I was burning up with a fever of 103 degrees when my mother-in-law threw a bucket of icy water over me and ordered me to get up and entertain guests. That was when I finally did it…
My body ached as if Id been run over by a lorry. My throat was raw, my head pounded, and my thoughts swam in a feverish haze. I just wanted to close my eyes, to sink into the warmth of the duvet, even for a momentanything to escape the agony. Sleep felt like my only refuge.
I was burning up with a fever of 103 degrees when my mother-in-law threw a bucket of icy water over me and ordered me to get up and entertain guests. That was when I finally did it…
At first, I drifted through fever dreamsdark, suffocating things, like wading through thick mud while unseen hands dragged me deeper. Then, without warning, freezing water crashed over my face. I gasped, choking, and forced my eyes open to see her looming above me.
“Still lazing about?!” Her voice was sharp as shattered glass, cutting through the fog in my head.
My mother-in-law. Her lips were pressed into a bloodless line, her fists clenched at her sides. She looked at me as if Id committed some unforgivable sin.
“Get up!” she barked. “The guests will be here in an hour! The house must be spotless! Stop lying there like some useless lump!”
I tried to speak, but my body refused. Trembling, I wiped the water from my face, my fingers shaking.
I was burning up with a fever of 103 degrees when my mother-in-law threw a bucket of icy water over me and ordered me to get up and entertain guests. That was when I finally did it…
“Mum… I have a fever of 103… I can barely lift my head…” My voice was barely a whisper.
She waved a dismissive hand. “Oh, stop being dramatic! Everyone gets ill. I worked through worse! You wont embarrass me in front of our guests!”
Something inside me snapped. It wasnt just her crueltyit was the cold indifference, like that water shed just drenched me in.
And then I did the thing that later made her plead for forgiveness while I no longer cared.
Slowly, I pushed myself up. The room spun, but I steadied myself and walked past her without a word. My phone lay on the nightstandI grabbed it and dialled 999 right there in front of her.
“Hello, ambulance? I need help… fever of 103, severe weakness, throat and head pain… Yes, the address is…”
Her face twisted in outrage.
I was burning up with a fever of 103 degrees when my mother-in-law threw a bucket of icy water over me and ordered me to get up and entertain guests. That was when I finally did it…
“What are you playing at?! We have guests coming!”
“You have guests. I have an infection and a fever. And this is my house.” The words left my lips calmly, coldly, without apology.
As I packed my things, she muttered under her breath about “ungrateful daughters-in-law.” But when the paramedics arrived twenty minutes later, I was ready. The doctor checked my temperature, examined my throat, then gave a grim nod.
“We need to take you in. This is serious.”
I grabbed my coat and, before stepping out, turned back to her.
“When I return, you and your guests will be gone. And you wont set foot in this house again unless I allow it. Ever.”
Her mouth openedsome protest, some last attempt to control mebut I shut the door behind me before she could speak.
