– Mother-in-law came for two weeks .. oh, girls, she barely lasted a week .. how to endure another week – Maria rolled her eyes and lowered her head, resting her forehead on her desk.
– Yes, you, ask Wendy! She’s had two mothers-in-law for 15 years now – Nicole laughed – and she’s fine, happy!
– How two?” – new Maria’s eyes seemed about to fall out of their orbits – and what happens?
* * * *
On a warm summer day Wendy went to the beach with her friends. The girls were only 17 years old. Young, cheerful laughers.
The sun let the bunnies from the water surface. Gentle sand caressed their feet. The water was like steamed milk, they did not want to leave.
Having splashed enough, the girls were sunbathing. At some point, they were joined by a group of adults, not sober men. The guys, who were resting nearby, stood up for them. That’s how Wendy met Max.
* * * *
They met for almost 3 years. Both were studying. They decided not to hurry with marriage. And why? All life ahead!
Before meeting her future relatives, the girl was nervous. Max’s parents are respected people in the city. Doctors from God, people talked about them.
– Are you worried? – asked Vanessa, Max’s mother.
– Yeah – nodded Wendy.
– “Well, it’s okay, when I met my mother-in-law, my hands were trembling,” Vanessa laughed, “She was our school principal. She knew everything about everyone. Oh, she was strict! When she barked “do not run” in the corridor, all the children froze! And as in a slow motion movie they went to the classrooms. I managed to do it, I thought then. And there was no choice! Anthony was already living in my belly, our eldest. And it’s okay, for 30 years they have been soul to soul.
The young married. Parents did not interfere with their lives. Neither from that nor from the other side. They gathered on holidays as a big family, had fun, danced. Relations were equal.
Wendy gave birth to Albert when she was 23. And on the same day she became a free woman. It happens, unfortunately, but it happens. Max announced that he had another, like, I’m sorry.. I love her.. I don’t want to deceive you..
That’s when she found out what her mother-in-law was really like.
– Hi! Why are you crying? You have a son! Come on, she pulled herself together – Vanessa came to her room – I’ll arrange it for him, asshole.
And then everything was like in a dream. The apartment where the young people lived belonged to Max’s parents and was located in their neighborhood. Wendy was going to go with the baby to her parents, to the suburbs, but her father-in-law had his say:
– “He is a man, he decided to start a new life. So let him start. Of course, we will not rewrite the apartment for you. We’ll register it for your grandson. Live here.
– I’m here for you. I’ll help you. And I don’t want my grandson to grow up far away. Live here. We’ll help you. You have a job right here. Kindergarten, hospital, everything is close by. You’ll have time to move back to your parents,” her mother-in-law persuaded.
And Wendy stayed. Max was angry, but eventually he accepted it. Years later, for the sake of their son, they even managed to establish relations.
And Vanessa really helped. She was obsessive. When her grandson grew up, she began to take him to her place on weekends. She hinted that it was time to build a family, but advised to take a closer look and sighed. Wendy also sighed, much better: three years of relationship, three years of marriage.
* * * *
With the second mother-in-law she was not so lucky. She shook her nerves and her son, Nick, and her. Well, you can understand her too. Every mother wants her son a wife without a past. And on the other hand, it is true what they say: one can have his own children as a burden, and the other can have other people’s children.
But Wendy was for her an accumulation of negativity. She cooks badly, cleans badly, freeloader, sat on her son’s neck, and even shows her teeth. And even communicates with the family of the ex!
Wendy tried many times to divorce Nick, but he was going to the breach. He quarreled with his mother. With Albert he easily found a common language.
They fought for a long time. Then a calm, then a storm. Life itself decided everything, because it often puts everything in its place.
Wendy got pregnant. Neither the new mother-in-law was delighted, she already had grandchildren. She was not happy with their life together: they expanded the apartment into a mortgage – drove her son into debt, and so on…
* * * *
Pregnancy was easy. Wendy flew like a butterfly and rejoiced. No toxicity, no swelling, not even sleepy. A surge of strength and happiness.
And after the 20th week something changed. Inexplicable pains began when walking. Discomfort when she climbed the stairs eventually became unbearable. An incomprehensible crunching sound was added. She was diagnosed quickly. It is not dangerous for the child, and it will only get worse. And it really was. Until the 30th week she could not only walk, but even lying in bed she felt pain.
Nick told his mother, although Wendy asked him not to say anything. In another quarrel, it just came out, accidentally. His mother shut up, looked at him with an unkind look and sent him home to his wife.
* * * *
The doorbell rang and knocked very persistently. Wendy covered her head with a pillow, but what is it? She was exhausted. Opening the door, she saw Nick’s mother.
– Why are you looking at me like a ghost? Will you let me in?” the mother-in-law’s eyes flashed angrily.
– Come in, – Wendy answered almost in a whisper. Of course, a ghost, they hadn’t seen each other for almost a year and she was happy with that. But the fact that her mother-in-law would see her in such a state, did not cause delight.
Doctors said that this condition would end immediately after childbirth. No fetus, no pain. Some hormone stops producing and everything ends. Wendy did not understand it, but she lived with these thoughts. She was not happy with the shopping or the treats bought by her husband. She was just waiting for it all to end.
The mother-in-law went to the kitchen and began to rustle something there, Wendy went to the bathroom and tried to put herself in order at least a little, she wanted to cry.
– They went to the room – the mother-in-law looked at the girl – lie down – she commanded, and Wendy did not have the strength to resist.
– No, lie on your side – like this. I brought a pillow, yours won’t fit, they are too thin. Here, one under you, the other between your legs. Is it easier?” – Wendy nodded in surprise, it was really easier.
Nick’s mother Lisa went to the kitchen and continued to rustle something. And Wendy fell asleep, for the first time without severe pain in several weeks.
– “Are you awake?” Lisa asked a couple of hours later when Wendy came into the kitchen, “look, I made you some soup, pasta and cutlets, and a salad. It will be enough for a couple of days, then I will come back. This is for you, – a sachet with sesame seeds appeared on the table, – does it help, I do not know, but doctors advise. And I ironed the laundry there, wanted to ask, but did not wake her. I’ll go now.
– Thank you, – whispered Wendy, blushing.
Since then, Lisa came every 2-3 days, helped around the house. It turned out that during pregnancies she had the same problems, but no one believed her and did not feel sorry for her. The woman’s heart melted. She tried to advise, to help. She brought foods that contained a lot of calcium, bought a special bandage, bought a pillow for pregnant women.
Since then, there was a truce in their relationship, and with the birth of the granddaughter all quarrels came to naught.
* * * *
– Yeah, Wendy! You’re lucky Maria was shocked.
– Come on, Maria, you’re exaggerating. All day at work. She did the housework, you should be grateful. She did the laundry, it’s better for you… look at it from the other side… and you see each other, as I understand, not often. We are all future mothers-in-law – she smiled.
– Well, yes, – Maria thought about something only she knew.
And Wendy? Wendy is very happy! After all, the bigger the family, the better. Support and take care of each other! Respect the choice of your children!
Good luck to everyone!