniel's mother Marilyn brought up the topic out of the blue.

"You've been married for five years, and it's been three years since her miscarriage. Haven't you tried for another all these years?" Marilyn added. Next to her is her husband, Joe, listening quietly. 

"You two aren't getting any younger. You're in your thirties now. I heard that women's fertility declines in their thirties making conception harder. And it will be hard for her to take care of the baby when she gets older."

"Mom, I don't want to rush this. Ellie will be the one carrying, and if she still isn't ready, I will respect that," Daniel replied. He drank water and showed his disinterest in continuing that topic, but his mother persisted.

"When will she get ready then? When she's old and grey? When she had no choice but to try those… What do you call them, hon? IVF? SPF?" Marilyn turned to her husband but did not wait for an answer. "I had you in my early twenties. Look at us now, we're still healthy and mobile. We can even take care of our grandchildren!"

"Uh-huh. You just complained about how tiring it is for an old woman like you to travel for hours earlier," Joe mumbled. He got a glare from his wife, so he zipped his mouth and shrugged his shoulders at his son.

"Your wife should take a break in her career to get ready. How will she get pregnant if she's always busy? You should convince her, son. You will know that the joy of having a child will make your life more fulfilling."

"...I'll talk to her about it," Daniel conceded. He filled his mother's plate with a spoonful of her favorite. "Eat more, Mom."

"Hoo, this boy. You should eat more than me. You look tired." Marilyn did the same. Soon, they were talking about Daniel's projects and achievements. 

Daniel forced himself to be more accommodating even though he was so tired. Why wouldn't he? He vacuumed the whole house, did the laundry, cleaned the guest room for his parent's overnight stay, and cooked lunch. 

Fortunately, his parents always take afternoon naps, so Daniel had time for himself before preparing dinner. He checked his phone, hoping to hear from his wife, but the last messages they exchanged were before lunch. 

It was past three in the afternoon already. He tried to call, but he was rejected. A message from his wife popped up after, apologizing for not answering because she was still in the middle of a meeting.

His grip tightened on the phone, and let out a short laugh. "Figures," he muttered under his breath. Without another thought, he pocketed the phone and went back to what he was doing, pretending it didn't sting. 

Meanwhile, Ellie turned off her phone after sending that message. She focused on the meeting and soon they reached an agreement. 

"I look forward to the revised manuscript, Ms. Hartwell." Arman, the director of the project, shook Ellie's hand. He gestured at the woman beside him. "If you ever need help, you can reach out to our screenwriter—Diana. She's not as talented as you, but she's been writing scripts for years."

Ellie shook Arman's hand and nodded at Diana with a smile. "I'll make sure to remember that."

The meeting ended. Ellie sighed in relief. The simple discussion about her suggestion grew larger after the director arrived to propose some particular points in the new manuscript. Ellie was a bit reluctant to let them manipulate her story, but her boss convinced her otherwise. 

It was like she received a request, and she had to abide by the client's preferences. It makes her writing feel constricted. She must have been blinded by the money that comes with the offer since she accepted despite that. 

In her defense, she wanted to buy something really expensive for her husband. 

She arrived back home just before dinner preparation. "I'm back."

There was no 'welcome home' that she always received whenever Daniel was at home. She carefully walked, but the living room was spotless. She peeked at the kitchen, but no one was yet preparing dinner. 

Ellie wondered where everyone was. She headed to the bedroom, and there she found Daniel sleeping on his favorite chair next to the balcony's door. She walked up to him, wondering whether to wake him up or not. 

After staring for a few minutes, she decided to let him sleep. She was tired from all that talking and meeting lots of people, but she was certain Daniel was more tired than her. She changed into her lounge clothes and went to the kitchen. 

"Okay…what should I cook?" She checked the remaining ingredients in the fridge and thought hard about what to make out of them. 

"Let's cook something simple tonight." 

Ellie was startled by a woman's voice. She turned around and found her mother-in-law by the kitchen's entrance. 

"Mom," Ellie mumbled. She walked to her and greeted her with a kiss on the cheek. "I'm sorry I wasn't here during lunch."

Marilyn waved her hand dismissively. "Your husband explained it already. He must have fallen asleep because I didn't see him. The two of us can just prepare dinner. What ingredients do you have here?"

Ellie showed everything. Her mother-in-law began ordering her to wash this, slice that, and do it properly. Ellie wasn't complaining, since she wanted to impress them once in a while, but cooking was really not her forte, so when she added too much salt to the pot, her mother-in-law had a lot to say. 

"A wife should know how to cook properly. What will you do if you have a child? You can't feed your husband and your baby junk foods or processed food all the time. You should learn. Why not enroll in a cooking class?" Marilyn said while stirring the pot after adding sugar to it. 

Ellie forced a smile and nodded in agreement. "I'll work on it, Mom," she said softly. "When I have time, I'll enroll in a cooking class."

"When will that be? From what I see, you're always busy. You can't even spare time to eat with your in-laws." Marilyn moved away, her last sentence said in a much lower voice without hesitation. 

However, that phrase did not escape Ellie's ears. Her grip tightened on the hem of her blouse as she heard her mother-in-law sigh. She swallowed down the lump in her throat and continued helping Marilyn in silence.

Not long after, Daniel walked into the kitchen in a hurry. He sighed in relief after seeing that almost everything was done. Ellie smiled at him, but it didn't reach her eyes. She continued wiping the counter. 

"When did you get back?" Daniel came and hugged Ellie from the back. Before she could answer, Marilyn interrupted. 

"If you're awake already, go and wake up your father, and help us set the table. Cooking this simple dish took longer than I expected."

Ellie lowered her head. Marilyn's voice sounded accusing, and Ellie knew it was directed at her. Daniel, unaware, left after ruffling Ellie's hair, seemingly proud to see her cook with his mother.

They ate dinner discussing about random things. Every time the topic would drift about Daniel's cousins having kids, Ellie could feel the pressure. She forced a smile and answered the best she could without disappointing her in-laws, but she felt her stomach churning every minute.

The next morning, they left. Ellie was finally able to breathe again. Daniel suddenly received a call from one of his project sites. Thieves broke in and robbed the barrack. He had to deal with it. 

"Let's eat dinner together," Daniel said before leaving. 

Ellie went back into writing the new script for the film and she was lost in it. When she looked out the window, it was already dark. A few missed calls on her phone, and messages from Daniel, asking that he'll be coming home later than he expected. 

After replying to them, she immersed herself in writing again, forgetting dinner and her mother-in-law's words.