We’ve Got Your Back
So my husband has been on pins and needles because he wants to tell everyone about my pregnancy. I’m eight weeks along now, and we found out when I was six weeks. We agreed that we wouldn’t tell anyone until I was halfway through my second trimester. However, his mom’s birthday is this Saturday and she’s turning 70—they are older grandparents.
Although we got her a nice handbag that she had been hinting at for her birthday months ago, he really thought this news would make her happy and I agreed. So she took the train down with her sister, my husband’s aunt, and we’re making a long weekend of it. Also, his siblings don’t live far away, so we all decided to go to a hotel for a staycation so we would be in the heart of the city.
That way, we wouldn’t have to host that many guests in our large but not fully furnished condo. We were having dinner at a nice Italian restaurant and my husband tapped his glass to get everyone’s attention. Then he announced our little bean’s arrival. Everyone is happy and we are all giving hugs, kisses, congratulations, good jobs etc. It turned dark out of nowhere.
Suddenly his aunt just says, “Well it’s about time! The way you spend his money, you should have given him children ages ago”! So I’m about to rip this woman a new one, but my brother-in-law jumps in and says “Oh Aunt, I didn’t know you were the executor over my brother’s finances”! I was happy he defended me, and you’d think this would’ve shut her up.
But no. She then says, “Well I mean she doesn’t work, all she does is shop”. Side note: This aunt likes to make stuff up in her head, especially when she doesn’t like someone. I jumped in and said, “I have worked every day since six months before graduating from college”. Then my husband says, “The only person who has ridiculous spending habits, aunt, is you. My wife has never spent more than she made and has always bargained shopped though she’s never had to”.
He continued: “We have not had children yet because I didn’t want to disrupt her education with an infant, and that was OUR decision we made together. My wife has been nothing but good, kind, faithful, and loving toward me and this family and you owe her an apology for attempting to disparage her and our relationship with your lies”.
Oh man, I was walking on air at that point. But then it got even better. My wonderful mother-in-law comes in and says to her sister, “You really need to apologize to my daughter and the rest of the family because you’re projecting who you are into her. In the six years she has been a member of this family you have barely said a word to her and you choose now to say something and it be negative at that”.
The aunt has now turned six shades of red and looks more indignant than contrite. But she begrudgingly “apologizes” by saying “Well, I was not aware that you work, I guess I stand corrected”. I wasn’t going to let her get away with that. I’m super angry at this point and I tell her “That is not an apology”. She says “Well that’s all you’re going to get, Missy”.
I said, “Then you can take yourself home or somewhere else because you will not be enjoying a hotel room that me and my husband paid for. Also, don’t think you’re going to partake in the festivities that we all planned and also paid for, not while disrespecting me at the same time”. My husband backs me up with an “Exactly”!
She then says “What are you going to do, kick me out of the suite”? Everyone says in unison “Exactly”! She looks appalled and my mother-in-law says, “Aunt, apologize or leave”. She finally apologizes for real and we continue on with the dinner as if nothing happened. Today we are going to a play and then an early dinner as my mother-in-law and her sister are not a night owls.
I just want to say it feels so good to be loved, and to have family that supports and loves me. This is my first time having this, and these past six years with my in-laws and husband have been a dream. We are not perfect, but we love each other and have each other’s backs. They taught me what a family really is and about loyalty. I feel so blessed.