George, you need to bring your wife over to my house, said Mrs. Margaret Whitaker with firm resolve, and youll both have to wash the windows and beat the rugs clean!
What a interesting proposal, Lila Mabel Turner replied with a smirk, but I think Ill have to decline.
Lila, whats the meaning of this? George Whitaker asked, bewildered. Your mother needs help!
No, she doesnt! Mabel said, wiping the smile from her face.
That cant be right, George stammered, even more flustered. Its his mother were talking about!
Mabel, weve been married nine years! Do you really think Id doubt your sanity? she shot back, eyes fixed on him.
Its not that I, George muttered, gesturing weakly toward his motherinlaw.
So you dont have to explain to me that a mother is a mother! she snapped.
And why shouldnt we help your mother if she asks for assistance? George pressed.
Did you hear a single hint of a request in her words? Mabel asked. She simply declared what we must do! Apparently we owe her!
Yes, we owe her! Mrs. Whitaker exclaimed. Youre my daughter, and hes my soninlaw. A soninlaws duties are fewer, but a daughter I brought you into this world, which means you cannot abandon your mother when shes in trouble.
Mmm, Mabel murmured, thoughtful. I can.
What kind of daughter are you, then? Margaret demanded.
Just as much as you, Mother! Mabel retorted.
Mabel, have some shame! George shouted. How can you answer your own mother so brusquely?
I have every moral right to, she declared. And if you dont know the whole story, Id never raise my voice at my own wife.
Mabel, George said, his face now serious, perhaps Im missing something, but a mother must be respected, and we must help our parents. Being rude and cheeky is not acceptable. He turned to his motherinlaw. Mrs. Whitaker, forgive my wifes tone. Well come over this weekend and sort everything out.
No, you wont come! Mabel slammed her fist on the table.
Fine, then Ill go alone, George said, without pausing to think the matter through, assuming the role of the head of the family that decides everything.
If you go to her, you may never return home, Mabel warned, turning away.
Ah, I see, Margaret sighed. My daughter is truly remarkable.
Exactlyjust like me! Mabel said, turning to her mother. Why didnt you ask dear Lucy to wash the windows and beat the rugs for you?
Whos Lucy? George asked.
You were told you know nothing! Mabel snapped. And youre sticking your nose where it doesnt belong! Lucy is my own sister, my blood.
So my mother asked me for a favour, not her, Mabel continued, turning back to Margaret. Why dont you ask Lucy, then? Or does she owe you the same right of birth that youre poking at me with?
George glanced at his motherinlaw, who flushed but did not answer.
Whats the matter, Mum? Mabel teased. Lost your voice? Cant find the words? Let me help you, otherwise youll leave George guessing forever!
The reason my mother never asks Lucy is that Lucy sent Mum away long ago, when she married, six years back, Mabel explained. Thats when you first met her, isnt it, George? Remember when my mum decided to reenter the life of her other daughter? That was the night you were introduced.
Oh, right, George chuckled. No one ever spoke of her until she showed up six years ago. I even thought you had no mother at all, let alone a fatherinlaw.
Your attention just ripped the seam, love! Mabel laughed. I didnt have a mother, then she appeared, and you never bothered to ask how.
I was about to, but I got tangled up and forgot, he admitted, blushing. Then the conversation started again, and I didnt give it any thought.
Do you want me to tell you the whole truth? Mabel offered enthusiastically.
No! Not at all! Margaret shrieked.
Whats wrong, Mum? Embarrassed? Did your conscience wake up? Mabel pressed.
He doesnt need to know, and it isnt his business! Margaret snapped. It has nothing to do with him.
How can it have nothing to do with him when hes about to wash windows and beat rugs for you? Its very much his business! Mabel replied firmly. And I want him to understand why Im refusing you.
***
When parents part, it is the children who suffer most. The wound is inevitable, yet only sensible parents can soften it. They may arrange visits, and during those meetings they must not dredge up old grievances. To a child, parents remain the ones they loved, even if the reasons for their separation become hazy with age. Even when two people no longer wish to stay together, maintaining a civil relationship benefits the child.
Mabels own parents never bothered with such questions; they were simply eager to go their separate ways.
I wont pay you any maintenance, declared Margaret.
Im not pushing the law, but its there, replied Samuel Whitaker.
Do what you like! If my wages are garnished, youll hand over the money anyway, Margaret retorted.
Ah, youve split! Samuel scoffed. Those are the childrens funds!
The children are yours too! You must provide for them! Margaret shouted.
But theyre also yours! Parental responsibility is shared equally, Samuel countered.
I dont want to hear any of it! Not about you, not about the children, not about maintenance! Margaret waved her arms in a fit of anger.
Explain that to the judge! Samuel snapped.
Divorce was set to begin in two days, but this case was anything but ordinary. Margaret abandoned not only her husband but also two daughters, aged four and ten. She seemed indifferent to where they would live without a mother, yet the one thing that rattled her was the prospect of paying maintenance.
If not for the legal requirement, Samuel could have managed without the payments. He earned a decent wage, and it pleased him to see his former wife rely on others. Still, he would have lived comfortably even without those sums, provided he could free his daughters from their mothers erratic influence.
Margaret did not explain her motives; instead she plotted a cunning move. She coaxed tenyearold Tom, her younger daughter, to claim she wanted to live with Mum. She could barely tolerate her sister.
Tom spent so much time with Mum that she soaked up her mothers temperament and mannerisms. The judge placed the younger girl with Samuel and the older with Margaretan arrangement that seemed, at least, plausible.
In court Samuel received just one line: I told you I wont pay you anything! He did not argue, though he wanted to remind himself that a daughter left with her mother still needed nurturing. Yet Tom, under her mothers urging, hurled accusations at both father and sister right in the courtroom.
It was clear the child was innocent; Tom merely echoed what her mother had fed her. Her mother, now known as Susan, would soon teach Tom to think the same way.
Samuel lost one daughter but still had another, and his responsibility for her remained. He truly mourned Toms loss.
A while later he tried to meet Tom again, but Margaret barred him. When Samuel cornered Tom in the hallway, she sent her daughter away so far that it was shameful to meet strangers eyes.
For twenty years after the divorce, Mabel never heard from her mother or sister. Oddly enough, she did not mourn them.
Samuel Whitaker, a devoted father, poured his heart into raising his child.
Mabel could honestly say she had a happy childhood, a wonderful youth, and grew into a content adult. She never felt abandoned or slighted by the absence of a mother, even an adoptive one.
She learned a trade, qualified as a software developer, married, and had a child of her owna good, happy life many aspire to.
She never imagined that her own mother would one day appear on her doorstep, speaking as if theyd been apart only a week, not twenty years. The surprise was such that Mabel let her in, introduced her husband, presented her as a grandmother to her infant, and listened to the mothers tales of daily life. Margaret, however, offered nothing beyond the latest headlines and fleeting troubles.
They chatted, then partied. Only afterward did Mabel grasp the absurdity of the situation. She called her father straight away.
I never told you anything about hergood or bad. I wont now either, Samuel said. I raised you as a clever girl.
So, I hope youll figure out why shes back and what she truly wants, he added.
The only thing I can tell you is that I divorced her twenty years ago, not for nothing, Margaret replied. But I cant rule out that shes changed in the meantime.
Thats all I expected, Mabel answered. Thank you, Father.
If you need anything, just call, Samuel encouraged. He didnt believe Margaret could have turned over a new leaf, but he kept quiet.
After the call, Mabels nerves settled. Her father always had a calming effect. Once soothed, she began to think.
Twenty or thirty years ago, searching for a person could be a ordeal; today its a trifle. The internet leaves a trail for everyone. The skill lies in knowing how to look.
Mabel, being a software engineer, could search with a tenacity that would make the very agencies jealous.
She uncovered little about her mother beyond two marriages after the split from her father, and two children: herself and Tom.
The details she needed about Tom forced her to question both father and mother. Samuel gave her an age; nothing more. Margaret possessed far more information, but she delivered it as though under interrogationbits and pieces that could have been learned from any stranger.
She learned Tom had trained as a geography teacher. Only two institutions in their county offered that course.
Mabel joined the alumni groups, found Tom by surname, and arranged a meeting.
Youre coming after me, then? Tom said, confident. No surpriseI cant do it alone! I need a victim.
A victim? Mabel asked, puzzled.
Exactlya person she can cling to for any excuse, to make them dance to her tune! Tom smirked. I didnt just marry; I ran from her!
Who was ready to take me as a wife, only to snatch me back later? Thats the very one I fled!
Send her far away and never think of her again. Shell tell lies so often youll run out of stories in a lifetime, and youll end up blamed for it all.
Mabel left the meeting thoughtful. Her only conclusion: Forewarned is forearmed.
If a mother craves contact, shell get it. If she oversteps, shell meet an appropriate response.
Its odd, but for six years Margaret was content with just talking. She asked for small favors, the kind neighbours might grant. Tom warned her further:
If you ever show a hint of weakness, youre in her web. Shell torment you till you lose your mind. Shes driven two stepfathers to the brink of madness just to grab their assets.
Mabel didnt wait long for that day.
She eventually pressed her father for the full story, which he finally relayed only after Mabel mentioned her chat with Tom. When the whole picture fell into place, she waited for her moment.
George stared, mouth agape, at his motherinlaw. He could not believe what he had missed. Yet Margarets reaction proved Mabel spoke the truth. The womans frozen stance was broken only by a flushed face and beads of sweat, betraying her humanity.
Are you still willing to drive up and work for her? Mabel asked.
George shook his head.
Very well, Mabel replied to him, then turned to her mother. Mum, if you want a normal conversation, even though you havent earned it, I wont deny you that. But any more talk about owing me anything, Ill toss it out the window and never let you cross my threshold again!
What? How dare you! Margaret shrieked. I am your mother!
Enough! Mabel spread her arms. No one forced you to speak! Off with you! If you show up again, Ill file a police report for harassment.
Margarets eyes widened.
What are we waiting for? Legs gone? I could help you with a magical kick right to the door! she threatened.
She straightened up, as if a pillar had been knocked upright. She tried to retain dignity, then shuffled toward the doorway. Mabel, unable to hold back, shouted after her, Run, you old !
Margaret huffed, as if she might still have the strength to fight.
Bravo, youve handled her well! George said after she fled.
What was she after? Mabel shrugged. Shed been gone for twenty years, then pops up acting like shes always been here, demanding I owe her something for nothing. She even pretended Id beaten her with kicks!
Mother, still, George began.
On paper shes my mother, but in fact shes a stranger, Mabel concluded, and the topic was finally closed for good.
