Im sixty years old. I no longer expect friends or relatives to come calling at my home. Quite a few people
I never imagined that the person who would hurt me the most would be my best friend. Emily and I had
So, you know how divorces can sometimes get really messy, right? Well, this wealthy bloke lets call him
Without a Bit of Luck, Thered Be No Joy How could he have left you, you daft thing! Whos going to take
My dear is still married to his wife and has a daughter. I love my husband very much. We’
Mum, your son is a grown man! Thats exactly what I said to my mother-in-law while she, for the umpteenth
The Girl Doesn’t Know Basic Things… What Should I Do?
My Mother-in-Law Passed Away a Few Years Ago, and After the Funeral, I Swore I’d Stick to the Rule: Speak Fondly of the Dead or Not at All.
I Also Made Another Promise—No Matter Who Married My Son, I Would Never Become the Kind of Mother-in-Law She Was.
But Good Intentions Are One Thing, Life Is Another.
My Only Son, Alex, Turned 25 and Brought His Girlfriend Home at the Start of Summer.
True to My Promise Not to Interfere, I Welcomed the Girl Warmly but Kept My Guard Up.
I Told Myself I Wouldn’t Look Down on Her, Wouldn’t Nitpick, and Wouldn’t Give Unsolicited Advice—All Things My Late Mother-in-Law Did until We Ended Up Loathing Each Other.
I Don’t Want to Push Away Either Alex or His Girlfriend. Truthfully, I Enjoy Making Them Both Coffee, I Know Their Breakfast Preferences, and I Like Spoiling Them on Weekends—During the Week, I’m Too Busy for Such Little Extras.
So, I Try to Give Them Space—Heading Off with My Husband to the Lake, Visiting a Friend, Popping Round to Mum’s to Make Chutney and Pickles—Leaving Them Alone in the House.
Still, Something Surprising Happened That I Felt Compelled to Share. One Evening, My Son’s Girlfriend Showed Off a New Top She’d Bought on the Way Home from Work.
It Wasn’t Expensive, Made Cheaper Still by a Missing Button.
She Tried It On—It Looked Lovely and Suited Her. The Next Day, Friday, I Suggested She Wear Her New Top on Our Outing… But She Didn’t—She Couldn’t Sew the Button Back On.
“Oh, Really?” I Blurted Out, Surprised That a 22-Year-Old Didn’t Have a Needle, Thread, or Knack for Basic Simple Fixes.
How, I Wondered, Will She Manage Tomorrow? How Will She Look After a Home and Family or Make Important Choices? Family Dynamics and Dilemmas.
Now, I’m Not Sure What to Do—Should I Just Sew the Button On, Show Her How, or Leave It—Her Choice: Wear the Top or Let It Languish in the Wardrobe?
One Thing’s Certain—I Don’t Want to Be a Difficult Mother-in-Law. I’ve Seen That Role and I Don’t Care for It. My mother-in-law passed away a few years back, and after we laid her to rest, I made myself a promise
I always thought there werent any secrets between my mother and me. Well, almost none. We could talk
The One-Woman Man
On the Day of His Wife’s Funeral, Fyodor Didn’t Shed a Tear—”You See, I Told You He Never Loved Zina,” Tosia Whispered to Her Neighbor. “Hush Now, What Difference Does It Make? The Children Are Orphans Now, with a Father Like That.”—”You’ll See, He’ll Marry Katie Soon Enough,” Tosia Assured Lelya. “Why Katie? She Wants Nothing to Do with Him. Glafira Was Always His True Love, Or Have You Forgotten How They Used to Sneak Around the Barns? Katie Has a Family and Moved On from Him Long Ago.”
Zinaida Was Buried. The Children Clung to Each Other. Misha and Pauline Had Just Turned Eight. Though Zina Married Fyodor for Love, No One, Not Even She, Knew If He Truly Loved Her. Rumor Had It She Married Him Because She Fell Pregnant. Their First Child, Klavdy, Was Born Premature and Didn’t Survive; For Years Afterwards, There Were No More Children Until God Granted Twins—Pauline, Who Took After Fyodor, and Misha, Gentle Like His Mother. Fyodor Was Stern, Called “Lone Wolf” By Villagers for His Silence and Lack of Affection.
When Zina Died, She Entrusted Misha With Protecting His Twin Sister. “You’re the Man of the House Now, Promise Me You’ll Care for Her,” She Said Before Passing.
Fyodor Sat Wordless at His Late Wife’s Side. Life Slowly Settled—Pauline Tried to Manage the Household, But Needed Aunt Natalia’s Guidance. Villagers Whispered: Maybe Fyodor Would Marry Again, Perhaps to Glafira, His Old Flame—though Such Gossip Was Met with Chiding from the Parish Council Chairman, Maxim Leonard.
Glafira Had Loved Fyodor Once, But Married Mitya Instead; Still, Old Sparks Began Rumored to Fly. Yet Fyodor Stayed True to Zina’s Memory. Even When Glafira Approached Him With Homemade Pies, He Refused, Remaining Loyal to His Wife, Even After Death.
Years Passed, the Twins Grew Up. Aunt Natalia, Still Helping Them, Maintained That Her Brother Had Only Loved One Woman. When Pauline Confided She Loved Grisha Voronin “for Ever,” Natalia Cautioned Her That Sometimes Love Lasts a Lifetime—and Sometimes, If Betrayed, There’s No Loving Again.
On Fridays, Pauline Secretly Followed Her Father to the Cemetery, Where He’d Whisper to Zina’s Grave All He Couldn’t Say in Life—For Fyodor, the Lone Wolf, Had Told Her Everything with His Heart. THE ONE-LOVE MAN On the day of his wifes funeral, Edward didnt shed a single tear. See for yourself
To Make It to a Golden Wedding Anniversary
Ludmila and Ivan Have Spent Twenty-Five Years Together—She’s Now Fifty, He’s Two Years Her Senior; Their Typical Village Life Revolves Around Their Home, Farm, Work, and Their Grown Son Mathew, Who Finished College and Works at a Local Steel Plant; But When Mathew Arrives for the Weekend with His Fiancée Julia, Plans for a Summer Wedding Spark Joy, Even as Ludmila Quietly Battles Feelings for Their Neighbour and Ivan’s Best Friend, Michael—An Unexpected Romance Threatening to Upend Their Silver Anniversary Celebrations, Family Ties, and the Future They Thought They Shared Diary Entry: Making it to the Golden Anniversary John and I have been together for twenty-five years.
