“What were you two chatting about?”
“Your wife was—”
“Nothing, hon,” Elowen jumped in, cutting me off. “I was just telling her how nice she looks today.”
“Really?” Bowen glanced from his wife to me. “My mom always looks great!”
I was floored by Elowen’s act.
Why was she so sweet around Bowen? And why didn’t she let me tell him what she’d said? I spent the rest of the afternoon at their place, watching Elowen flip to her charming self whenever Bowen was around.
But when he wasn’t looking, she’d toss snarky comments to make me feel out of place. That day kicked off the tension between me and my daughter-in-law. Then, I started noticing Bowen taking her side whenever Elowen and I disagreed in front of him.
“Elowen’s right, Mom,” Bowen said one night at a restaurant as we picked out dinner. “We don’t need a big salad bowl. It’s just the three of us.
A small one’s fine.”
“See, I told your mom to get the small one, but she won’t listen,” Elowen said with a smug chuckle. “I don’t know why she never trusts me.”
She played the victim so well, and my poor boy bought it every time. I don’t blame him; he’d seen his dad always have my back.
But I wasn’t like Elowen. I didn’t put on a fake act to look like the perfect daughter-in-law. Elowen’s attitude didn’t shift until she called me one day.
I was honestly shocked to see her name pop up on my phone. “Hey, Cal!” she said cheerfully. Cal?
I thought. That’s new. “Hi, Elowen,” I replied, trying to match her friendly tone.
“How’s it going?”
“I’m doing alright,” she said. “I was wondering if I could borrow your car tomorrow. Is that okay?”
“My car?” I asked, surprised.
“Yeah,” she sighed, sounding upset. “I was supposed to visit a friend today—she lives a couple hours away—but my car broke down. The mechanic says it’ll take a few days to fix.”
“Oh, wow!
That sounds like a hassle,” I said, actually feeling for her. “I was so bummed, but then Bowen suggested I ask to borrow your car for a day,” she went on. “I’ll bring it back in a week.”
A week?
I thought. That’s a stretch. But I felt sorry for her.
She sounded like she was in a bind, and since Bowen had brought it up, I didn’t want to let her down. Plus, I saw it as a chance to smooth things over between us. “Sure, that’s fine,” I said.
“Swing by today if you want.”
That was one of the worst decisions I ever made. A week later, Bowen and Elowen returned my car, and I couldn’t believe what I saw. It was covered in scratches, dents, and dirt.
The inside smelled like rotten garbage! “What happened to my car?” I blurted out. “What did you do?”
“What?” Elowen said, acting offended, her eyes narrowing.
“What did I do? It was like this when I picked it up!”
“Stop it, Elowen!” I shouted. “Don’t lie to me.”
“You’re calling me a liar?” she snapped, turning to Bowen.
“Honey, look at her! She’s accusing me! How dare she?”
“Mom, Elowen’s telling the truth,” Bowen said.
“She told me the car was already like that when she got it. She’s not lying.”
“Bowen, really?” I stared at him, stunned, seeing no point in arguing further. I had no proof, and neither did she.
But Bowen backed her up, completely swept up in his love for her. I knew arguing might push my son away, so I decided to teach Elowen a lesson instead. That night, I browsed online and found a clever idea.
A quick call to a nearby pet store, and my plan was ready to go. The next evening, I drove to their house with animal attractant sprays in tow. In the dark, I quietly sprayed their backyard, driveway, and front porch, making sure no one spotted me.
Their house was dark, so I knew they were asleep. I carried out my plan quickly and slipped away, feeling a mix of nerves and glee. I was sure this would show Elowen not to mess with me again.
The next morning, my phone rang. It was Bowen. “Mom, we’re in trouble!” he said, sounding frantic.
“What’s wrong, sweetheart?” I asked, acting clueless. “Is everything okay?”
“We woke up to a disaster! The yard stinks, and wild animals have trashed our place!
The whole house smells awful, and we don’t know what to do!”
I hid a grin, enjoying his panicked rundown of the mess. The irony was perfect. “Oh, no!” I said, pretending to be shocked.
“That’s awful. I guess that’s what happens when you wreck someone else’s stuff.”
I’m not sure if Bowen picked up on my hint, but I’d bet Elowen knew those animals didn’t show up by chance. She had to suspect it was me, her usually quiet mother-in-law who’d never pushed back before.
Since that day, Elowen hasn’t dared to cross me. We had dinner together once, and she didn’t make snarky remarks or complain about me wasting her time. Meanwhile, Bowen started calling me often, checking in to see how I’m doing.
I guess my dear Harlan was right after all. My son needed me to snap him out of the spell Elowen had him under. He needed me to stand up for myself and draw a line his wife wouldn’t dare step over again.
