But every trip was a reminder of how connected we were and how much we valued this time together. It was a break from our everyday lives, a chance to let loose and just be, at least for some time.
“Mom, do you remember that time at the beach house when Kayla fell off the dock?” Evelyn would laugh, nudging her sister.
“Don’t remind me!” Kayla groaned, but she couldn’t help smiling. “I still can’t believe you all left me in the water like that.”
“We didn’t leave you, sweetheart. We were laughing too hard to pull you out,” I would tease, shaking my head.
These moments were precious, and I held onto them fiercely. But things started to change when Liam, my only son, got married to Beth.
Beth was sweet when they first met. Quiet, reserved, but kind-hearted. I was genuinely happy for them, and when they got married, I welcomed her into our family with open arms. Naturally, I invited her to join us on our girls’ trips. I wanted her to feel included, to be a part of our little tradition. It felt right at the time.
At first, Beth fit in well enough. She was always polite, maybe a little shy, but I thought she’d warm up eventually. She wasn’t as chatty as my girls, but she seemed to enjoy the trips. We all tried to make her feel comfortable.
“So, Beth,” Kayla asked one afternoon as we sat in a café on one of our trips. “What was it like growing up in Maine? I’ve always wanted to visit.”
Beth smiled softly, twirling the straw in her iced coffee. “It was nice. Quiet. Not much to do in my town, but the summers were beautiful.”
The conversation felt a bit forced, but we all chalked it up to Beth needing time to adjust. She’d become part of our family, and I wanted her to feel like she belonged.
But after Beth gave birth to her son, Lucas, things changed. She gained a lot of weight during pregnancy, which isn’t unusual. However, eight years later, she still hadn’t lost the baby weight.
I noticed how much it was affecting her, not just physically but in the way she moved and interacted with us. It was becoming harder to include her in our trips.
One day, we were out shopping. It was supposed to be a fun, lighthearted afternoon, just like old times. We’d hit the mall, grabbed lunch, and made our way through the stores, chatting and laughing. But Beth kept falling behind.
I glanced back and saw her sitting on a bench near the entrance of a department store. She looked exhausted, wiping the sweat from her brow. “You guys go ahead,” she said, breathing heavily. “I’ll catch up.”
Evelyn raised an eyebrow at me, trying to hide her frustration. “Mom, do we need to wait again?”
I sighed. “Let’s just give her a few minutes.”
But those few minutes turned into long stretches of waiting. We’d walk ahead, browse through the racks, and eventually circle back to find Beth still sitting there. It was becoming a pattern — and not just on that day. Every trip we went on, we had to slow down, stop more often, and accommodate her.
By the time we left the mall that day, the mood had shifted. What was supposed to be a carefree afternoon felt strained, and my girls were clearly frustrated.
“Mom, I hate to say it, but these trips aren’t the same anymore,” Kayla said as we loaded the shopping bags into the car.
“I know,” I replied, running a hand through my hair. “I just… I don’t want to leave her out.”
Evelyn nodded, her face softening. “We get it. But we can’t keep doing this. It’s not fair to us either.”
I couldn’t argue with that. I knew they were right. The truth was, Beth’s presence had begun to change the dynamic of our trips, and not for the better.
We were holding back, compromising our enjoyment to accommodate her. And it wasn’t just about walking slower or sitting more. It felt like the whole energy of our outings was different.
The tipping point came when we started planning our annual trip to the pumpkin patch and apple orchard. It’s a tradition we’ve had for years — my favorite time of the year.
The fall colors, the smell of apples in the air, the laughter as we wandered through the orchard picking fruit. It was something we all looked forward to.
As we sat around the kitchen table, Evelyn looked up from her phone. “So, are we inviting Beth this year?”
I hesitated. We all knew what that would mean. Long breaks, slow walks, and probably missing out on some of the things we enjoyed most about the trip.
“I don’t think it’s a good idea,” I finally said, my voice low. “It’s a lot of walking, and… well, you know.”
Kayla sighed with relief. “I’m glad you said it, Mom. It’s been hard with her.”
“We haven’t had a proper girls’ day in so long,” Lauren added, looking at her sisters. “I miss the way things used to be.”
The truth was staring me in the face, and there was no avoiding it.
That’s when I made the decision not to invite Beth. It wasn’t easy, but I told myself it was for the best. My daughters deserved a day to relax and enjoy themselves without constantly having to adjust to Beth’s limitations.
The day of the trip came, and it was perfect. The weather was crisp, the leaves were golden and red, and we spent the entire day walking through the orchard, picking apples, and laughing.
We didn’t have to stop or slow down. It was like the old days, just me and my girls. I even posted a few pictures on Facebook, not thinking much of it.
But later that night, my phone rang. It was Beth.
I took a deep breath before answering. “Hi, Beth.”
“Lilian, I saw the pictures on Facebook,” she said, her voice tense. “Why wasn’t I invited?”
I felt my stomach drop. I knew this conversation was coming, but I wasn’t prepared. “Oh, it was just a small trip,” I stammered. “Nothing big.”
“But I’m family,” Beth said, her voice rising. “Why didn’t you invite me?”
There it was. The question I had been dreading. I could’ve lied, made up some excuse, but what would be the point? The truth was staring me in the face, and there was no avoiding it.
“Beth,” I said softly, trying to choose my words carefully. “It’s not that we don’t want you there. It’s just… well, the walking. You’ve needed a lot of breaks, and it’s made it hard for us to enjoy the trips the way we used to.”
Silence hung in the air for what felt like an eternity.
“So, you didn’t invite me because of my weight?” she asked, her voice barely above a whisper.
I swallowed hard. “Yes,” I admitted, guilt washing over me. “It’s been difficult. We’ve had to change the way we do things, and… I didn’t want to say anything, but it’s affected our trips.”
Beth was quiet for a moment, and I could feel the hurt radiating through the phone. “I thought I was part of this family,” she finally said, her voice trembling. “I thought you cared about me.”
“I do care about you, Beth—”
“No, you don’t,” she interrupted. “If you did, you wouldn’t have excluded me like this. You wouldn’t make me feel like an outsider.”
And with that, she hung up. I sat there, staring at the phone, my heart heavy with regret.
Later that night, Liam texted me. “Mom, Beth’s really hurt. You need to apologize.”
I read the text over and over, feeling torn. Should I apologize? Was I wrong to protect this time with my daughters? I wasn’t sure anymore.
The next morning, I talked to the girls. “Do you think I was too harsh?” I asked as we sat around the kitchen table.
“No, Mom,” Evelyn said, shaking her head. “We love Beth, but it’s not fair to us either. Our trips haven’t been the same.”
Kayla nodded. “We just want to enjoy ourselves like we used to. You did the right thing.”
Their reassurance helped, but I couldn’t shake the guilt. I didn’t want to hurt Beth, but I couldn’t ignore the strain her presence had put on our trips.
I’d reached my limit. Maybe I could’ve handled it better, maybe I should’ve been kinder, but the truth was out now.
I still don’t know if I made the right decision. All I wanted was to protect the bond I had with my daughters. But now I wonder if that decision has cost me something far greater.
Do you think I handled it correctly? What would you have done in my place?
Chris Pine transforms from handsome to homeless, fans say he looks ‘raggedy’
Fans were shocked to see Chris Pine switch up his clean-cut look for a shaggy beard and long hair, a huge change for the actor who played the sexy Starfleet captain on Star Trek.
Refined yet rugged, the DC Comics star is giving off Big Lebowski vibes, and fans are saying the 43-year-old heartthrob looks “raggedy” and unrecognizable.
Keep reading to learn what people are saying about Pine!
When Chris Pine was 29, he played James T. Kirk in the 2009 Star Trek reboot, the popular sci-fi franchise that gained a whole new following of fans who were excited to see his face on the big screen.
Over the past 15 years, the effortlessly handsome star has maintained a clean-shaven, well-coiffed look, nailing every outfit that drapes his toned body.
But now, the 43-year-old star – the son of Robert Pine who starred as Sgt. Joseph Getraer on CHiPs (1977 to 1983) – seems to be embracing a chic but hippy-ish style with a shaggy beard, salt and pepper hair and killer tan.
Rugged and shabby
Ditching his typical preppy look, Pines experienced a physical transformation so intense that many fans didn’t recognize him.
The rugged and shabby look came while he was preparing for his role Poolman, a 2023 box office bomb that he starred, co-wrote, produced and directed.
Embracing his character in the film, Pine fully embodied Darren Barrenman, a “hapless dreamer and would-be philosopher who spends his days looking after the pool of the Tahitian Tiki apartment block in sunny Los Angeles.”
He appeared at the opening of the film with his bushy gray beard and his long blonde hair with gray roots loosely resting over the shoulders of a sand-colored blazer. He added to his outfit a pair of dark gray shorts and a t-shirt that reads, “I [heart] LA.”
Sharing a clip on X that shows Pine at the opening, E! News writes, “[Chris Pine] is just in a silly goofy mood.”
‘Homeless’
Before the opening of Poolman, released in May 2024, fans were shocked to see the heartthrob walking around Los Angeles with wavy salt-and-pepper hair and an untamed beard.
His bright blue eyes were hidden by dark sunglasses and his white tank top showed his toned arms, one hand clutching a mask.
“Looks 55 and homeless! Great character actor!!” writes one fan of the Wonder Woman star becoming his character.
Expressing their genuine concern, a handful of fans wondered if Pine was facing some hard times.
“… he could fit in with the homeless people on the streets there. I guess times are tough for everyone,” said one, while a second adds, “He’s going for the homeless look. Someone toss him a bar of soap, he likely needs a scrubbing.”
A third offers, “He was one nice looking guy, I wonder what happened?”
Then there were the fans who had a hard time recognizing Pine’s chiseled face under the grizzled beard.
“Almost don’t recognize him now. Sad!” says one user, while another writes, “I’m impressed anyone recognized him. He looks raggedy.”
Comparing the star to Jeff Bridges as the eccentric slacker in The Big Lebowski, a third shares: “If they ever remake The Big Lebowski, we know who to get to play The Dude!”
‘Chris Pine is a king’
Meanwhile, throngs of fans loved Pine’s new look and gushed over the actor who played the handsome Lord Deveraux in the Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement.
“Yet still fine as f***,” remarks one cyber fan, while a second says, “Still looks great.”
A third writes, “He was a prince. Chris Pine is a king now!”
Offering an explanation to his rough new look, another netizen adds, “Kids, this is what we old folks called ‘getting old.’” The user continues, “Nobody (except maybe Tom Cruise) stays looking the same as we age and get older. You’re welcome.”
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