Mila’s smile faltered. I felt a rush of satisfaction but then heard her say, “What you think doesn’t really matter; it’s up to Mom to decide. If you want to stay, that’s fine by us, but Brian and I don’t live here, so we’re not worried about what anyone else thinks.”
I rolled my eyes internally. Mila knew she was in the wrong and was just using Mom as a shield.
Mom had been silent throughout, lost in thought while I was being bullied.
After dinner, my brother and Mila sat on the couch watching TV while the kids played in another room. I cleared the table, feeling like a housekeeper, but if I didn’t do it, Mom would have to. Remembering Mila’s earlier expression when she was caught off guard lifted my spirits.
Mom started bustling around again, slicing up the fruit I had bought yesterday and serving it to Mila. Watching her so eager made me angry. It was sad to see a woman so biased towards sons, blind to her own daughter’s worth, and it seemed the daughter-in-law was a thankless one.
“Mila, you see, Brian is our family’s only son. Can we negotiate something?”
Sure enough, Mom was still fixated on her grandson! It must have been tough for her to keep quiet this long.