Chapter 3: When the World Turned Away

Daisy had no one. After Eric’s death, everyone disappeared. His friends never came. Her relatives stopped calling. Even her neighbors acted like she did something wrong. They looked away when she passed. They whispered behind her back. They closed their doors.

One day, Daisy went to her uncle’s house. She held Liam in her arms and Lily by her side. She stood at the door, cold and shaking. “Uncle,” she said, “can I stay here for a few nights? I lost the job. I have no food.” Her uncle looked at her. Then he looked away. He said, “People are talking about you. You brought shame to our family. I can’t help you. Go back.”

Daisy didn’t cry. She just nodded. She turned away, barefoot, and walked into the cold street. Her babies were hungry. She had no money. She walked to the park. She sat on a broken bench and rocked her children slowly. She looked up at the stars. “Why is life so cruel to good people?” she whispered.

She remembered how people smiled at her wedding. How they said she was lucky. Where were they now? Where were those fake smiles? Those loud mouths? Now no one cared if she lived or died. But Liam and Lily needed her. So she stayed alive.

The next day, she went to three shops and asked for work. She said, “Please, I can clean, cook, anything.” One woman laughed and said, “You look weak. You’ll drop my plates.” Another man said, “I can give you work, but no money, only food.” Daisy looked at her babies. Then she said yes.

That night, she worked for ten hours. She cleaned floors, washed dishes, and folded clothes. She didn’t sit for a second. She held her back in pain but didn’t stop. The man gave her one small bag of rice and a half loaf of bread. She thanked him with a smile.

She walked home with swollen feet and a burning body. On the way, it started to rain. Cold wind cut her skin. She covered her babies with her scarf and ran. Her apartment was wet inside. The roof leaked. She sat on the floor, held her children, and fed them the bread. She ate nothing. “Maybe tomorrow I’ll eat,” she said to herself.

Days turned into weeks. People insulted her. Some shopkeepers said, “We don’t want poor women begging here.” Others asked, “Why don’t you remarry? A woman alone is nothing.” Daisy didn’t answer. Her silence was stronger than their hate.

Once, an old friend from school saw her on the street. The friend was in a shiny car. She called out, “Daisy? Is that you?” Daisy smiled. “Yes.” The friend looked at her torn clothes, her thin face. “Oh,” she said. “I’m busy right now.” She drove away. Daisy stood still. The road was silent, but her heart was screaming.

She tried going to a women’s shelter, but it was full. She slept outside one night, covering her babies with her shawl. A man saw her and said, “You’re dirty. You people make the city ugly.” Daisy closed her eyes. She held her children tight and whispered, “I’m sorry, my babies. Mama is trying.”

One morning, she fainted while cleaning. She hadn’t eaten in two days. The house owner shouted, “Get up! I pay you to work, not to sleep!” Daisy got up with shaking hands. She said nothing. She cleaned the floor, one hand on the wall, the other holding the mop.

One night, Liam had a fever again. Daisy had no money. She ran to a pharmacy. She begged the man, “Please, give me medicine. I’ll pay later.” He said no. She sat outside and cried. A stranger came, saw her, and gave her five dollars. She bought the medicine and ran home.

She boiled water on a candle. She held Liam in her lap and kept him warm. She didn’t sleep that night. She just watched him breathe. She whispered, “Don’t leave me. I’ll give you my life if you want it. Just stay.”

Still, she never gave up. Even when people said she was cursed. Even when someone tried to touch her hand in a wrong way while offering help. She pulled her hand back and said, “I’m poor, not for sale.” That was Daisy. She walked with pain but never bent.

Her clothes were old. Her shoes were torn. But her dreams for Liam and Lily were new and shining. She wanted them to go to school. To have clean clothes. To smile without fear. She wanted them to grow strong, smart, and kind.

One evening, she stood at the window. Rain fell. Cold air came in. She hugged her babies. She cried silently. “I’m tired,” she said. “But I will keep going. For you. Only for you.”

She looked at their faces. Liam smiled in his sleep. Lily held her finger tight. That moment gave her power. Power stronger than any food, any help, any money. That was her reward. That was her reason to live.

The world had turned away. But Daisy kept walking. Her steps slow, her road dark—but her heart full of light.