Professor Lauren Adams is the epitome of an intellectual woman. As a professor of English Literature and English Language, she commands respect in her academic field, impressing students and colleagues alike with her sharp mind and insightful lectures. Her career is a point of pride, something she’s worked hard to establish and maintain. In the classroom, she is in complete control, the master of her domain, where her expertise and authority are unquestioned.
However, at home, things are more complicated. Lauren is married to a man who, while not unkind, holds very traditional views about family roles. His sense of responsibility for their household is strong, and this extends to his approach to their children and their family business. While Lauren carved out space for her academic career early in their relationship—something that allowed her a degree of professional freedom—over time, the balance in their marriage has shifted. Her husband’s increasing desire for control, although not overtly hostile, often leaves her feeling disempowered in the home.
Her husband runs the local supermarket, and while Lauren and her husband agreed to let their daughter work there, he would have preferred their son to help out instead. However, their son had his own ideas about what he wanted to do. When their daughter expressed a desire to pursue lifeguard training, both Lauren and her husband were supportive, but his concerns were practical. He worried that losing his daughter to training would leave him short-staffed.
Lauren agreed to step in, covering for her daughter at the supermarket. While donning a uniform and stacking shelves was beneath her professional standing, she was willing to sacrifice for her children. But it wasn’t just the task itself that stung. Her husband, in his own way, seemed to relish being the one to issue orders, reinforcing the sense that in his world, even small requests were framed as commands. Lauren didn’t object—after all, it was for the family—but there was an unspoken feeling that the balance of power was shifting in a way that made her feel more like an employee than a partner.
While Lauren continues to thrive in her professional life, her marriage has become a delicate negotiation of roles, responsibilities, and compromises. She makes these sacrifices with the hope that her children’s futures will benefit, but it often leaves her questioning the balance between what she gives and what she retains for herself.