Dear Diary,
I dont think Ill ever forget how my future mother-in-law managed to ruin what was meant to be the holiday of a lifetime.
Its just too frightening to travel alone with my daughter, you understand two women, dont know the language, anything could happen Julians mum had thrown her hand in the air, sighing. But with you two, its not so daunting. Well be together, if anything goes awry.
Little did I realise just how together wed actually be.
It really was a blow.
Months ago, Julian and I, along with his brother William and Williams wife, Charlotte, had started planning this break. The four of us were the perfect travel companions, whether for a quick trip to the local pub or a getaway abroadour ideas about the perfect holiday synced effortlessly.
Wed already holidayed together twice last year without a hitch.
But now
Of course, I didnt blame Charlotte for suddenly falling ill. Who could? It was just bad luck. But I think I was allowed a little disappointment, wasnt I?
Well, what can you do? William sighed. You two will just have to explore those old ruins on your own.
He really was gutted about the change in plans, but of course, leaving his poorly wife to go gallivanting wasnt something hed ever contemplate. No one would ask that of him anyway.
Still, it was a shame about the money. The holiday was mostly paid for, and thered be no way of getting a full refund at this stage. All those plansdown the drain.
That evening, Julians mum, Margaret Harris, popped by. Hardly unusual, considering the closeness of their family. And, truthfully, Margaret wasnt so badapart from the usual quirks youd expect from a traditional English mother-in-law. She had her moments of offering uninvited advice about keeping a proper household, but nothing out-of-the-ordinary. Actually, compared to my friends terrifying tales of their mothers-in-law, Margaret was positively easy-going.
She suggested, quite enthusiastically, that she and her youngest, Alice, could buy out the bookings from William and Charlotte, then all go togetherJulian, me, Margaret, and Alice, with plans to soak up the sun in Spain, relax her old bones, and enjoy something new.
Its just too frightening to travel alone with Alice, you understand two women, dont know the language, anything could happen, she repeated, as if for emphasis. But with you and Julian, it feels so much safer.
Wed be right there, shed pointed out. If anything went wrong, wed be together.
If only Id known exactly how close this company of future in-laws would be.
Had I realised, Id never have said yes.
Then again, at least I had the chance to see everyones true colours before tying the knot, not after, when separating would be a far bigger mess.
In the grand scheme of things, I suppose I got off lightly.
Some of my friends thought I was mad to even consider holidaying with a future mother-in-law. Who does that? they chimed. Shell run you ragged, bossing you about, make you and her son dance attendance on her the whole time. And if shes bringing Alice too, youll end up entertaining her as well.
But Alice was nineteen, perfectly capable of looking after herself. In day-to-day life, we barely exchanged more than a greeting or asking to pass the salt at dinner. I doubted shed suddenly crave hours of bonding at the poolside.
As for Margaretyes, wed have to plan with her age in mind, certainly, but it wasnt as if a couple of slower days would ruin my life. And it would just be a fortnight, after all. If things truly were insufferable, Id have a perfectly polite excuse next time. At least I could say Id tried.
Besides, my friends didnt actually know Margaretthey only compared her to their own fearsome in-laws. Theyd always insisted I was the lucky one, that both Julians family and he himself were absolute finds. Now, suddenly, they were urging me to back out post-haste.
But how could I? Margaret was so thrilled, and Julian was walking on air at the thought of taking his mum to Spain.
The first red flag came on the plane.
Alice bagged the window seatI wasnt fussed. My work took me on enough flights that the view had lost its magic. Julian had no interest either; he preferred losing himself in the in-flight entertainment. Personally, I opted for an aisle seat so I could slip out to the loo without waking anybody.
Across the aisle, Margaret sat, visibly anxious. When the turbulence hit, she looked close to tears. I couldnt refuse her request to swap so she could sit beside Julian, to calm her nerves.
Still, after the airborne roller coaster ended, no one seemed keen to swap back. Instead, Margaret settled herself, first pretending to watch Julians movie, then dozing off with her head on his shoulder.
Dont get worked up, I told myself. If youd been that frightened, you wouldnt worry about giving your seat back, either. Not right to wake someone dozing, is it?
But a little voice inside me pointed out that Margaret woke up at the exact moment the steward started serving dinner. And surely, she could have swapped with Alice, whod been done with the window view long ago and was merrily watching films.
This family tableau only fuelled a slow-burning irritation, and I grew downright moody upon landing at the airport. Julian didnt even glance my way before dashing over to help his mum with her bags, then set off to find her some water.
I felt invisible, like I might as well not exist.
Darling, whats the matter? Julian later asked. No ones making you feel left out, honestly. Mums just a bit anxiousits her first time abroad, and you saw how upset she was on the flight.
And whose bright idea was it to invite her along anyway? I almost retorted, but thought better of it.
Years of being told to defer to your elders, show compassion, and always think of others bubbled up inside me. Of course Margaret was uneasy; of course Julian, being an affectionate son, would fuss.
But was it so terrible that he helped with her bags and checked in on her? I was perfectly fine lugging my own suitcase.
Unfortunately, I didnt realise then that the awkwardness on the plane and at the airport was a mere warm-up.
Because the very next evening, Margaret moved into our hotel room, as if it was the most natural thing in the world, fanfare and all.
