Dear Diary,
The day began with Margaret Hawthorne, my motherinlaw, marching into the kitchen with the solemn tone of a general. You and Gwendolyn need to come over, she declared. We must have the windows washed and the carpets beaten out!
Gwendolyn, ever quick with a smile, answered with a chuckle, What a tempting offer, but I think Ill pass.
David, my husband, seemed taken aback. Whats wrong, Gwendolyn? You should help your mother.
No, I wont, she said firmly, wiping the grin from her face.
Why not? David asked, more confused than ever. Shes your mother!
Weve been married nine years, David, Gwendolyn shot back. Do you really think Im losing my mind?
David shuffled his feet, pointing hesitantly toward Margaret. Im not saying anythings wrong, just
Dont bother trying to explain that a mother is a mother, Gwendolyn snapped.
So why wouldnt you help her if she asks for assistance? David pressed.
Did you hear any hint of a request in her words? Gwendolyn asked. She told us what needs to be done. Its our duty.
Yes, it is! Margaret burst out. Youre my daughter, and hes my soninlaw. A soninlaw should be asked for less, but a daughtershes my child, after all. I gave birth to you, which means you cannot abandon your mother in a tight spot.
Hmm, Gwendolyn murmured, I could.
What kind of daughter are you, then? Margaret demanded.
Exactly the same as you, mother! Gwendolyn retorted.
Davids face flushed. How can you speak to your own mother so harshly?
I have every moral right to do so, Gwendolyn replied. If you dont know everything, Id never raise my voice at my own wife.
David tried to regain composure. Perhaps Im missing something, but a mother deserves respect. You should help your parents. Being rude is out of the question. He turned to Margaret. Mrs. Hawthorne, forgive my wifes outburst. Well come over this weekend and sort everything.
Not a chance! Gwendolyn slammed her fist on the table.
Fine, then Ill go alone, David said, stepping into the role of the family head, ready to decide.
If you go, you might never set foot in our house again, Gwendolyn warned, turning away.
Indeed, Margaret chuckled, my daughter is a marvel.
I am, Gwendolyn replied, glancing at Margaret. Why didnt you ask Tamsin to wash the windows and beat the carpets for you?
Whos Tamsin? David asked.
You were told you know nothing! Gwendolyn snarled. Shes my sister, my blood.
So Mom, why dont you ask Tamsin? Gwendolyn turned to Margaret. Does she owe you the same right you claim over me?
David stared at Margaret, who blushed but said nothing.
Whats up, Mum? Gwendolyn teased. Lost your voice, or cant find the right words? Let me helpyou look like youre at a loss, while David is left guessing.
Your sister Tamsin stopped speaking to me years ago, right after she married, Gwendolyn explained. She sent me away for good, six years back.
That was the time, David recalled, when your mother decided to reenter the life of her other daughter. Thats when you first met her, remember?
Yes, exactly! Gwendolyn laughed. No one mentioned her until she showed up six years ago. I even thought you had no mother at all, and that my fatherinlaw never said a word.
Your attention blows my mind! Gwendolyn giggled. You never asked how this happened, so you missed the whole picture.
I was about to, but got distracted, David admitted, embarrassed. Then the conversation restarted, and I didnt pay much attention.
Do you want me to tell you the whole story? Gwendolyn offered enthusiastically.
No, dont! Margaret shrieked.
Whats the matter, Mum? Shame? A guilty conscience?
Its none of his business! Gwendolyn replied sharply. Hes the one whos supposed to wash windows and beat carpets, after all.
When parents split, its the children who suffer most. The trauma is inevitable, yet only sensible parents can soften the blow. Arrangements for visits should be neutral, avoiding old grudges. Children remember their parents as the ones who loved them, even if the adults cant stay together.
Margaret never thought about alimony. Im not paying you a penny, she declared.
Law says otherwise, Samuel, her exhusband, replied.
I dont care! If any of my wages get docked, youll see me pay it out of spite!
Good luck with that, Samuel muttered. Those are the childrens funds!
The children are yours, so you should provide! Margaret shouted.
Theyre yours too! Responsibility is shared, Samuel countered.
I wont listen to any more of this! Margaret wailed, gesturing wildly. Tell the judge!
Their divorce was set to start in two days, but it was anything but ordinary. Margaret walked away from both husband and childrentwo daughters, ages four and tenwithout a second thought about where theyd live. The only thing that nagged at her was the prospect of paying alimony.
Samuel, if hed been honest, could have lived comfortably without it. He earned a decent wage, but the thought of money passing through his exwifes hands made him uneasy. Still, he could have survived without it, provided he kept the girls out of their mothers erratic influence.
Margaret concocted a plan: she persuaded tenyearold Tamsin to claim she wanted to live with mum, even though she despised her. Tamsin, having spent much time with Margaret, had soaked up her mannerisms.
The court gave the younger daughter to Samuel and the older to Margaret. In the end, Samuels only retort was, I told you I wouldnt pay a cent. He didnt argue further, though he knew he should still raise the child left with her.
Months later, Samuel tried to see Tamsin, but Margaret blocked him. When he cornered her by the stairwell, his daughter sent him away so far he felt ashamed to meet a passerbys eye.
For twenty years Gwendolyn heard nothing about her mother or sister. She didnt mourn them. Samuel, a devoted father, poured his heart into raising his daughter. Gwendolyn could honestly say shed had a happy childhood, a bright youth, and an adult life that felt fulfilled. She never felt abandoned, even without a motherbiological or otherwise.
She completed her education, earned a profession, married, and had a child of her own. A good, contented life, the sort most people dream of.
Yet Gwendolyn never imagined her mother would return after two decades. Margaret acted as if shed only been away a week. The shock was so great that Gwendolyn let her in, introduced her to her husband, and even presented her as a grandmother to the grandchild. She listened politely to Margarets stories, which were mostly trivial updates and minor worries.
Only later did the absurdity of the whole affair sink in. Gwendolyn called her father straight away.
I never told you anything about hergood or bad. I wont now either, Samuel said. I raised you to be smart. I hope you can figure out why shes back and what she truly wants.
I dont expect any other answer, Gwendolyn replied. Thanks, Dad.
And if you need anything, give me a ring, Samuel added. He didnt believe Margaret could have changed for the better, but he kept his thoughts to himself.
After that call, Gwendolyns nerves settled. Her father always had a calming effect. Once steadied, she began to think. Searching for people used to be a hassle decades ago; now its a matter of a few clicks. The internet keeps a trace of everythinguseful if you know how to look.
Gwendolyn works as a software developer, a skill that would make any dataguardian envious. She learned little of real interest about her motherjust two marriages and a divorce from her father. She has two children: herself and Tamsin.
When she pressed Samuel for details, he could only give her her age. Margaret knew more, but she spoke as if being interrogated. Gwendolyn eventually discovered that Tamsin had studied geography teaching, a course offered by only two colleges in our town. She found Tamsins name on a social network, messaged her, and arranged a meeting.
It looks like youre being recruited, Tamsin said. She cant do it alone; she needs a victim.
Victim? Gwendolyn asked.
A person she can cling to for any excuse, making them dance to her tune, Tamsin smirked. I didnt just get married; I ran away from her!
Tamsin warned Gwendolyn to send Margaret packing and never look back, lest she be caught in a web of lies. Gwendolyn left the meeting thoughtful, concluding: Forewarned is forearmed.
If a mother craves contact, shell get it. If she oversteps, shell meet a swift response. Funny enough, Margaret spent six years merely chatting, with only small favors here and therejust the sort of neighbourly help one might offer. Tamsin added, If you ever show a hint of weakness, youll be in her snare, and shell torment you until youre mad. Shes driven two stepfathers to the brink of madness to claim their assets.
Gwendolyn didnt wait forever, but she did wait.
Eventually, she coaxed Samuel to recount the whole tale, which he only did after she mentioned her conversation with Tamsin. With the full picture assembled, the moment arrived.
David stared, mouth agape, at Margaret. He could not believe what he was hearing. Yet Margarets expression confirmed Gwendolyns truth. The woman turned a shade of crimson, sweat beading on her brow, more human than statue.
Are you still willing to go there and work? Gwendolyn asked.
David shook his head.
Alright, Gwendolyn said to David, then to Margaret. Mum, if you want a decent conversation, even though you dont deserve it, I wont deny you that. But any more talk about what I owe you, Ill throw it out the window and never look back.
You dare! Margaret shrieked. Im your mother!
Clear enough! Gwendolyn spread her arms. No one forced you to speak. Off you go! If you return, Ill report you to the police for harassment.
Margarets eyes widened.
What, are our legs missing? I can help with a kick straight to the door!
She straightened, dignity intact, and moved toward the exit. Gwendolyn called after her, Run, you wretched thing!
Margaret paused, then fled.
Nice escape, David muttered after the chase.
What was she after? Gwendolyn shrugged. She vanished after twenty years, only to claim shes my mother and I owe her. She even tried to thank me for not kicking her out!
Well, mum David began.
On paper shes mum, but in reality shes a stranger, Gwendolyn concluded, and the matter was finally closed.
Lesson learned: family ties are not always what they seem; respect is earned, not demanded, and a clear mind protects you from needless drama.
