The day my mother-in-law called me in a panic asking where the entrance to our new luxury house was, I had to mute the phone so she wouldn\u2019t hear me laugh.Her name was Diane, and for three years she had treated every upgrade in my husband\u2019s life as if it automatically belonged to her. When Marcus got promoted, she hinted about a monthly allowance. When we upgraded our car, she asked for the old one before we had even decided what to do with it. When we told her we were moving, she didn\u2019t congratulate us. She asked how many bedrooms the new place had, then said, \u201cGood. I\u2019ll finally be comfortable.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Marcus and I exchanged a look at the time, but neither of us pushed back. That was unusual for me, because Diane had spent most of our marriage bulldozing boundaries and calling it family closeness. She had a way of saying outrageous things in a cheerful tone, as if refusing her would make you the rude one. The truth was, she had been testing us for months. She complained about maintaining her own home. She mentioned how lonely she felt. She began referring to our move as \u201cour fresh start.\u201d The more she talked, the clearer her plan became.Then, two weeks before our closing date, she called Marcus and casually announced she had listed her house for sale.He put the call on speaker. \u201cWhy would you do that now?\u201dOh, don\u2019t act surprised,\u201d she said lightly. \u201cIt makes no sense for me to stay here while you two rattle around in that giant new place. We\u2019ll save money and be together. It\u2019s perfect.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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