When William and I tied the knot fifteen years ago, my mother-in-law made it crystal clear from the very start that we would never be best friendsor even friendly acquaintances, for that matter. We got married, but William and I didnt have children right away. In fact, the stork seemed to have misplaced our address for a good ten years. And then, when hope had just about put its pyjamas on, fate delivered us a son and a daughter.
Life with William was rather comfortable. He held a cushy post as director at a prominent firm, so I was on hand to take care of the little ones during maternity leavequite happy about that arrangement, actually.
My own mother lived miles away, far from our corner of Surrey, so help from her wasnt on the cards. As for my mother-in-law, well, her attitude never shifted an inch during those fifteen years. In her eyes, I was nobodya country bumpkin whod pinched her beloved William. Shed had her sights set on a proper English rose for him. But he settled on me.
And then, just like that, my little bubble burst.
One afternoon, after taking the children for their customary traipse round the park, I returned home to find a note on the bedside table. Something felt offI noticed Williams belongings were missing. Hed left us. On the scrap of paper, in his usual untidy scrawl, hed written: Im sorry, but Ive fallen in love with someone else. Dont look for meI know youre strong and can manage Honestly, its for the best.
I rang William straightaway, but all I got on the other end was silence. He completely vanishedpoof!from our lives, leaving the children and me to muddle along by ourselves. I hadnt a clue where he was or who he was with. Rather woefully, I picked up the phone again and called my mother-in-law.
Its all your fault, she declared, sounding positively victorious. I always said this would end in tears. What did you expect?
I was utterly bewilderedhow on earth was this my doing? Had I made some grave error in domestic etiquette? It was hard enough to process, but making ends meet was even tougher. William hadnt so much as left us a fiver, and my purse was practically empty.
Heading back to work wasnt a simple optionwhat with the children and no one to watch them. Then I remembered my old part-time gig, writing academic essays for students. With a spot of luck and a lot of caffeine, I was able to stretch our savings for another six months. During that whole time, not a peep from William.
***
Then, one blustery autumn evening, someone knocked rather sheepishly at the door. I thought it was a neighbour with one of their odd requests, but there stood my mother-in-law, teary-eyed and definitely not her usual brassy self. I invited her in, more out of shock than charity. It turned out Williams new flame was a con artist whod fleeced him for everything he had, leaving him, and by extension her, positively penniless. Now, apparently, they could barely put beans on toast.
My mother-in-law implored me to let her stay with usyes, the very same woman who’d always treated me like a kitchen skivvy. Now Im stuck in a pickle: do I offer forgiveness, a cup of tea, and a spare roomor do I give her the same cold shoulder shed always reserved for me?
