Chapter 2

Tyler texted me:

"Mom, you're used to peace and quiet on your own, and my in-laws' place is always lively."

"The three of us really have to go back and spend the holiday with them."

"If you don't feel like cooking, just buy whatever you want to eat."

I stared at the message and gave a cold laugh. Those words especially, used to peace and quiet, went in like a knife straight to my chest.

Tyler's father died in a car accident when he was twelve.

For all these years I raised him alone, mother and father both, put him through school.

Got him married.

He knew perfectly well I hated a cold, empty house.

He'd seen it too. Before he married, every holiday I would say:

"If only your dad were still here. The house wouldn't feel so empty."

Back then he would look at me and say, in earnest:

"Mom, once I'm married I'll have a couple of kids, and the house will be full again."

"The holidays won't feel empty anymore."

I still remember what he said. But he'd forgotten. Or maybe he just didn't care how I felt anymore.

While I was looking at it, Wallace called.

He sounded overwhelmed, so happy he could barely get the words out.

"Winona, do you really mean it?"

"Of course I mean it. What are you doing for Thanksgiving?"

"I'm on my own. My daughter's got work out of town, she can't make it back."

"Then let's spend Thanksgiving together. I'm on my own too."

Wallace was grinning ear to ear.

He said right away that he'd go book us a table at a restaurant.

On my way to meet him, I scrolled through my social media feed.

I saw that Virginia's mother had posted a few gleeful photos of the pies and pork she'd received.

Her caption read:

"All because I said I wanted a little more pork to make sausage."

"My daughter sent me a whole hog."

"She really is my sweet girl, and she gives me three thousand a month in elder-support money too."

"Daughters are the way to go!"

My heart froze solid.

A few days before Thanksgiving, Virginia said we'd all be going back to the old hometown for the holiday.

She said she wanted some home-slaughtered pork, so I went straight to someone I knew back home and bought a hog, three hundred fifty pounds.

I got a few people together to help slaughter it.

I never imagined it was her mother who wanted the pork.

All these years I've watched their kid, and the living costs, the household expenses, all of it came out of my pension.

Every few days I'd even slip Virginia some spending money.

I never imagined she'd take the money I gave to help her out and turn it into elder-support money for her mother.

Back when she married Tyler, she asked for a three-hundred-thousand-dollar bride price.

The house and the car are both in her name.

Her mother took the bride price, and for a dowry gave us four quilts.

Her parents once said, in front of everyone:

"I've taken the bride price. A married-off daughter is like water thrown out."

"As for who takes care of us in our old age, we won't be looking to a daughter. I've got a son to see me through."

Her mother plainly favored the son.

But Virginia was a dutiful daughter, and she thought all of it was perfectly normal.

All these years, she'd kept funneling money back to her parents.

So she stayed close with them.

Hand on my heart, from the first day she walked through my door I loved her like my own daughter.

But no matter how much I gave, I could never warm her heart.

I was about to turn off the screen when a message came from Virginia:

"Mom, you got my nephew sick!"

"My sister-in-law says he's had a cough on and off, running a fever every few days, for more than a month now."

"Now she's giving me the cold shoulder, and it all started because of you."

"Wire my sister-in-law three thousand for nutrition money, right now, so I'm not left looking bad in front of my own family!"

That set me off.

Over the summer, Virginia brought both of her nephews to stay with us.

She never lifted a finger to look after them. I took care of all three children alone, ages four to six.

Two whole months, every meal, every mess, all of it was on me.

Snacks, toys, she bought her two nephews a whole pile of them.

Just those two summer months, I spent about ten thousand on them.

And it wasn't only this year. Every winter and summer break.

Virginia would bring her nephews over.

Loving her, I extended it to them, and I looked after those nephews with everything I had.

I thought all my kindness toward her family would register with Virginia.

Only later did I learn she brought both nephews over on those breaks on purpose, to hand them to me.

All so her mother could take it easy and rest.

I watched those children for them so many times and never once got a thank-you.

And now I was the one being blamed, the one being told to hand over three thousand in nutrition money.

I typed back one message:

"I won't tolerate you people pushing your luck any longer."