Recently, my daughter got divorced and moved back into our cramped flat with her little one. Its been a strain, as we already live in a small place with my husband. I thought that while shes on maternity leave, she might stay for a while with my mum to ease the pressure. But now thats impossibleMum, at 68, has gone and remarried, moving her new husband in with her.
When she first called to say she was getting married, I thought she was joking. At her age? But it was true. Shed been alone for years after Dad passed away two decades ago. I was 35 when I left home, and since then, Ive lived in the city with my husband and kids, visiting Mum a few times a month and during holidays.
Thankfully, Mums always been independenthealthy, managing the housework herself. My husband and I help with the garden or chopping firewood when needed, but otherwise, shes always handled things alone.
Now, suddenly, shes brought a man into her home. It feels like a betrayal! She shouldnt have done this to us. Her fiancé is an old flame from her youth, a widower her age. They reconnected a few years back, and in early July, they had a quiet registry office wedding, followed by a modest dinner with close family.
We didnt attend. In my eyes, its disgracefulwhat was she thinking? She couldve carried on just fine without this. Im completely against the marriage and still cant accept it. She lives in a spacious house, and now hes moved in with her.
He has nothing to his namejust three grown children and a handful of grandchildren. Why would she do this? How could she treat us like this? Now that theyre legally married, he could lay claim to our inheritance. Meanwhile, were stuck in this tiny flat, and my daughters crammed in with us, relying on my help with the baby. My son rents a place with his girlfriend. Id hoped my daughter could stay with Mum for a while, but thats out of the question now.
We didnt speak for months. Then my auntMums sistercalled from the countryside and scolded me. She said we were being unfair, that Mum deserves happiness too. We ought to be happy for her. Worrying about inheritance while shes still alive is unkind, she said. But she doesnt understandwhat if, instead of inheriting Mums house, were left with an elderly stranger and his needy relatives, all expecting a share?
I still believe Im in the right here, and Mums in the wrong. But perhaps the real lesson is that love doesnt expire with ageand neither does a parents right to choose their own path, even when it upends our expectations.
