**Diary Entry**
No one remembered me when I was little, but once I started earning money, my parents suddenly reappeared. All through my childhood, they spent their time figuring out where to place me. I came into their family at the worst possible timethey never wanted me. At first, my grandmother helped care for me, but after she had a stroke, there was no one left to raise me. Their modest pension and wages werent enough to care for a sick woman, let alone a child. After a few months, they made the decision to send meAliceto a childrens home.
«Youll stay here for a while, just until your father and I earn a bit more money,» my mother told me.
I believed her. I waited. But life in the home was no fairy tale. No private room, no warmth, no tendernessit was almost like prison. I never made friends with the other children, and the staff barely noticed me. To survive, I buried myself in books donated by charities.
School was my escape. I got good marks, and when I was accepted into university, I was thrilled to leave for another city. I had barely any money, but I found part-time work and saved every penny to start my own business. People laughed when I opened a tiny online shop selling homemade candles.
«What kind of job is that? Youll never make proper money,» they said.
But the business grew. I was one of the first in the market doing this, and customers kept coming. A young mannow my husbandhelped with deliveries, eventually quitting his job to make candles with me. Slowly, it became a family trade. The care home staff heard about me because my face was all over the shops branding. And, of course, so did my parents.
Under the pretense of placing an order, they reached out. Once they got their package, they tracked down the return address and showed up at my door.
I wasnt happy to see them. They had forgotten me, and I had forgotten them. Maybe it was harsh, but I sent them awaymy husband backing me up without hesitation.
They didnt raise me. They never checked on me. And now, suddenly, they pretend to love me? Its too late. They shouldve looked for me sooner. They shouldve taken me home. But now Im grown. Im a mother myself. And I dont need parents like that.
