He decided to take her to a care home:
*I can’t believe a child would abandon their own mother.*
One morning, I stepped into the garden and noticed an elderly woman at my neighbour’s house. Hunched over, she sat beneath the awning on a little bench, seemingly having dozed off outside.
It struck me as odd—my neighbour had no family. She and her husband had never had children, and he had passed away a year ago after a long illness. Of course, she was lonely, left to grow old alone. Yet she wasn’t so frail that she should despair. She had to accept it.
I went over to ask about the woman. The old lady was polite but spoke little. My neighbour whispered that she was distressed—her son had disowned Mrs. Beatrice, and it was best not to bother her.
She had worked her entire life at the symphony. Her husband was a professor—respected, influential. She knew of his affairs with students but refused to tear the family apart, swallowing her pride in silence.
Her only son and her work consumed her days. She even gave private music lessons at home.
The boy grew up, graduated, married. A granddaughter came, whom she adored. That was when her husband left her for another woman—yet he refused to divorce.
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Her son and his wife were busy building their business, so visits were rare. Still, they left the granddaughter with her. But old age came suddenly. Then her husband was cast aside by his mistress and crawled back.
Compared to the younger woman, his wife now seemed aged, and he couldn’t stand it. He loathed being near her, still hoping to find someone new.
By then, their son had his own home—large, spacious. The father begged him to take his mother in. The son didn’t object. His daughter loved her grandmother. His wife, however…
She refused to let some old woman live under her roof. At first, the son argued—this was his *mother*—so he insisted she stay.
Fine. But only if his father transferred the flat to the granddaughter. *What if he shackled up with someone else? Then we’d lose the flat.*
To please his wife, the son pressured his father, who promised to sign it over.
Mrs. Beatrice moved in. Fresh air, greenery, family—it should have been lovely. Her husband didn’t mourn long. Another mistress soon appeared, though he still avoided divorce.
But the daughter-in-law kept complaining, treating the old woman horribly. She shouted, sneered, even raised a hand. The mother stayed silent. The granddaughter mimicked her mother’s cruelty. Finally, Mrs. Beatrice snapped—she *demanded* her son take her home.
He called his father, but the man refused—now living with someone new. His wife and daughter insisted Grandma live elsewhere.
So, he decided to put her in a care home.
My neighbour found out. As it turned out, she’d known Mrs. Beatrice for years. Heartbroken, she made arrangements—the son could bring his mother to *her*. He promised money, asked her to call.
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He brought her. The place was decent. He vowed to visit often. Well. We’ll see.
This is what happens when you take responsibility for family no one else wants. Where else could the old woman go?
Life is a boomerang—what you throw out comes back. Care for your parents.
Be kind. Be human. Love those who loved you first.
