Yesterday, I had a nearly explosive situation at my MIL’s house that almost led me to walk out in frustration.
It all started on Tuesday, which happened to be my husband’s birthday. He had gone to drop off a case of water for his mother, but unfortunately, he ended up hurting his back in the process. Back issues have plagued him for years, resulting in multiple surgeries and ablations. It’s something as simple as a sneeze that can throw his back out. As a result, he had to take a day off work on Wednesday to recover.
Since I work from home on Wednesdays, my primary responsibility is taking my MIL out to eat. I asked my husband if he wanted to join us for dinner, but he declined and requested that I not inform his mother that he was at home. I had no problem with that request. Additionally, he asked me to bring some food back for him, and I happily agreed.
When I arrived at my MIL’s house, I noticed she had been cooking something. Curious, I asked her what she was preparing, and she replied that it was squash specifically for my husband. I suggested that since she had made squash, we didn’t have to go out for dinner. However, she clarified that the squash was intended only for my husband and wasn’t ready yet. I understood and accepted her explanation.
Later, I texted my husband to inform him that I would pick up his food the next day, considering his back pain. I also mentioned to my MIL that I would be collecting the food during our dinner outing. However, when I walked into her house the following day, she immediately questioned if I was there to meet my husband. I clarified that I was not and reminded her that I had informed her the day before that I would stop by to pick up the food she had made for him.
To my surprise, she vehemently argued that I had never mentioned picking up the food, and her frustration quickly escalated into a barrage of curses. She insisted that she was waiting for my husband, but I firmly told her that he was not coming. In fact, I reminded her that he had already visited on his birthday when he delivered the water. Nevertheless, she continued to curse at me, pushing me to the point where I grabbed my keys and calmly declared that I was leaving.
Suddenly, her demeanor changed, and she diverted the conversation to the topic of me not taking her to get her hair done. I reassured her that I had no issue accompanying her for that, but I requested that she choose a closer salon. This prompted her to mention how her priest agreed with her, to which I suggested she ask the priest to take her instead.
In her continued attempt to justify herself, she brought up the fact that my father-in-law had no problem taking her to the salon. I explained that he was retired and didn’t have the obligations of a full-time job like I did. I firmly asserted that I would not commit to taking her to a salon that required a four-hour commitment from me on a weekend.
The entire incident left me frustrated and questioning the boundaries of our relationship.