Broken With My Mother In Law

“I will take the medicine. Oh, I forgot. Can you get it for me? They are over there in the cupboard.” Seeing me coming, her mood stabilized a little. How can she forget to take her medicine? I thought.

“You lie down well first, and I will help you get the medicine.” I tucked her in and went to the cupboard to get the medicine.

I went out to get her medicine in the cupboard. I was walking to her room when I saw her looking at the ceiling as if thinking something.

“Diana, please get up, I brought you your medicine.” I walked to her bedside and sat beside her.

“Oh, pour me another glass of water. How can I drink without water?” She sat up and took the medicine, ready to throw it into her mouth, only to find that there was no water.  I forgot to fetch her some so I went out again.

“All right.” I said but I was so sleepy that my eyelids kept fighting, but I had to endure to help her get water.

“I can’t drink the water in the faucet. It will give me a stomach ache. Can you bring me Evian mineral water and add some ice?” This is unreasonable request, why can’t she drink the water in the faucet? We all drink it. Do we have stomach aches when we drink iced water in the middle of the night? It’s strange. Why will she get a stomach ache from the faucet water and not from the cold water?

“Mm-hmm, I see. I will get you your Evian water.” If you add ice to it, it will cause her stomachache. Anyway, it’s not me who will have a stomachache. I went out to get her water.

“Here’s your Evian water. Drink your medicine now. It is getting late.”

“Thank you.” She took the water bottle and I watched her finish the medicine.

When she finished, she put the bottled water on the bedside with the medicine holder.Belonging © NôvelDram/a.Org.

“Sleep well now, will you?” After I helped her lie down, I turned to go out. I was too sleepy and just wanted to sleep quickly. Before I could close the door she spoke.

“Linda, I know it’s not a good question to ask, but this is my first night with you. Can you stay with me? Please, sleep with me. I can’t sleep in a different bed. I am having a hard time sleeping every time I am in a new place. So please if you don’t mind, can you stay here and accompany me for a while.” She pleaded with tears in her eyes for me to sleep with her, so I decided to do what she wanted. 

I nodded my head and went to her side then we slept together. I lay next to her and soon fell asleep.

“Huh? No, no, don’t do this.” She began to talk in her sleep again, with a loud voice, like having a nightmare. I woke up immediately after hearing her. I wanted to look at her so I went near her, and then “snapped” a loud sound. I was slapped by her in her sleep. I was too stunned. I was looking at her with a shock on my face. I felt the pain sipping through my face. I quickly blocked my face with my hands for fear of being hit again.

“Diana, what’s the matter with you? Why did you suddenly slap me? Are you alright? Hey, wake up! ” She slapped her teeth and claws at random. I asked her what was wrong, but she couldn’t wake up. I held her shoulders then tried shaking her but to no avail.

She was struggling with my hands, hitting and shouting like someone was hurting her. I was starting to get scared.

“No, let me go! Let me go! Please just let me go!” She cried in sorrow, she was hitting people in various ways, then after a few minutes she finally started to calm down. When I saw her calmed down, I removed my hands on her shoulder but it seemed that she was not awake yet. She turned and put her arms around me. I was very scared at that time, and my trembling hands made me unable to sleep for a long time.

I thought, ”What if she has another nightmare again? What if she will not only hurt me but will try to strangle me in my sleep? What if something bad happens to her next time.

It was the longest night in my entire life. I really couldn’t sleep because of the thought that was in my head and of course I was really concerned about her.

The next day, I woke up early because I really couldn’t get myself to sleep peacefully but as usual, I went to bask some dogs out of the lawn to let them enjoy the sun while playing and because I didn’t sleep well last night, I fell asleep lying on the lawn.

“Arf, Arf, Arf.” The barking of the dog interrupted my dream. I stood up speedily, and the dogs began to run wildly. I was dragged away by them accidentally. I don’t know what to do but I managed to calm them down. 

After I finished my work, I went home directly. As I was walking to enter the house with a tired body, I smelled a strange smell. I was still in front of the front door but the aroma was quite inviting. So, I continue to walk in the kitchen. I smelled something delicious. It smelled like it was from a restaurant. I saw Diana busy in the kitchen.

“Welcome back dear, how are you today? Are you feeling tired” Seeing that I came back, she took out a plate of food from the microwave oven, but I didn’t see what it was.

“Well… it’s fine today, very good. I was a bit tired. What are you doing?” I walked into the kitchen and saw that there were good dishes on the table.

“I was a little bored here today. Staying at home and doing nothing makes me crazy so, I went to look for something here in the kitchen to cook. I wanted you to taste my cooking. And of course, I wanted to say thank you to you for taking care of me. come here dear. Sit down and try it.” She put some pie-shaped things on my plate, and I put down my backpack and sat at the table to try it. I was a bit shocked by her revelation, I didn’t know that she has this sweet side.

“This is a fish fillet kidney cake. In fact, the fish fillet was not thawed in time, so most of them are kidneys.” I ate the dish she said, ah, it was a little hard to swallow, and the taste of sashimi filled my mouth. It was not too much to say it was dark food. To be honest, it was really a little unbearable. When is this really food that people can eat? I want to blur that out but of course she put an effort doing this so, I can’t bear to say that to her.

“Do you like it? Is it delicious?” She drank red wine and asked me if it was delicious. My face was full of expressions and I was afraid to vomit. It was really unbearable to eat and it was made not for people to eat but for the animals. But I think even the animals will not like the taste of this.

“Well, yes. It was delicious. Thank you so much for your effort.” I chewed the food in my mouth, and the chicken pecked rice and nodded, not wanting her to notice anything.

I was still chewing the food in my mouth when she suddenly spoke. Saying,

“I made a decision today. I called my lawyer and asked him to rewrite my will. I want to include my new daughter-in-law. I want you to be on the list of my will.” After that, she stood up and left the table. I was looking at her the whole time. When she was out of my sight and while she wasn’t looking, I quickly spit out what I had in my mouth on the napkin. I was so grossed to death by the dishes she had made.

When I saw her coming back with her phone in her hand I quickly said, “There is no need to do so, Diana. I will not marry your son for the money. It is better if you will not re-write your will.”

“Oh, you don’t have to worry about it, I would like to, but when they rewrite the will, they will ask some stupid questions, like ‘Are you from outer space?'” She asked me, as she sat solemnly at the table with glasses, a notebook and her phone in front of her.