Those words surprised me. It was the first time Rebecca had shown real emotional maturity. «Rebecca, are you truly sorry for how you treated me?»
«Yes, ma’am. I am very sorry. I was rude, disrespectful, and selfish. I had no right to treat you badly in your own house. I had no right to ask you to leave here.»
Her eyes filled with tears. They seemed like genuine tears, not manipulative ones. «Ma’am, I know my apologies might sound empty after everything that happened. But I want you to know that I am truly sorry. If you give me another chance, I swear I will be the daughter-in-law you deserve.»
«Rebecca, a second chance is earned with actions, not with words. If you come back to this house, how will you show me that you’ve really changed?»
«I will respect your rules, your schedules, your way of organizing the house. I will ask for your permission before changing anything. I will help you with the chores without you having to ask me. And if we have a disagreement, if there’s a problem, we will talk like adults, with respect. I won’t involve Ethan in our problems. If we can’t resolve something between us, we’ll seek outside help.»
I was quiet for a moment, observing Rebecca. She seemed sincere, but I had learned to be cautious. «Rebecca, I need to ask you a difficult question. If things don’t work out between us, if we have problems again, are you willing to find another place to live without creating drama?»
«Yes, ma’am. If I can’t adapt to living in your house with respect, then I recognize that the problem is me, and we will find another place.»
«And Ethan? Is he willing to support that decision?»
«I haven’t talked to him about this yet, but I’m going to speak to him clearly. I’m going to tell him that if I disrespect you again, he doesn’t have to defend me. That you are his mother, and you always deserve respect.»
Rebecca stood up and walked over to where I was sitting. She knelt in front of me and took my hands. «Mrs. Miller, I ask for your forgiveness from the bottom of my heart. Forgive me for being disrespectful. Forgive me for causing problems between you and Ethan. Forgive me for making you feel uncomfortable in your own home.»
Real tears streamed down her cheeks. For the first time since I had known her, Rebecca looked genuinely vulnerable and sorry.
«Please give me a second chance. I promise to be the daughter you never had. I promise to take care of you, respect you, and love you as you deserve.»
I started to cry too. All those months of pain, of humiliation, of feeling rejected in my own home came out in the form of tears. «Rebecca, stand up. You don’t need to kneel.»
I helped her up and hugged her. It was the first time we had hugged since her wedding. I felt that there really was a change in her, that her apologies were sincere. «All right, Rebecca. I’m going to give you a second chance. But I need you to understand that this is the only one. If there are problems again, there won’t be a third chance.»
«I understand perfectly, ma’am. I won’t let you down.»
«When do you want to come back?»
«Could we come back tonight? Ethan is very depressed, and I think coming back to his home would do him a lot of good.»
«Yes, you can come back tonight. But first, Ethan and I need to talk. He also needs to understand some things.»
Rebecca nodded her head. «Do you want me to tell him to come now?»
«No. It’s better if you go get him and you come together. I need to talk to both of you at the same time to establish the rules for living together.»
Rebecca headed for the door. Before leaving, she turned to me one last time. «Ma’am, thank you for giving me this opportunity. I won’t waste it.»
After she left, I sat in the living room, processing everything that had happened. Part of me was happy that there was finally a possible solution. Another part was nervous because I knew that second chances are more fragile than first ones. I went to the kitchen and made coffee for three people. I also took out some cookies I had made the week before. If Ethan and Rebecca were coming back, I wanted to receive them in the best way possible.
An hour later, I heard Ethan’s car pull up. I looked out the window and saw them get out together. Ethan looked nervous. Rebecca walked very close to him, as if giving him moral support. When they knocked on the door, I took a deep breath before opening it. It was the moment of truth, the moment to know if we could really be a family again or if all this was just a temporary illusion.
I opened the door and saw my son standing there with a face that broke my heart. Ethan had lost a lot of weight. He had deep dark circles and a neglected beard. He looked as if he had aged ten years in these two weeks. But when he saw me, his eyes lit up like when he was a child.
«Mom,» he said with a broken voice and threw himself into my arms.
I hugged him tightly, feeling him tremble in my arms. My son, my baby, had suffered so much because of this situation. We both cried without saying anything for several minutes. Rebecca stood in the doorway, waiting. When we finally separated, I invited her to come in too.
«Come on, let’s sit down. We have a lot to talk about.»
In the living room, Ethan sat next to me on the sofa, very close, as if he were afraid it was a dream and I would disappear. Rebecca sat across from us, her hands clasped, nervous, but with a more humble expression than I had ever seen on her.
«First, I want you both to know that I love you,» I started. «Ethan, you are my son, and nothing will ever change that. Rebecca, you are my son’s wife, and therefore you are also part of my family.»
Ethan took my hand and squeezed it tightly. «Mom, forgive me for yelling at you. Forgive me for disrespecting you in your own house. I have no excuse for what I did.»
«I know, son, and I forgive you. But I need you to understand something very important. I will always support you, but I will never again allow you to disrespect me, no matter the circumstances.»
Ethan nodded his head, tears streaming down his cheeks. «I understand, Mom. I will never yell at you again. I swear on my dad’s memory.»
Rebecca cleared her throat gently. «Ma’am, I also want to apologize to you in front of Ethan. I want him to hear what I said to you in private this afternoon.» She turned to Ethan but without taking her eyes off me. «Ethan, I treated your mother badly. I was rude, disrespectful, and selfish. I said horrible things to her that I had no right to say. Your mother never treated me badly. I was the one who acted terribly.»
Ethan looked at her, surprised. It was obvious he didn’t expect such a direct confession. «Why, Rebecca? Why did you do that?»
«Because I was scared, love. Scared that your mom would try to keep you away from me. I come from a family where everyone hurts each other, and I thought that’s how all families worked.» Rebecca stood up and walked over to Ethan. «But your mom showed me I was wrong. She never tried to keep me away from you. All she wanted was respect in her own house, and I didn’t give it to her.»
Ethan hugged her, and they both cried together. Seeing them like that gave me hope that we could really get through this crisis.
«Now,» I said, «we need to establish some clear rules so this doesn’t happen again.»
They both looked at me attentively. «First rule: this is my house, I am the owner, and my decisions are respected. I’m not being controlling; I’m being the owner of my own home.» They both nodded. «Second rule: any changes in the house are discussed with me first. Furniture, decorations, plants, organization—everything is consulted.»
«Perfect, Mom,» Ethan said.
«Third rule: if there is a problem between Rebecca and me, you cannot automatically take sides. We have to talk like adults and resolve conflicts with respect.»
Rebecca timidly raised her hand. «Ma’am, what if I don’t agree with one of your rules? How do we handle that?»
«Very good question, Rebecca. If you don’t agree with something, you tell me with respect, and we explain our points of view. But in the end, since it’s my house, my decision is final.»
Rebecca nodded. «That seems fair, ma’am.»
«Fourth rule,» I continued. «Ethan, you can never yell at me again to defend your wife. If you think I’m being unfair to Rebecca, you tell me calmly and respectfully.»
«You’re right, Mom. That was my biggest mistake.»
«And fifth rule: we all contribute to making this house a happy home. Rebecca, you will help with the chores. Ethan, you will continue to be the loving son you always were, and I will try to be more patient and communicative.»
The rules seemed reasonable to everyone, but I needed to make something else clear. «Now, the most important thing. This second chance is the only one there will be. If we have serious problems again, we’re not going through all this drama again. You will find another place to live with no hard feelings, but with no exceptions.»
Ethan looked at me, worried. «Mom, really? No more chances?»
«Ethan, son, I’m sixty-nine years old. I don’t have the time or energy to be fighting in my own house. I want to live my final years in peace, surrounded by people who love and respect me.»
Rebecca stood up and walked towards me. «Mrs. Miller, you have my word of honor that you won’t need to give us another chance. I will show you every day that I deserve to be in this family.»
«I trust you, Rebecca.»
The three of us hugged together. It was the first time in almost a year that I felt whole, that I felt like I had a real family again.
«Ethan,» I said, «go get your things. It’s time for you to come home.»
That night, we had dinner together for the first time in weeks. Rebecca offered to cook, but I told her it would be better if we cooked together, that it was a good way to start really getting to know each other. While we prepared dinner, Rebecca told me more about her family, about her difficult childhood, about her fears. I began to understand why she had acted so defensively. It didn’t justify her behavior, but at least I could comprehend it. Ethan looked more relaxed than I had seen him in months. He sat at the kitchen table, telling us about his work, laughing at the jokes Rebecca and I made. It was as if he had gotten his family back.
After dinner, we sat in the living room to watch television like we used to. Rebecca snuggled up next to Ethan, but every now and then, she would make comments to me about the show, including me in the conversation. Before they went to bed, Ethan came up to me.
