I decided to pay a surprise visit to my son Mark’s house last weekend. I hadn’t seen my grandson Liam in weeks, and my heart was just aching to give him a big hug.
I pulled up to their driveway, excitement bubbling up inside me like a kettle on the boil. As I approached the front door, I noticed a trash bag sitting out by the curb.
Now, I’m not one to snoop, but there was something familiar sticking out of the top. I had to take a closer look.
My heart sank when I recognized the bright wrapping paper of the gift I had sent them a few days ago, unopened and discarded like yesterday’s news. I couldn’t make sense of it. Why would Mark throw away my gift?
Then another thought clicked into place. Mark wouldn’t throw away a gift I’d sent without some kind of explanation, but my daughter-in-law might.
I was seething, but if there’s one thing I’ve learned in my sixty-eight years, it’s to never let them see you sweat.
I plastered on my best smile and rang the doorbell, swallowing the lump in my throat. The door swung open, and there was Jessica, my daughter-in-law, with her Stepford wife smile plastered on her face.
“Evelyn! What a pleasant surprise!” she cooed, her voice sugary sweet but with an edge sharp enough to slice bread.
“Jessica, dear! How lovely to see you,” I replied, my voice just as sweet, but with a touch of the sass that made me, well, me. “I just couldn’t stay away from my favorite little boy any longer.”
She ushered me in with all the grace of a hostess on autopilot. I could see the tension in her shoulders and the way her eyes darted to the clock on the wall.
Mark was still at work, no doubt buried under a mountain of paperwork, and Liam was playing in the living room, his little face lighting up when he saw me.
“Grandma!” he squealed, running to me with open arms. I scooped him up, my heart melting at the feel of his tiny hands clutching my neck.
“Hey there, my little man! Have you been a good boy?” I asked, ruffling his hair.
Jessica hovered nearby, trying too hard to seem interested in our conversation.
“Liam has been such an angel, haven’t you, sweetie?” she said, her voice dripping with false affection.
“Oh, I’m sure he has,” I said, planting a kiss on Liam’s cheek. “He’s always a perfect angel with Grandma.”
We spent the next hour in a dance of polite conversation and thinly veiled barbs.
Jessica tried her best to play the doting daughter-in-law, but I could see through her act. Every time she glanced at the clock, or her phone, my heart clenched a little tighter.
But I kept my cool, laughing and joking with Liam, savoring every precious moment with him.
After I left, I sat in my car for a long time, my mind racing. I knew I had to teach Jessica a lesson, not out of spite, but out of love for my family.
She needed to understand the value of the things we often take for granted, the love and effort that go into each gesture, big or small.
The next day, I bought a cheap $10 ring from a thrift store and wrapped it up just like the last gift. I mailed it to their address, and then I drove back to their city, determined to see this through.
I parked a short distance away and waited.
Sure enough, I saw Jessica retrieve the package and, without a second glance, toss it into the trash.
I waited until the garbage truck came and collected the trash bag. Then, I called Jessica.
