«Okay, Mom, I’ll talk to Rebecca. I’ll tell her to apologize to you, but give me the keys, please. We can’t keep sleeping in other people’s houses.»
«No, Ethan. Forced apologies are worthless. Your wife needs to realize on her own that she has treated me badly. And you need to decide if you’re going to continue allowing her to disrespect me.»
«And in the meantime, we stay on the street?»
«You’re not going to be on the street. You have a good job. You earn good money. You can rent an apartment. You can stay in a hotel. You can go to her parents’ house. You have options.»
«But, Mom, we don’t have money saved for a deposit on an apartment. Everything we earn, we spend on living expenses.»
«That’s not my problem, Ethan. You are married adults. You have to solve your adult problems.»
Ethan looked at me with a face I had never seen before. It was a mixture of surprise, pain, and something like fear. I think he was realizing for the first time that his mother had changed, that she was no longer the woman who gave in to everything just to keep the peace. He was quiet for several minutes. I stayed quiet, too, letting him absorb the new reality.
Finally, he spoke, but his voice sounded different, smaller. «Are you really not going to give me the keys?»
«I’m really not going to give you the keys. But the door to this house will always be open for you, Ethan. Only for you. When you decide that your mother deserves respect and consideration.»
Ethan stood up again and headed for the door. But before leaving, he turned to me. «Okay, Mom. If that’s your decision, I respect it. But I want you to know that you’re destroying our family because of your pride.»
«No, Ethan. Our family started being destroyed the day you allowed your wife to disrespect me. I’m just trying to save what’s left of my dignity.»
Ethan left my house without saying goodbye. I watched him from the window, walking to his car with his shoulders slumped, defeated. I knew he was going back to Rebecca and she would ask him what happened. I knew he would tell her about our conversation and that she would be furious because I hadn’t given in. I stood at the window until the car disappeared. My heart felt broken, but I also felt a strange sense of relief. For the first time in months, I had been able to speak without interruption, without anyone telling me I was exaggerating or being too sensitive.
On Monday morning, I got up early as usual. I made my coffee, read the newspaper, and watered my plants. It was strange to have the house so quiet without Rebecca’s shouts demanding the neighbors turn down their music, without her complaints about the water not being hot enough. Around ten in the morning, I received a call from Vincent. He told me that Ethan had contacted him and that he had told him I had kicked them out of the house. He asked if it was true and if I was okay.
I explained the whole situation. I told him about the months of disrespect, about how Ethan had yelled at me, and about the conversation on Sunday. Vincent was quiet for a moment and then told me I had done the right thing, that it was about time Ethan learned that actions have consequences. He also told me that Ethan had tried to get him to talk to me to convince me to give them the keys back, but Vincent had told him he wasn’t going to get involved in that, that it was a problem between Ethan and me, and that he wasn’t going to take sides. I felt proud of Vincent in that moment. Even though Ethan was his older brother, he had understood that I was right. He told me that if I needed anything, any help, he was there for me.
I didn’t hear from Ethan for the rest of that week. He didn’t call, he didn’t come to the house, he didn’t send any messages. It was as if he had completely disappeared from my life. Part of me was worried, but the other part knew he was fine, that he was just angry because he hadn’t gotten what he wanted.
On Wednesday afternoon, I was watering the plants in the garden when my neighbor, Mrs. Davis, came over. She had been living next door for fifteen years, and we always had a good relationship. She asked about Ethan and Rebecca, saying she hadn’t seen them arrive for several days. I told her what had happened, without going into too much detail. Mrs. Davis listened attentively and then said something I didn’t expect.
«I’m so glad you finally set some boundaries with them, Marissa. That girl always struck me as very arrogant.»
I was surprised that Mrs. Davis had noticed Rebecca’s behavior. I asked her what she had seen, and she told me that several times she had heard Rebecca yelling at the girl who helped me with the cleaning, treating her like she was her personal servant. She also told me that one day, Rebecca had parked her car blocking Mrs. Davis’s driveway, and when she had kindly asked her to move it, Rebecca had responded very rudely to wait five minutes and that she had more important things to do. These stories confirmed that I wasn’t exaggerating. Rebecca really was a disrespectful person, not just with me, but with everyone. The problem was that Ethan was so blinded by her that he couldn’t see her true personality.
On Friday night, I was watching television when my phone rang. It was a number I didn’t recognize, but when I answered, I heard Ethan’s voice. It sounded different—more tired and more defeated than the previous Sunday.
«Mom, it’s me. I’m calling from a co-worker’s phone.»
«Why aren’t you calling from your cell?»
«My phone got shut off, and I don’t have the money to turn it back on right now.»
It saddened me to hear that. Ethan had always been very careful with his money and always had his expenses under control. If he didn’t have money for his phone, it meant they were really having financial difficulties.
«How have you been?» I asked, although part of me already knew the answer.
«Bad, Mom. Really bad. We’ve been in a cheap hotel for a week, and we’ve already run out of money. Rebecca had to borrow from her sister just so we could eat these past few days.»
«And why don’t you look for an apartment?»
«We’ve been to see several, but they all ask for three months’ deposit plus the first month’s rent up front. It’s like $2,500 that we don’t have.»
Ethan paused for a long time. I could hear him breathing deeply, like when he was a boy and was about to cry. «Mom, I need to ask you a favor. Could you lend us the money for the apartment? I promise we’ll pay you back in six months.»
«Ethan, you know I don’t have that kind of money saved up. The $3,000 I had saved, I gave you for your wedding, remember?»
«But you could take out a loan from the bank. You have the house as collateral. Please, Mom, we’re desperate.»
«No, Ethan, I’m not going into debt to solve a problem that you two created. If you had been respectful to me, you would still be living in my house without paying rent. You chose another path.»
He was quiet for a long moment. Then his voice changed, became harder, more resentful. «Really, Mom? Are you really going to let your son end up on the street because of your pride?»
«You’re not going to end up on the street, Ethan. You have a job. You have hands. You’re capable. Look for a cheaper room to rent. Look for an apartment that doesn’t require such a large deposit. Talk to your boss about getting an advance on your salary. There are many options.»
«But none of those options are as easy as you forgiving me and giving me the keys back.»
«Exactly. None are as easy. But life isn’t always easy, Ethan. I worked for thirty years to build this house. Your father died when you were teenagers, and I kept going. I didn’t have anyone to solve my problems for me.»
Ethan sighed deeply again. I could feel his frustration through the phone. «Okay, Mom. I get your message. But I want you to know that Rebecca is very hurt. She says you never accepted her, that you treated her badly from day one.»
«Ethan, I welcomed that woman into my house with open arms. I made her feel welcome. I tried to make her feel comfortable. If she feels rejected, it’s because her own conscience is telling her she treated me badly.»
«That’s not true. Rebecca has always been respectful to you.»
«Respectful, Ethan? Are you listening to yourself? Suggesting I leave my own house is respectful?»
«She was angry when she said that. People say things they don’t mean when they’re angry.»
«I get angry sometimes too, Ethan. But I would never dream of disrespecting someone in their own home. Education and respect aren’t lost just because you’re angry.»
Ethan didn’t respond to that. He knew I was right, but he wouldn’t admit it. His loyalty to Rebecca prevented him from seeing reality objectively.
«Well, Mom, I have to go. I just wanted you to know how we’re doing.»
«Ethan, before you hang up, I want to tell you something. The door to this house will always be open for you. You are my son and I love you. But I will not allow anyone to disrespect me in my own home, not even your wife. And if Rebecca apologizes, if she admits she was wrong, if she apologizes to me for real, with sincerity, acknowledging specifically what she did wrong, then we could talk. But it has to be a real apology, not just empty words to get me to open the door.»
Ethan was quiet for a moment. Then he told me he would talk to Rebecca, that he would try to convince her to apologize to me. We hung up without saying goodbye, just like on Sunday.
I couldn’t sleep well that night. On one hand, it saddened me to know Ethan was having financial difficulties. On the other hand, I knew it was necessary for him to learn that decisions have consequences, that he couldn’t expect me to solve all his problems while he allowed me to be disrespected. On Saturday morning, I decided to call Vincent to tell him about Ethan’s call. Vincent told me that he had also spoken with Ethan, that his brother had asked to borrow money, but he had refused. He explained that he didn’t refuse out of stinginess, but because he knew that if he solved their money problem, Ethan would never learn his lesson. He said that sometimes you have to let people hit rock bottom for them to reflect on their mistakes.
Vincent also told me that he had done a little research on Rebecca. Out of curiosity, he had spoken with some acquaintances who worked at the same company as her. They had told him that Rebecca had a reputation for being difficult and that she had had problems with several co-workers because of her arrogant attitude. He also said that an acquaintance had told him that Rebecca had been married before, but her first marriage had lasted less than two years. Apparently, there had been serious problems with the first husband’s family, who accused her of being materialistic and manipulative. This information worried me a lot. If Rebecca had had similar problems in the past, it meant that her behavior with me was not a coincidence. It was a pattern of behavior that repeated in her family relationships.
On Sunday afternoon, I was reading in my garden when I heard someone knock on the door. I peeked through the window and saw a woman I didn’t know. She was young, about thirty, dressed in a very elegant green dress. She had blonde hair and was wearing expensive sunglasses. When I opened the door, the woman took off her glasses and smiled at me in a way that seemed fake from the very first moment.
«Are you Mrs. Marissa, Ethan’s mom?»
«Yes, I am. How can I help you?»
«Nice to meet you, ma’am. I’m Susan, Rebecca’s sister. Could we talk for a moment?»
I invited her in, although something told me this visit wasn’t going to be pleasant. Susan sat in the living room and looked around my house with the same expression of superiority I had seen so many times in Rebecca’s eyes.
«Mrs. Miller, I’ve come to talk to you about the problem you’re having with my sister and her husband.»
«I don’t have any problem, miss. They’re the ones with the problem; they don’t know how to respect their elders.»
Susan smiled in a condescending way, as if she were talking to a spoiled child. «Look, ma’am, I understand that sometimes it’s hard to adapt when a new person joins the family, but Rebecca is a good, hard-working woman who loves Ethan very much. It’s not fair that you’re punishing them this way.»
«Punishing? I’m not punishing anyone. I simply decided that only people who respect me will live in my house.»
«But ma’am, they don’t have money to rent an apartment. They’re sleeping in cheap hotels, spending money they don’t have. Ethan is very depressed; he’s lost a lot of weight.»
It hurt to hear that about Ethan, but I wasn’t going to let this woman manipulate me with emotional blackmail. «Your sister and my son are married adults, miss. If they don’t have money, it’s because they didn’t manage it well. That’s not my responsibility.»
Susan’s expression changed. The fake smile disappeared, and I saw in her eyes the same disdain I had seen so many times in Rebecca’s. «Look, ma’am, I’ll be direct with you. My sister told me that you’re a very controlling mother-in-law, that you don’t let them live in peace, that you’re always meddling in their marriage.»
«Oh, really? And what else did your sister tell you?»
«That you’re very possessive of Ethan, that you don’t accept that he’s a married man now, and that you need to cut the umbilical cord.»
I listened to everything Susan said and realized that Rebecca had invented a completely different version of the events. In her story, I was the controlling villain, and she was the innocent victim.
«Miss, I’m going to tell you the truth of what happened, and you can believe what you want. For eight months, I welcomed your sister into my home. I treated her with respect, with affection, as if she were my own daughter.»
Susan interrupted me with a wave of her hand, as if to say she wasn’t interested in my version. «Ma’am, I didn’t come here to argue about who is right. I came to ask you to be reasonable. Ethan is your son, your flesh and blood. Are you really going to destroy that relationship over a misunderstanding?»
«It’s not a misunderstanding. Your sister disrespected me in my own house, and my son defended her by yelling at me as if I were his enemy.»
Susan stood up and started pacing my living room. I could see she was losing her patience, that she had come expecting to find an old woman who was easy to convince.
«All right, ma’am. What do you want? For Rebecca to come and beg for your forgiveness on her knees? For her to kiss your feet? What do you need to give them back the keys to the house?»
«I want your sister to acknowledge that she treated me badly, to apologize sincerely, and I want my son to understand that I deserve respect in my own house.»
Susan laughed in a very unpleasant way. «Ma’am, you’re living in the past. Families are different nowadays. Daughters-in-law don’t have to obey their mothers-in-law as if they were servants.»
«I never asked your sister to obey me like a servant. I only asked her to respect me as the owner of the house.»
«You know what, ma’am? I think you’re jealous of my sister. Jealous because Ethan doesn’t need you as much anymore, because he has a young, beautiful wife who loves him.»
Those words hurt because I knew there was some truth to them. I had felt jealous when Ethan got married, not because I didn’t want to see him happy, but because I was afraid of losing him. But that didn’t justify the disrespect.
«You might have a point, miss. Maybe I was jealous at first, but that doesn’t justify your sister treating me badly in my own home.»
Susan sat back down and changed her strategy again. Now she spoke in a softer, more manipulative voice. «Look, Mrs. Miller, my sister asked me to tell you that she is willing to apologize to you. She recognizes that maybe there were misunderstandings, that maybe some things were said in a bad way.»
«Maybe? Misunderstandings? Your sister suggested I leave my own house. That’s not a misunderstanding. It’s a grave lack of respect.»
«All right, you’re right. Rebecca was wrong to say that. She’s willing to apologize specifically for that sentence.»
«Not just for that sentence. For her entire attitude for eight months. For moving my things without permission, for changing my house without asking me, for treating me like I was a burden.»
Susan sighed deeply. She looked frustrated because she wasn’t getting what she came for. «Ma’am, let’s be practical. Ethan earns $1,800 a month. With that, they have to pay rent, food, gas, and utilities. If you help them by letting them live in your house, they can save money faster to buy their own house.»
«That sounds very logical, miss, but there’s something you don’t understand. Money isn’t the most important thing in life. Dignity and respect are worth more than any savings.»
Susan looked at me as if I were a foolish old woman who didn’t understand the realities of modern life. «Ma’am, with all due respect, you’re getting older. Wouldn’t you rather have your son close, even if there are small conflicts, instead of being alone in this house?»
«I’d rather be alone and at peace than accompanied and humiliated in my own home.»
That answer seemed to surprise her. I think she expected me to be afraid of loneliness, to be desperate for company at any price.
«Besides, miss, I’m not alone. I have Vincent, I have my neighbors, and I have my lifelong friends. I don’t need to put up with disrespect to feel accompanied.»
Susan stood up again. She already looked annoyed; she had completely lost her patience. «All right, ma’am, I see you’re very stubborn, but I want you to know that my sister is suffering a lot. She’s crying every day because she doesn’t understand why you hate her so much.»
«I don’t hate your sister, miss. I just won’t allow her to disrespect me.»
«Ethan is suffering, too. He’s very thin, very depressed. He says he feels like he’s lost his mom.»
«He hasn’t lost me. I’m still his mom, and I will always love him. But love doesn’t mean letting people walk all over you.»
Susan walked to the door. Before leaving, she turned to me one last time. «Ma’am, I hope that when you see your son on the street begging, you can sleep soundly knowing it was your pride that put him there.»
Those words hit me hard, but I wasn’t going to let her manipulate me with dramatic threats. «My son is not going to end up on the street, miss. He’s smart, hardworking, and capable. If he’s having difficulties, it’s because he chose to defend a disrespectful woman instead of respecting his mother.»
Susan left my house, slamming the door. I watched her from the window as she walked to her car, talking on the phone. She was surely reporting to Rebecca that her mission had failed, that the stubborn mother-in-law hadn’t given in to her manipulations. I felt very sad that afternoon. Susan’s visit had stirred up a lot of emotions. On one hand, it had confirmed that Rebecca really was a manipulative person who had distorted the whole story to make herself look like the victim. On the other hand, it hurt to know that Ethan was really suffering. But I knew that if I gave in now, if I gave them the keys back without any real change, everything would be worse than before. Rebecca would feel victorious, Ethan would learn that he could disrespect me without consequences, and I would lose my dignity in my own house forever.
That night, I called Vincent and told him about Susan’s visit. He was very angry when I told him the things she had said to me, especially the threat that Ethan could end up on the street.
«Mom, that woman tried to manipulate you with emotional blackmail. Ethan isn’t going to die from renting a room while he saves for an apartment. Thousands of people live like that.»
Vincent was right, but it was still hard for me not to feel guilty about Ethan’s situation. On Monday morning, I received a call I didn’t expect. It was from Ethan’s work. A very kind young lady asked me if I knew where my son was because he hadn’t shown up for work and hadn’t called in. I was very worried because Ethan had never been irresponsible with his job. I told her I didn’t know where he was but to let me know if they found him. After hanging up, I was very uneasy.
Ethan had been working at that company for five years. He had a good position and earned well. If he started missing work without notice, he could lose his job. I tried calling his cell phone, but he still didn’t answer. I called Vincent to ask if he knew anything about his brother, but he hadn’t heard from Ethan since the previous week either.
