My MIL Asked Me to Help Cover Her Debt – I Was Horrified When I Found Out What She Was Hiding
Knowing that Marlene loved her as if she were her own daughter made Natasha realise how fortunate she was to have as a mother-in-law. However, Natasha starts to worry for the elderly woman when she notices a shift in Marlene’s behaviour. When the truth is eventually exposed, Natasha is unsure of whom to believe.
Just another Saturday, we spent tea and cake at my in-laws’ house. We weren’t used to this. Jake’s mother, Marlene, had taken me under her wing ever since I married him.
During our wedding reception, she had made us all cry with her speech, claiming that I was the daughter she never had.
I was aware that finding a mother-in-law who truly loved you was uncommon. My sister and her mother-in-law really didn’t get along at all.
Because of their incessant arguments, my brother-in-law had to mediate disputes in their house.
However, I was lucky. Marlene was my babysitter; she showed me how to prepare Jake’s favourite dishes using family recipes that she had inherited from her grandmother.
We were alright.
However, Marlene began acting differently after that. She changed from being a family-oriented person to a reclusive one.
One day, when I picked her up to get our nails done, she said to me, “I just want to be at home, Natasha.”
“I get that,” I replied. “But are you okay?”
With her eyes downcast, Marlene smiled at me, seeming more restrained than usual. She saw me choose the colour of my nails.
Typically, she would enquire about my recent cooking and the buzz in the office. Whenever she inquired about my sister’s fertility, Marlene would tell my sister all the old wives’ tales about what to consume to increase her chances of getting pregnant.
However, now she seemed odd; something wasn’t quite right.
She said, “I’m fine, sweetheart.”
“Your health?” Sincerely worried about her well-being, I inquired.
“It’s all right,” she said, reaching into her purse.
But there was just something off about her.
She was hardly there at our next family meal, which was hosted by my father-in-law, Frank, and Marlene.
She said, “I’ve cooked everything,” as soon as I entered. “However, I’m quite exhausted. Just before supper, you can reheat every dish.”
“Where are you going?” As I watched her brew a cup of tea, I inquired.
She said, “I’m going to lie down.” “However, I do need to submit my book club report. I’m going to start with that. Jane Eyre was read by us this month. I felt like I was back in high school.”
After saying that, she pivoted and walked away.
After the others had taken our seats and were getting ready for supper, I asked my father-in-law if I may bring Marlene a plate of food.
He replied, “No, darling, don’t bother.” “She’ll have dinner later. She’s been eating later these days, so after her nap, I’m sure she’ll go down.”
I never understood that because Marlene was always eating early. When I married into the family, it was something I had to get used to.
Jake handed me a glass of wine and added, “I’ll go check on mum after dinner.” “You eat now.”
My mother-in-law was upstairs by herself even as we left that evening. She was curled up in bed when I went to say goodbye.
This leads us to our afternoon.
Marlene entered the kitchen as I was frosting a cake for tea. We had planted some azaleas in the garden, and she took a long breath at their aroma.
She sat down at the table and exclaimed, “Oh, I love that smell.” However, she sighed deeply as she sat down, her fists clenched and a little unsteady.
“Would you like a cup of tea?” As I turned on the kettle, I questioned her.
With a smile, Marlene nodded.
She said, “Natasha,” which surprised me because she never called me by my entire name.
I picked out a tea flavour for her, trying not to look surprised, hoping that she would follow through and open up to me.
Which surprised me because that’s exactly what she did.
Trembling, she started, “I need to talk to you about something important.” “Frank is at issue. He’s put himself in a bad situation. Because of his gaming, he has a significant debt. I’m really humiliated, and if he discovered that I told you, it would break his heart.”
Normally friendly and kind, Marlene’s eyes were now filled with a desperation I had never seen in her.
“But Frank doesn’t go out to the casino?” I inquired, understanding that my father-in-law’s idea of gambling consisted of placing a sporting wager every few months.
“Online gambling,” she blurted out. “He spends all his time sitting in front of our computer.”
Marlene was sitting, her hands encircling the tea cup I had given her. No matter how frugal she had been, she talked of how their bills just kept mounting, a towering cloud that threatened to swallow their existence.
“I’m too old for this,” she sighed deeply.
My heart hurt for her as she talked. I went to stand in front of the window and gazed out over the landscape.
I could not have allowed her to leave our house without assistance. I was forced to. He would have understood why I had to do this even if she hadn’t told Jake about it.
I had been saving for a new car with Jake. We just put money into an envelope every week to ensure that we had the deposit ready to go when the time arrived.
Though it had been taking far longer than we had planned, we were confident that the effort would be worthwhile.
I pulled the envelope from where we had hidden it in the dishtowel drawer. But my husband barged in just as I was ready to give it to Marlene.
After glancing at the envelope once, his demeanour darkened.
He asked Marlene, “Really?” “You went to Tash about this?”
My spouse grabbed the envelope out of my hand and said, “Don’t give her anything!”
Marlene’s face twisted as she glanced up at him.
She said, “Jake, how could you do that?”
“Tell Tash the truth,” he commanded.
Marlene shook her head, tears welling up in her eyes.
Jake apologised, “Honey, I’m sorry.” But you’re not aware of the whole story here. There’s no debt from gaming. Someone she met online has conned her. When I learned about it over our final family meal, I went to see how Mom was doing.”
Jake stopped and glanced at his mother.
“She forced me to swear not to tell Dad or you. which makes sense because it would ruin him.”
That’s when Marlene lost it, started crying uncontrollably.
“I’ve been so alone,” she said, choking back tears. “Frank is not fully present, but he is there.” He doesn’t give a damn about our ongoing romance. I felt like I was loved again because of this man. I believed he required my financial assistance. There is such a thing as debt. However, none of this was what I intended to happen.”
“But Mom, why? Why didn’t you visit us initially? or even Tash? Jake replied, “You’re so close to her,” his tone softening as he gave her a brief glance.
She said, “Jake, I was ashamed.” “I didn’t want you to think less of me.”
With a sigh, my spouse held his head. He did not know what to say. I was aware of his conflicting feelings towards continuing to support his mother and shielding his father from the reality.
Jake continued by saying that his mother was using her laptop in bed as he was having supper with the family. And a message appeared from the unidentified individual, expressing gratitude to Marlene for the cash and requesting more.
At that point, I revealed to Mom that it was all a front. that in spite of everything he stated, he was only taking advantage of her to get easy money.”
At last, we concluded it was time to include Frank in the discussion. Even though it would be uncomfortable, he had to know what was happening, particularly if their money was in jeopardy.
With a pained expression, my father-in-law listened in startled silence.
“Marlene,” he murmured. “How is this possible? Have I treated you so poorly?”
Marlene shook her head, causing her eyes to swell once more.
“I apologise, Frank,” she uttered. “I never wanted to hurt you.”
She extended her hand to shake his, but he withdrew, wanting time to come to terms with the betrayal.
We all agreed as a family that Marlene needed to start therapy. She need assistance in addressing her loneliness and the factors that contributed to her vulnerability to scams.
After much persistence, Frank eventually gave in and they began attending therapy together, with the goal of saving their marriage.
In contrast, Jake continues to struggle with feelings of shame and betrayal.
I hope it’s not too long until he starts to forgive Marlene.
Though it has been fictionalised for artistic purposes, this work draws inspiration from actual individuals and events. For reasons of privacy protection and story improvement, names, characters, and details have been changed. Any likeness to real people, alive or dead, or real events is entirely accidental and not the author’s intention.
The publisher and author disclaim all liability for any misinterpretation and make no claims on the veracity of the events or character portrayals. The thoughts represented in this story are those of the characters and do not necessarily represent the viewpoints of the author or publisher. The story is offered “as is.”