“I forbid you to go there!” Linda burst into our apartment without knocking, holding the printed confirmation of our booked trip in her hand.
“I forbid you to go there!” Linda’s voice trembled with suppressed anger as she literally stormed into her son’s apartment without knocking.
Laura stood frozen, a pot in her hands, unable to believe her eyes. Linda stood in the middle of the kitchen in an expensive fur coat, clutching a piece of paper. Her face was flushed with fury.
Michael jumped up from the table, where just moments earlier he had been peacefully having lunch with his wife.
“Linda, what happened? What are you talking about?”
Linda threw the paper onto the table. It was a printed confirmation from a travel agency website — a reservation for a vacation for two in San Diego.
“This is what happened! The neighbor, Anna, saw you go into the travel agency! And it’s a good thing she told me! How could you do this?”
Laura carefully set the pot on the stove and turned toward her mother-in-law.
“Linda, Michael and I have been planning this vacation for six months. What’s the problem?”
Linda didn’t even look at her, keeping her eyes fixed on her son.
“The problem is that my only son is about to leave his mother alone for two whole weeks! It’s not enough that you live separately, now you’re running off who knows where!”
“Linda, it’s just a vacation,” Michael tried to calm her. “We’ll be back in two weeks.”
“And what if something happens to me?” Linda pressed her hand to her chest. “I’m sixty-eight years old! My blood pressure spikes, my joints ache! And you’ll be sunbathing on some beach while I’m here all alone…”
Laura felt the familiar irritation rising to the surface. In three years of marriage, she had already witnessed a dozen such “heart attacks” from her mother-in-law, which always seemed to occur whenever she and Michael planned something without her.
“Linda, you have a phone. If anything happens, you can always call,” Laura said calmly.
Linda finally looked at her — a cold, contemptuous glance.
“I’m not talking to you! This is all your doing! Before you, my son never went anywhere without me!”
“Before me, your son was twenty-five,” Laura shot back. “Now he’s thirty-two. People grow up, start families, and go on vacations…”
“Don’t you teach me how to live!” Linda snapped. “I raised my son alone, without a husband! I devoted my entire life to him! And now along comes some…” she shot Laura a meaningful look, “…who takes him away from me!”
Michael stepped between the two women, trying to defuse the situation.
“Linda, no one is taking anyone away from anyone. We just want to rest. It’s our first vacation together in three years!”
“You can rest here!” Linda fired back. “At the country house, for example. I could go too, get some fresh air…”
Laura rolled her eyes. Linda’s country house was a whole separate chapter. Every weekend she insisted they come help — gardening, repairs, cleaning. And every single time she found something to criticize about her daughter-in-law — she weeded incorrectly, cooked tasteless meals, washed the dishes the wrong way.
“We’ve already paid for the trip,” Michael said firmly. “We’re not canceling it.”
Linda threw her hands up.
“You’ve paid for it! And you didn’t even ask me? Me, your mother!”
“So what?” Laura couldn’t hold back any longer. “Do we need permission for every step we take? We’re adults!”
“Michael!” Linda demonstratively ignored Laura. “Are you going to let her speak to me like that?”
Michael looked helplessly from his mother to his wife.
“Linda, Laura’s right. We have the right to go on vacation…”
“The right!” Linda mocked him. “And what about your duties to your mother? Or has this woman”—she pointed at Laura—“completely taken your mind away?”
Laura clenched her fists. “This woman” — Linda’s favorite way of addressing her. In three years, she had never once called her by name. Only “this,” “your wife,” or simply nothing at all.
— You know what, Linda — Laura stepped closer. — I’ve had enough! Enough of your rudeness, your manipulation, your constant scenes! We’re going on the trip, whether you like it or not!
Linda’s face turned red.
— Michael! Did you hear that? She’s insulting me — your mother!
— I’m just telling the truth! — Laura couldn’t stop herself now. — You monitor our every step, call ten times a day, expect us to report where we are and who we’re with! That’s not normal!
— What’s not normal is when a son forgets his mother! — Linda snapped. — When a wife turns him against his own mother!
— I’m not turning anyone against anyone! I just want to live my own life!
— Your own? — Linda let out a mocking laugh. — And the apartment you live in — whose is that? Shall I remind you who gave you the money for the down payment?
That was her trump card. It was true — when Laura and Michael bought the apartment, Linda had given them three hundred thousand dollar toward the down payment. And ever since, she had never missed an opportunity to bring it up.
— We pay you back every month! — Laura reminded her. — Twenty thousand dollar, just like we agreed!
— Money is one thing, gratitude is another! — Linda shot back. — A well-brought-up girl would appreciate her mother-in-law’s help, not be insolent!
— A well-brought-up mother-in-law wouldn’t break into our apartment without an invitation! — Laura fired back.
— This is my son’s apartment!
— It’s mine too! We’re married, in case you forgot!
Linda snorted disdainfully.
— Married… We’ll see for how long! Michael — she turned to her son, who had been silent the entire time. — Either me or her! Choose!
A deathly silence fell over the kitchen. Holding her breath, Laura looked at her husband. This was the moment of truth. For three years she had endured Linda’s outbursts, hoping that one day Michael would finally put his mother in her place. And now that moment had come.
Michael went pale, his eyes darting between his mother and his wife.
— Linda, don’t make ultimatums…
— Oh, I will! — Linda snapped. — I will not tolerate this person’s insolence any longer! Either you divorce her, or forget that you have a mother!
Laura felt as if her heart had dropped into her stomach. Could Linda really go that far?
— Linda, you can’t be serious… — Michael muttered.
— I am absolutely serious! I’ve had enough of the humiliation! Your wife doesn’t respect me, she’s rude, she turns you against me! I won’t tolerate it any longer!
Michael stood between the two women like a hammer and an anvil. Laura could see him desperately trying to find a way out of the situation.
— Let’s all calm down, — he finally said. — Linda, go home, cool off. We’ll talk later…
— No! — Linda stomped her foot. — I’m not leaving until I hear your answer! Who do you choose?
Michael took a deep breath and looked at his mother.
— Linda, I love you. You’re my mother, and that will never change. But Laura is my wife. I made vows to her before people and before God. And I will not break them.
Linda staggered back as if she had been slapped.
— So you choose her?
— I choose my own family, — Michael said firmly. — And you will always be part of this family, if you want to be. But you have to respect my wife. And our decisions.
— Respect? — Linda let out a hysterical laugh. — How am I supposed to respect this… this…
— Enough! — Michael raised his voice, which was extremely rare for him. — Linda, I’m asking you to leave. Now. When you’ve calmed down, call me, and we’ll talk peacefully.
Linda looked at her son as if she were seeing him for the first time in her life.
Linda looked at her son as if she were seeing him for the first time in her life.
“I raised an ungrateful son,” she hissed. “I devoted my whole life to you, and you… because of some stranger woman…”
“Laura is not a stranger. She’s my wife,” Michael cut in. “And if you can’t accept that, then… I’m very sorry.”
Without a word, Linda turned and headed for the door. At the threshold, she looked back one more time.
“You’ll regret this, Michael. When she leaves you—because she will, you’ll see—don’t come crying to me!”
The door slammed shut with a tremendous bang.
Michael and Laura stood in the middle of the kitchen. For minutes, neither of them spoke, trying to process what had just happened.
“Thank you,” Laura finally said softly.
Michael wrapped his arms around her, pulling her close.
“I’m sorry it took me so long to do this. It’s just… she’s my mother…”
“I understand.” Laura rested her head on his shoulder. “I was just starting to think you’d never stand up for me.”
“I was always on your side. I just… was afraid of hurting her. She really did raise me alone, she sacrificed a lot…”
“But that doesn’t give her the right to control your life,” Laura said quietly. “You have the right to your own family, your own decisions.”
Michael nodded.
“You know… maybe this was for the best. I can’t live by her commands forever.”
The next few days passed in an oddly quiet way. Linda didn’t call—which was completely unusual for her. She normally phoned several times a day to monitor her son’s every move.
“Maybe I should call her?” Michael suggested on the third day. “What if something happened to her?”
Laura shook her head.
“This is manipulation, Michael. She’s waiting for you to run to her with an apology.”
“But what if she’s sick…”
“If she were sick, she would have called ten times already to complain about it,” Laura replied reasonably. “Your mother isn’t the type to suffer in silence.”
And indeed, on the fifth day, Linda resurfaced—but not in person. Michael’s aunt, Grace, called him.
“Michael, what happened over there?” she asked anxiously. “Linda is completely devastated, she’s been crying all day!”
“Aunt Grace, Mom created this situation herself,” Michael answered wearily. “She gave me an ultimatum: either her or my wife. What was I supposed to do?”
“Well, I don’t know… Maybe you could have handled it more gently… After all, she raised you alone!”
“I am grateful to her. But that doesn’t mean I have to live by her instructions my entire life.”
Aunt Grace sighed.
“Michael, she’s not doing this out of malice. She’s just afraid of losing you. You’re her only son.”
“She’s not going to lose me. But she has to accept that I have a wife. And that she needs to treat her with respect.”
“I’ll talk to her,” Aunt Grace promised. “But you should also think about whether you ought to make peace with her. She is your mother, after all…”
After the call, Michael sat in thought for a long time.
“Maybe I really should be the one to make the first move?” he asked Laura.
“And what would change?” Laura replied. “You apologize, she pretends to forgive you, and then everything starts all over again. She’ll control our lives again, be rude to me, manipulate you.”
“But she’s my mother…”
“Michael, I’m not asking you to abandon her. I’m just asking her to treat me with respect. Is that really so much?”
Michael shook his head.
“No. You’re right. If we give in now, nothing will ever change.”
A week passed. There were three days left until their vacation, and Laura and Michael were packing. For the first time in months, they felt truly free from Linda’s constant control.
And then the doorbell rang.
Linda stood in the doorway—but not the proud, combative woman they were used to. Instead, she looked broken, aged.
“May I come in?” she asked quietly.
Michael stepped aside uncertainly to let her in. Laura came out of the bedroom and stopped short when she saw Linda.
“I… would like to talk,” Linda said, and for the first time in her life there was no hostility in her voice. “With both of you.”
— Both of you.
They went into the living room. Linda sat down in the armchair and clasped her fingers together on her knees.
—I’ve been thinking a lot these past few days — she began. — Grace talked to me, and others too… and I realized I was wrong.
Laura and Michael exchanged glances. Neither of them had expected this.
—I was truly afraid of losing my son — Linda continued. — He’s my only one. I’ve done so much for him… And when you appeared, Laura, I… I was afraid I wouldn’t matter anymore.
— Mom, you will never be pushed aside — Michael said quietly.
—I see that now. But back then… I felt like you were leaving me. So I started fighting. It was foolish, wasn’t it?
She gave a bitter smile.
—You know, I have a friend, Megan. Her son got married too. She always told me not to interfere in your lives. But I didn’t listen. I thought she was an indifferent mother. Turns out she was wise. She has a wonderful relationship with her daughter-in-law, and her grandchildren adore her…
Linda looked at Laura.
—Forgive me, Laura. I behaved terribly. I called you “this,” insulted you, humiliated you… I’m ashamed of myself.
Laura didn’t know what to say. After three years, it was hard to suddenly believe this change.
—I… I understand your feelings, Linda. Maybe I would have been protective too in your place.
—Don’t excuse me. I was at fault. And I want to ask for your forgiveness. Both of you. And if you give me a chance, I’ll try to change.
—Of course, Mom — Michael stood up and hugged her. — We’re family. All of us.
Linda clung to her son, sobbing.
—I was so afraid of losing you…
—No one has lost anyone — Laura stood up as well and hesitantly placed her hand on Linda’s shoulder. — We just needed time to find our balance.
Linda looked at her with tearful eyes.
—You’re a good woman, Laura. I’m glad my son has a wife like you. I truly am.
The three of them sat together, drinking tea and talking. For the first time in three years—without accusations or reproaches.
—As for the vacation — Linda said — you should go. You need the rest. I’ll… look after the apartment. I’ll water the flowers if needed.
—Thank you, Mom — Michael smiled.
—And one more thing — she took an envelope out of her bag. — This is for you. For the vacation.
—Mom, you don’t have to… — Michael began, but she raised her hand.
—Yes, I do. Consider it an apology. And… a wedding gift. Even if it’s a bit late.
Inside the envelope was fifty thousand dollars.
—Linda, that’s too much — Laura protested.
—Nothing is too much. You paid me back for the down payment… And I want us to start with a clean slate. So you won’t owe me anything anymore.
After Linda left, Laura and Michael sat cuddled together on the couch for a long time.
—I can’t believe that just happened — Laura said.
—Neither can I. But I’m happy. I’m really happy with how this turned out.
—Do you think she’ll really change?
—I don’t know. But she’ll try. And we have to give her that chance.
Laura nodded.
—You know, maybe we could invite her over for a weekend sometime. After we get back.
Michael looked at her in surprise.
—You mean that?
—Well… she’s making an effort. And she’s your mother. Part of our family.
Michael kissed his wife.
—Thank you. For your patience, your understanding. And for not forcing me to make a final choice.
—I would never make you choose between me and your mother. That’s cruel. I only wanted her to respect us.
—And you achieved that.
—We achieved it — Laura corrected him. — Together.
Three days later, they left for San Diego. Linda came to the airport to see them off, bringing homemade pastries for the trip, and shyly but sincerely hugged her daughter-in-law goodbye.
—Have a good rest, kids. And… take care of each other.
On the plane, Laura watched the receding ground through the window and thought that sometimes it takes a crisis to become a real family. And that respect cannot be forced—it can only be earned. From both sides.