Confinement Mother-in-Law Fed Me Dishwater; I Fled With Child

It had been more than half a month since I gave birth to my daughter after a difficult labor.

The soup my mother-in-law brought me had only a few vegetable leaves floating in it.

But my sister-in-law, Christine, got bird's nest tonic and fish maw tonic.

I was so hungry my head was spinning. Mom, if this keeps up, I won't have any milk.

My mother-in-law curled her lip.

"If your milk's low, that's because you're useless. Don't blame the food."

There was nothing else to do, so I asked Dirk to boil an egg for me.

He was just getting up.

My mother-in-law sniped from the side, "Can't she go do it herself?"

"Let it go on long enough and you'll spoil her rotten."

I looked at Dirk, and he chimed in quietly.

"Letty, you've got two hands and two feet. It's not like you can't get out of bed and walk."

I dragged my heavy body toward the kitchen.

My mother-in-law said I was faking it. "All this fuss over having one baby."

In the kitchen, I sent my brother a text message.

Eddie, I'm starving to death during my confinement. They're stewing tonics for Christine and giving me dishwater to drink.

My brother replied right away.

Hold on, I'll be there any minute.

Then he came storming in through the door with a high-end nutritionist and a top-rated postpartum nurse.

1. I took two eggs, rinsed them off, and put them in a pot to boil.

I leaned against the stove, my legs shaking.

The wound from the difficult birth throbbed in waves.

My vision was going dark. I hadn't eaten a full meal in days, and the hunger left me panicked.

My mother-in-law's voice carried in from the living room.

"This bird's nest is stewed just right, Christine. Eat it quick."

"The nutrients will be gone once it goes cold."

I gripped the spatula tighter.

That bird's nest was sent by my parents. So was the fish maw.

All of it went straight into Christine's stomach.

When I got back to the room, my mother-in-law was still complaining.

"When I had my kids, I never made half the fuss you do."

"You won't starve to death, so what more do you want?"

"Who are you giving that sour face to, day in and day out!"

I paid her no mind.

She trailed after me, running her mouth nonstop.

"Young people these days can't take the least bit of hardship."

"Back when I gave birth, I was up and working the very next day."

"Not like you, lying in bed like some pampered little mistress."

"The whole family waits on you, and you're still not happy?"

I couldn't help speaking up.

"Mom, I'd like a little peace and quiet by myself."

My mother-in-law's voice shot up sharply.

"Who do you think you're talking to?"

"I'm your mother-in-law. I came to take care of you, and this is the attitude I get?"

"Did your mother never teach you how to speak to your elders?"

I stopped and slowly turned around.

"Take care of me how, exactly?"

"The tonics my parents sent, you all ate every last bit of them."

"You call that taking care of me?"

My mother-in-law froze for a second.

Then she flew into a rage.

"You ungrateful wretch!"

"I'm up before dawn and out late buying groceries and cooking, and isn't it all for you?"

"Waiting on you hand and foot to eat and drink."

"And you think you're in the right?!"

I was so angry I laughed.

"Wasn't that all for your daughter's sake?"

"This whole time, have I eaten a single meal you cooked?"

"What you bring me is either leftovers or vegetable scraps."

"Not even a bowl of hot soup."

My mother-in-law's face went livid.

"Weren't you the one who said postpartum women need a balanced diet and shouldn't eat too rich?"

"Of everything I made, which of it were you even allowed to eat?"

"You said you wanted more soup, so I made you soup."

"And now you're complaining?"

I pointed at the kitchen stove. "Mom, you mean that greasy dishwater?"

My mother-in-law gave a cold laugh.

"Fine, I won't wait on you anymore."

"From now on, whatever you want to eat, cook it yourself."

Dirk hurried out of the bedroom.

"What are you two fighting about now?"

My mother-in-law shot him a glare, and Dirk quickly changed his tune.

"Letty, hurry up and apologize to Mom."

I stared at him in disbelief.

"I apologize? What did I do wrong?"

Dirk said, "Mom came all this way to take care of you. Can't you cut her some slack?"

I clutched my chest, choked with anger.

"Dirk, are you blind?"

"Your mom stews bird's nest and fish maw for your sister, and what she brings me is greasy dishwater."

"And you want me to cut her some slack?"

He opened his mouth.

"Well... Mom means well too. Eat lighter, it helps with milk."

"That's a load of crap!"

I was shaking all over.

"I'm so hungry I'm dizzy. Where's the milk supposed to come from?"

Dirk went quiet.

Christine poked her head out of the guest bedroom.

"Could you keep it down? I'm right in the middle of a show, and it's driving me crazy."

I warned her, my face cold.

"You eat the things my parents bought, and then call me hard to please?"

"Christine, have you no shame?"

Christine's expression changed. "You actually dare curse at me?!"

Dirk grabbed my arm and forced it back.

"Letty, that's enough!"

"Hurry up and apologize to Mom and Christine!"

I shook his hand off.

"Dirk, are you even a man?"

His eyes darted away.

I laughed and laughed, and then tears started welling up in my eyes.

I got up and silently walked toward the kitchen.

I poured out a bowl of cool water and scooped the eggs into it.

Then carefully carried it back to the bedroom.

I was just about to peel one.

My sister-in-law's voice came from the guest bedroom.

"Mom, I want a boiled egg."

Without a word, my mother-in-law lifted the bowl right out from in front of me.

"Weren't you nice and quick on your feet just now?"

"If you want some, go boil two more."

I watched the bowl being carried off, and without thinking I reached out to grab it.

Ada refused to hand it over, pulling it back against her chest.

"You've still got the nerve to snatch it?"

The second my fingertips touched the rim, she gave it a hard yank.

The bowl shattered to pieces.

The egg rolled across the floor, coated in dust.

I stared blankly at the egg on the ground.

But Ada was the first to lay blame.

"What is wrong with you? Fighting over two eggs?"

I looked up at her.

"I cooked that."

"She's long since finished her confinement. Can't she make her own?"

Ada gave an unhappy snort.

"So what if you cooked it?"

"What in this house did you ever buy with your own money?"

"My son supports you, and you still talk back to me?"

When I heard that, my hands were shaking with anger.

Ada crouched down, picking up the pieces and grumbling.

"This bowl cost a good bit back then, dozens of dollars."

"You just smash it, no second thought. You don't care one bit."

Dirk quickly stepped forward.

"Mom, don't move, I'll take care of it in a minute."

Ada slapped his hand away.

"Leave it, let me see if it can still be pieced back together."

The more she talked, the angrier she got.

"Lying around at home for months, not earning a single cent."

"Eating my son's food, living in my son's house."

"And still such a temper. Who could afford to keep you?"

No income?

I didn't know how she could say something like that.

"Quitting my job to rest through the pregnancy was a decision Dirk and I made together."

I looked at Dirk.

I wasn't asking for anything else. I only hoped he'd tell the truth.

Ada frowned and asked him, "Tell me, is that true?"

Dirk's eyes started to drift.

"No... no, it wasn't."

"When did I ever agree to that?"

My eyes went wide.

"Dirk, what are you saying?!"

He deliberately avoided my gaze.

"It was you who didn't want to work anymore. Why pin it on me?"

I froze where I stood.

It felt like a knife twisting in my chest.

It hurt worse than the wound from the difficult birth.

Seeing that I was upset, Dirk hurried to smooth things over.

"All right, all right, stop fighting."

"If you want eggs, I'll go boil some. That works, right?"

I stared at him coldly.

"Is this about who boils the eggs?"

But he just looked annoyed.

"Then what?"

"Just go boil four eggs now, problem solved, right?"

"What's there to argue about?"

I opened my mouth, but I couldn't get out a single word.

This was the man I'd chosen.

I fell silent.

I knew there was no point in saying anything more.

His way of handling things was always to change the subject.

Play dumb, and paper over the cracks.

Nothing like the man I first met. He'd become someone else entirely.

Just then, there was a knock at the door.

My brother's voice came through.

"Letty, open the door!"

I turned to go answer it.

Ada immediately blocked me.

"Who's out there?"

I looked her in the eye and said, "It's my brother. Is there a problem?"

Ada's face suddenly changed.

"You little schemer, you really planned this out!"

"You dared call your family over ahead of time to back you up?"

She turned and shot Dirk a look.

"Do not open that door!"

Dirk stood there, not moving.

My brother knocked a few more times.

"Letty, are you there? Open the door for me!"

Ada dropped her voice.

"Leave him out there. Let's see how long he can stand it."

"This is my home. I'll open the door for whoever I want."

I couldn't worry about any of it anymore.

I stepped around her and went straight to the entryway.

Ada crossed her arms and warned me from on high.

"Don't forget, this is my son's home too."

"When I say no, it means no."

"You open that door, and you can stop calling me your mother-in-law!"

3. Just as I grasped the doorknob, Dirk suddenly lunged at me.

He grabbed my waist and yanked me back hard.

I stumbled a couple of steps and nearly fell.

"Dirk, what are you doing?"

He lowered his voice and demanded, "Why did you bring him here?"

"Don't tell me it's really like my mom saidyou planned all this from the start?"

I said, can't a brother even come to visit his sister?

He clung on for dear life and wouldn't let go.

"Talk it over with me first before you open that door."

"Otherwise we'll be found out."

I gained a whole new understanding of just how shameless he was.

"So now you know to work things out ahead of time?"

Dirk explained awkwardly, "That... that's my mom, there's nothing I can do."

"You think I can go up against her?"

"That would be unfilial."

I gritted my teeth and told him, "What you've got is blind filial piety."

He pretended not to hear.

"Tell your brother that my mom has been waiting on you all through your confinement and treating you really well."

"Otherwise, if the two families come to blows, it won't look good for anyone."

I was so furious I laughed.

"Why can't I tell the truth?"

He pleaded with me.

"It's not that I won't let you speak, I just don't want the two families at odds."

"Can't you show a little sense?"

I nodded, faking a look of sudden understanding.

"Got it."

"Your family treats me badly, and you still want to keep taking advantage of my familyis that it?"

Christine poked her head out from the second bedroom.

"Sister-in-law, that's an awful thing to say."

"My mom waits on you every single day. Have you no conscience at all?"

I swept a dark look over her.

I had no time for her.

Dirk only held on tighter and tighter.

I struggled a few times but couldn't break free.

My wound was being pulled at, and it hurt terribly.

Then my brother's voice came from outside the door again.

"Letty? Are you okay?"

"Why isn't the door open yet?"

Dirk's forehead broke out in a nervous sweat.

"Hurry up and promise mejust say my mom's been good to you."

I looked at his face, and it had never seemed so unfamiliar.

The man I once thought was honest and dependable.

Now he only made me sick.

I took a deep breath and bit straight into his arm.

"Ah!"

Dirk screamed and let go all at once.

I seized the chance to open the door.

Besides my brother, I saw two strangers standing behind him.

He saw the look on my face, and his eyes went cold.

"Letty, did they mistreat you?"

His tone was calm, but it carried a pressure that bore down on you.

Dirk cradled his arm and backed up two steps.

He was afraid of my brother.

My brother graduated from the police academy and was a mixed martial arts champion.

Before I got married, he'd warned Dirk.

If he ever dared to treat me badly, he'd be the first one my brother went after.

My mother-in-law took one look at my brother, big and burly as he was.

Then she suddenly plopped down on the floor and started making a scene for everyone to see.

"What sins has my son committed to deserve this!"

"Marrying such a scheming wife!"

"I gave her everything I had, and she turns around and stabs me in the back!"

Then she slapped the floor and wailed at the top of her lungs.

The neighbors had probably all heard that wailing.

I watched her performance and found it nothing but ridiculous.

Then I turned to my brother. "Who are they?"

My brother stepped aside and introduced thema nutritionist and a postpartum nurse he'd hired especially for me.

The two quickly stepped forward.

"I'm Shelagh Dickerson, a high-end nutritionist."

"I'm Valerie Lawrence, a top-rated postpartum nurse."

Once I knew who they were, I shook my head.

"Eddie, I don't need this. Don't waste the money."

My mother-in-law's eyes lit up, and she scrambled up off the floor at once.

"Why don't you need it?"

She sidled up to the two of them. "How much do you charge for one home visit?"

The two exchanged a glance.

The nutritionist spoke first.

"My monthly rate is twenty thousand dollars."

The nurse chimed in.

"Mine's thirty thousand a month."

My mother-in-law cried out.

"What? Fifty thousand dollars all together?!"

Her eyes darted around.

"Here's what we'll doI won't make you come for nothing."

"Fifty dollars each for gas money. Just refund the rest to me."

The nutritionist and the postpartum nurse were both stunned when they heard this.

They looked at my brother, not sure what was going on.

My mother-in-law immediately put on a smile.

"Letty, listen."

"Whatever a nutritionist and a postpartum nurse can do, I can do too."

"From now on you can eat whatever you want, and I'll make it for you."

"So this fifty thousand dollars..."

I cut her off.

"Can you, though?"

"What have you been feeding me these past few days?"

"Greasy dishwater, with bread and pickled scraps."

"And the rare time there was meat, it was your leftovers."

My mother-in-law got flustered and kept shooting me looks.

"Watch how you talk!"

"Eddie's still herehe'll get the wrong idea if he hears this."

Dirk quickly chimed in.

"Yeah, honey, your brother went to a lot of trouble to come all this way."

"Sit down and have a glass of water first."

When Christine heard fifty thousand, she couldn't sit still either.

She wriggled over closer. "Your brother is so good to you."

"I wish I had a brother who cared about me that much."

The moment she said it, the air went silent.

Dirk's expression turned rather ugly.

But the whole family was thick-skinnedthey didn't care at all.

My brother glanced at me.

Then he swept his eyes over the three of them.

He said nothing.

He took out his phone and made a call.

"Bring the car downstairs."

Then he looked at the nutritionist and the postpartum nurse.

"The confinement recovery won't be happening here anymore."

"We'll do it at home."

My mother-in-law's face changed in an instant.

"Eddie, wait!"

She blocked the doorway. "You can't just listen to Letty's one-sided story."

"She's got postpartum depression."

"You know about that condition, right?"

"Sometimes people just blow things out of proportion and talk nonsense."

I almost laughed out loud.

A minute ago it was "having a baby is no big deal," over and over.

And now she even knows about postpartum depression?

Dirk nodded quickly.

"Yeah, Letty's been emotionally unstable lately."

"Eddie, don't take it seriously."

Christine backed him up too.

"That's right, your sister-in-law got really sensitive after giving birth."

"When I talk to my mom, she thinks I'm cursing her out."

"She even cries in secret in the middle of the nightscared my brother half to death."

"I read online that this is a classic case of postpartum depression."

"It needs treatment, or it'll be bad for the baby too."

The more I listened, the colder my heart went.

This family really is world-class at twisting black into white.

I was about to explain.

My brother stepped straight in and shielded me behind him.

He stared at the three of them and gave his warning, one word at a time.

"If any of you dares say one more word of nonsense, don't blame me for what happens next."

His tone wasn't harsh.

But Dirk visibly flinched.

My mother-in-law swallowed hard and forced herself to challenge him.

"What... what do you want?"

"I'm telling you, this is my home!"

Seeing that my brother wasn't paying her any attention,

my mother-in-law got flustered and raised her voice.

"What right do you have to meddle in our family's business?"

"Once she married in, she's a Swanson!"

I let out a soft laugh.

I slipped off the diamond ring, so tiny it was practically invisible, and tossed it onto the shoe cabinet.

And I formally informed the man in front of me.

"Dirk Swanson, let's get a divorce."