**An Eye for an Eye: The Cost of Indifference**
In a cosy town along the River Thames, Margaret Whitmore had spent years striving to be the perfect mother and mother-in-law. She sacrificed time, energy, and money for the happiness of her son and his wife. Yet their indifference and ingratitude shattered her heart. When her daughter-in-law desperately begged for help, Margaret refused for the first time, resolved to return the favour. Now she wonders—was her revenge just, or the beginning of the end for their family?
The phone rang recently—her daughter-in-law, Hannah. Her voice trembled weakly: *”Margaret, please, come! I’ve got a high fever, my throat’s raw from tonsillitis. I feel awful! Stay with little Sophie, help me!”* Sitting in her London flat, Margaret replied coldly, *”Sorry, Hannah, I can’t. I’m at the cottage in Cornwall and won’t be back.”* She hung up, resentment simmering inside, mixed with bitter satisfaction.
When Margaret told her neighbour, Joan, the woman gasped: *”Maggie, what are you doing? You’re in the city, not Cornwall! Hannah’s struggling—Sophie’s only three months old! How could you?”* Margaret frowned. *”My granddaughter is three months, yes. But Hannah deserves this. Five years I tried to be her friend. Paid for their wedding, helped with renovations, furnished their flat. Did they ever thank me? No! Just splurged on designer clothes, new phones, and holidays!”*
Her voice shook with pain. *”When Hannah was pregnant, I took her to the best doctors, carried her test results to the clinic myself. Brought homemade meals to the hospital, scrubbed their flat spotless before she came home. And what? Not a word of thanks! They took it all for granted, like I owed them.”* Joan sighed. *”Kids often do—they think parents should help.”* But Margaret shook her head. *”Should? When I asked for help, they turned away!”*
Only once had Margaret asked her son, Thomas, for support. Returning from visiting her sister in Bath with heavy bags, she pleaded, *”Tom, meet me at the station, please.”* He agreed—but an hour later, Hannah called. *”Margaret, take a taxi. Tom would have to leave work early, and it’s awkward. The train’s too early; he’d be exhausted.”* Margaret choked on hurt. *”They found time when Hannah and the baby needed the hospital! But not for me?”* she raged to Joan.
*”Hannah’s right—men can’t just skip work,”* Joan soothed. *”Tom provides for his family; he can’t risk it.”* But Margaret disagreed. *”He could’ve! I rarely ask, yet they didn’t even call to see if I got home. The bags were too heavy—I barely managed. Strangers helped me off the carriage, then I paid a porter. A cabbie—a stranger!—carried them to the door! My own son and daughter-in-law abandoned me.”* Tears filled her eyes, but her voice hardened. *”That’s when I decided—enough. No more help.”*
Joan shook her head. *”Maggie, but the baby’s innocent.”* Margaret fell silent, guilt pricking her, but bitterness won. *”They’ve grown spoiled, Joan. I’m expected to run errands, and they give nothing back? It’s unfair. Let them feel how it hurts to be ignored.”* She remembered how proud she’d been of Thomas, how she’d dreamed of a close-knit family with Hannah. But every gesture was met with coldness, her kindness taken for granted. Now she’d repay them in kind.
Night after night, Margaret lay awake, torn between anger and grief. She pictured tiny Sophie crying in her cot, Hannah burning up with fever. Her heart ached—but the memory of Thomas and Hannah’s betrayal smothered pity. *”They chose this,”* she whispered into the dark, tears rolling down. She knew her choice might sever ties with her son and granddaughter forever—but it was too late to turn back. *”Justice must be served,”* she repeated, though deep down, she feared that justice would leave her alone.
Gazing out at the snow-dusted London streets, Margaret wondered—had she done right? Her heart split between punishing ungrateful loved ones and dreading losing them entirely. She recalled her joy when Sophie was born, the dreams of doting on her grandchild. But her son and daughter-in-law’s indifference killed that joy. Now she waited for them to reach out, but the phone stayed silent. *”Would you agree with me?”* she asked herself—and found no answer.
**Lesson learned:** Kindness given without gratitude becomes a debt—but collecting it may cost everything.
