Beth and Her Mother

Beth sat at the table with her Mother.
Mother had prepared a steak dinner, which sat in front of Beth.
"Mom, can I have some help cutting my steak?"
"It is very rude of you to ask that question," said Mother.  "Do not impose on people!  I'm ashamed of you!"




Beth stopped crying.




"Mom..."
"Yes?"
Beth said nothing.
"Do you need help cutting your steak?"
Beth nodded.
"It is extremely inconsiderate of you!  Can't you see I have my own dinner I need to cut?  If you take up my time, *my* steak will grow cold!  Then all my work preparing dinner will be for nothing!  Do not be such a horrible little girl!"




Beth stopped crying.




Beth sat, staring at her steak.
Mother sat there with Beth.
Mother ate Mother's steak, watching Beth eat nothing.
"Good girl," said Mother.  "This way you will lose weight and stop being so fat."




Many years later, somebody asked Mother about Beth.  It seemed Beth had developed some health issues, many of which were directly related to malnutrition as a child.  Somehow it had been insinuated by someone that Mother hadn't allowed Beth to eat, although nobody really wanted to make those kinds of drastic accusations.
"That's preposterous," Mother said.  "I put healthy meals in front of her, but she wouldn't eat them.  I don't know what her problem was.  She's always been so unhealthy.  And if she told you those stories about me, well, then she's untruthful, too.  She's always had problems.  Such a disappointment."