He decided to take her to a care home. “I can’t believe a child could abandon their own mother.”
One morning, I stepped into the garden and noticed an elderly woman at my neighbour’s. Hunched over, she sat beneath the awning on a small bench, seemingly having dozed off in the fresh air.
It struck me as odd—my neighbour had no living relatives. She and her husband never had children, and he had passed a year ago after a long illness. Of course, she was lonely, grieving, but not so old as to despair. She had no choice but to accept it.
I went over to ask about the woman. The old lady was polite but spoke little. My neighbour confided in me—she was distressed. Her son had disowned Mrs. Alice, so it was best not to bother her.
All her life, she’d worked at the Royal Opera House. Her husband was a professor, a lecturer. She knew of his affairs with students, but refused to tear the family apart. So she stayed silent, never causing a scene.
Her only son and her work consumed her days. She even taught piano at home.
Her son grew up, graduated, married. A granddaughter was born, and she adored her. That’s when her husband left her for another woman—though he wouldn’t grant her a divorce.
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Her son and his wife were busy building their business, so visits were rare. But they left the granddaughter with her. Old age came suddenly. Then her husband was cast aside by his lover and crawled back. Now his wife seemed ancient to him, and he couldn’t stand it. He barely tolerated her presence, still hoping for someone younger.
By then, their son had his own home—large, spacious. His father begged him to take his mother in. The son didn’t object. His daughter loved her grandmother. But his wife…
She refused to share her home with an old woman. At first, the son argued—this was his mother—so he insisted she stay.
Fine. But only if his father signed the flat over to their granddaughter. Just in case he remarried, and they lost the inheritance.
To appease his wife, the son convinced his father to promise the deed.
Mrs. Alice had to move in with them. It wasn’t so bad—fresh air, the countryside, family nearby. Her husband didn’t grieve long. Soon, he found another mistress, still dragging his feet on divorce.
But the wife kept complaining, treating her mother-in-law horribly. She yelled, mocked, even raised her hand. The old woman never told her son. Then the granddaughter began copying her mother. After one of these cruel episodes, Mrs. Alice broke down and demanded her son take her back home.
He called his father, but the man refused—he was living with someone else now. His wife and daughter insisted the grandmother live elsewhere. So he decided to take her to a care home.
My neighbour found out. As it turned out, she’d known the old woman for years. Pity moved her, so she arranged for the son to bring his mother to her instead. He promised a monthly stipend and asked her to call him often.
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He brought his mother. The place suited him. He vowed to visit as often as he could. Well, time would tell. Such is life when others take responsibility for unwanted family. Where else could the old woman go? Life is a boomerang—what you throw out comes back. You should care for your parents.
Be kinder. Be human. Show compassion to those who raised you.
