**An Eye for an Eye: The Cost of Indifference**
In a quiet town along the Thames, Marjorie Whitmore had spent years trying to be the perfect mother and mother-in-law. She sacrificed her time, energy, and money for the happiness of her son and his wife. But their indifference and ingratitude shattered her heart. When her daughter-in-law, desperate for help, begged her to come, Marjorie refused for the first time. Now she wondered: was her revenge justified, or was it the beginning of the end for her family?
The phone rang recently—her daughter-in-law, Hannah. Her voice trembled weakly: “Marjorie, please, I beg you, come! I’ve got a high fever, my throat’s raw with tonsillitis. I feel awful! Look after little Emily, just for a bit!” Sitting in her flat in London, Marjorie answered coldly, “Sorry, Hannah, I can’t. I’m at the cottage in the countryside, and I’ve no plans to return.” She hung up, bitterness and reluctant satisfaction swirling inside.
When Marjorie told her neighbour, Margaret, the woman gasped. “Marjorie, what are you doing? You’re in town, not at the cottage! Hannah’s really struggling—Emily’s only three months old! How could you?” Marjorie frowned. “Yes, my granddaughter’s three months. But Hannah earned this. For five years, I tried to be her friend. I gave them thousands for the wedding, helped with the flat, furnished it myself. Did they ever say thank you? No! All they do is splurge on designer clothes, new mobiles, and holidays abroad!”
Her voice shook with hurt as she went on. “When Hannah was pregnant, I took her to the best specialists, even hand-delivered her test results. I brought homemade meals to the hospital, scrubbed their flat spotless before they came home. And what? Not a word of thanks! They acted as if I owed it to them.” Margaret sighed. “Marjorie, children often take parents for granted.” But Marjorie shook her head. “Really? When I asked for help, they turned away!”
Only once had Marjorie asked her son, James, for support. She was returning from visiting her sister in Manchester, weighed down with heavy bags. “James, meet me at the station, please,” she’d asked. He agreed—but an hour later, Hannah called. “Marjorie, just take a cab. James would have to leave work early, and it’s awkward. The train’s at dawn—he wouldn’t get enough sleep.” Marjorie choked on her anger. “They found time when Hannah and Emily needed a hospital visit! But not for me?” she fumed to Margaret.
“Hannah’s right—you can’t just skip work,” Margaret soothed. “James provides for his family; he can’t take risks.” But Marjorie disagreed. “He could’ve! I rarely ask, and they didn’t even call to check if I got home. The bags were too heavy—I couldn’t carry them alone. Strangers helped me off the train, and I had to hire a porter. A cabbie—a stranger—brought them to my door! My own son and his wife abandoned me.” Her eyes welled, but her voice hardened. “That’s when I decided: enough. No more help.”
Margaret shook her head. “Marjorie, little Emily’s done nothing wrong.” Marjorie fell silent, guilt pricking her—but her resentment ran deeper. “They’ve grown selfish, Margaret. I’m expected to run errands, and they give nothing back? That’s not fair. Let them see how it feels to be ignored.” She remembered how she’d once beamed with pride for James, dreaming of a close-knit family with Hannah. But every gesture was met with coldness, her kindness taken for granted. Now she’d answer indifference with indifference.
Night after night, Marjorie lay awake, torn between anger and longing. She pictured tiny Emily crying in her cot, Hannah stumbling feverishly about. Her heart ached—but the memory of James and Hannah’s betrayal drowned her pity. “They chose this,” she whispered into the dark, though tears still fell. She knew her decision might sever her ties to James and Emily forever—but it was too late to turn back. “Justice must be served,” she told herself, though deep down, she feared that justice would leave her alone.
Gazing out at the snowy London streets, Marjorie wondered: had she done the right thing? Her heart split between punishing ingratitude and fearing permanent loss. She recalled her joy when Emily was born, her dreams of babysitting and spoiling her. But her son’s apathy and Hannah’s coldness had crushed it. Now she waited for them to reach out first—but the phone stayed silent. “Would you agree with me?” she asked herself and found no answer.
**Lesson learned:** Kindness unreturned turns the heart to stone—but revenge, however justified, may cost more than it’s worth.
