My mother-in-law came up with a brilliant idea: wed move in with her and rent out our flat. Since we barely had another option, we agreed. While my husband was home, everyone was perfectly pleasant to mebut the second he left, the act dropped. Id be promptly “put in my place,” and even peeking into the fridge became a forbidden luxury.
I often tearfully tried to explain this to my husband, but he refused to believe me. His mother and sister? Never! He especially scoffed when I mentioned theyd smeared something sticky on my hairbrush. Honestly, I dont know how much longer Id have lasted if not for what happened next.
Normally, wed leave together in the morninghim off to work, me dropping the kids at nursery. But that day, Oliver felt poorly and stayed home. I popped out to run errands, and when I returned, I nearly collided with my sister-in-law Emilys boyfriend, Jake, in the hallway.
“Oi, you! Go fetch some beer, quick!”
“Are you mad?” I blinked.
“What, deaf? I said hurry up! Need me to spell it out?”
Then my mother-in-law waltzed in from the kitchen: “About time she made herself useful, the lazy thing! And take the bins out while youre at it!”
Just then, our bedroom door creaked openand there stood Oliver. The room went dead silent. His mum scuttled back to the kitchen like a startled hen, while Oliver marched straight to Jake, grabbed him by the collar, and tossed him down the stairs with a roar about never setting foot here again.
Emily opened her mouth to protest but thought better of it. My mother-in-law tried to stir up a row, but Oliver cut her off mid-sentence. He called our tenants right then, informing them the flat would be ours again next month. Then he turned to his family and said, cold as ice, “If I hear one more insult aimed at my wife before the months up, consider yourselves down a son.”
A month later, we were back in our own place. But that nightmare stuck with me for ages. His parents disowned him, but Oliver couldnt have cared less. He swore he never wanted to see or hear from them againand frankly, good riddance.
