Everly loves her mother-in-law and eagerly helps when Victoria loses her job by offering a substantial loan. A few months later, Everly and her husband need the loan back, but Victoria refuses. She claims it’s disrespectful to demand money from family. Frustrated, Everly decides it’s time for Victoria to learn a lesson.
“How much do you need to get by?” I asked as I placed two coffee cups on the living room table.
I settled on my plush couch, watching my mother-in-law’s face crumble as she spoke.
“I’ve given that place my all for twenty years,” she sniffled, wiping her tears with a crumpled tissue. “And they just let me go for some young boy.”
Victoria’s tearful eyes met mine, and my heart ached for her.
I knew losing a job was tough, and seeing my mother-in-law so upset made it even harder.
“Just tell us how we can help,” I said, trying to comfort her.
“I really hate to ask, darling, but $2,000 would cover my rent and bills for now,” she said. “I promise I’ll pay you back as soon as I’m back on my feet.”
I reached out and squeezed her hand.
“Consider it done, Victoria,” I said, smiling warmly. “You’re family, and we help each other out. Just focus on finding a job, okay?”
“Yeah, Mom,” my husband added. “Don’t worry about it; we got you.”
That evening, we made the transfer to Victoria’s account.
I knew families were supposed to help each other in tough times.
But little could I have guessed this loan would come back to bite us.
If she wasn’t going to honor her promise, we’d have to take matters into our own hands, even if subtly.
So when Victoria asked for help with her garden, Harrison and I mirrored her logic.
“Sorry, Victoria,” I said sweetly. “You know we’re just your kids. You can’t expect us to do this.”
“Yeah, we’re too busy with our own things, Mom,” Harrison chimed in.
Firstly, Victoria had borrowed money from her sister to pay us back. And then it turns out she agreed to repay us only because friends and family who had been at the party started questioning her about the loan and her reluctance to repay it.
We told her sister how she made the same promises to us that she would return the money on time, and we know Victoria is going to learn a lesson the hard way this time.
Have you ever encountered a similar situation with a family member?
If you enjoyed this story, here’s another one: When Maddison receives an unexpected email from an anonymous sender, she never expects it will shatter her romantic life. What she does next leaves her boyfriend shocked.
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