An Inheritance from the Ex-Husband or a Surprise from the Mother-in-Law
As a parting gift from her ex-husbandthe cheerful village drunkEmily was bestowed with the care of his mother. Theyd been divorced for a good ten years, not only because of his hopeless fondness for the pub, but also due to his rather unfortunate habit of expressing himself with his fists.
Theyd cut off all contact donkeys years ago. Their only son, Oliver, had got married and moved to another city, steering well clear of his father too. Lets face it, who wants to claim an alcoholic for a dad? And as for the father, he didnt win any medals for parenting.
One fine Sunday morning, Emilys phone rang with all the promise of a solicitor delivering bad newsit was the call to say her ex-husband had died. When it came to sorting him out into the ground, no one else volunteered, so Emily and her son handled the whole business. They organised a proper send-off, nothing too cheap.
But then there was the lingering questionwhat to do about the dear old mother-in-law? If only shed been halfway normal, but noshe was a one-woman whirlwind of trouble. Their entire acquaintance had consisted of the old woman making Emilys life less than blissful.
The mother-in-law resided in a creaky house on the edge of a small English town. Post-funeral, Oliver promptly scarpered back to his own home, needing to tend his own flock, leaving sour-faced Granny squarely in Emilys lap.
What could Emily do? She popped over several times a week, hauling shopping bags that were always met with pursed lips and world-weary sighs, but miraculously devoured with gusto all the same. Emily even had a go at splitting logsno picnic, mind you, but she couldnt just abandon the old bat to her own devices. How can you walk away from someone so helplessand so spectacularly grumpy?
This little circus went on for three months, until the old lady finally passed away. Imagine Emilys shock when it turned out the mother-in-law had left her the house and a tidy little sum in pounds, carefully saved over the years. Well, if that isnt gratitude, what is?
