Mrs. Parker raised her son alone. His father found a wealthy mistress when the boy was five years old. Mrs. Parker had no time to grieve. She had her son, and she devoted all of herself to him. When Hugh grew up, his mother realized with horror that she had spoiled him too much. He had his father’s ambition to find a rich bride. Mrs. Parker kept telling him that the good life should be arranged by his own hands, and to achieve that, he should study well and look for a good job instead of a rich bride. So when Hugh got a bride, Mrs. Parker was overjoyed. Teresa was a nice, intelligent girl from an ordinary family. She studied in the same class as Hugh, and after graduation from college, they decided to get married.
Alas, Teresa’s mother became very ill and did not see her daughter’s wedding. But Mrs. Parker loved her daughter-in-law as if she were her own daughter and to raise her, seeing that reciprocated. The wedding was modest, attended by their closest friends and relatives. After the celebration, Hugh asked his mother to live with them because Teresa was the only one who had a job, and they could not afford rented apartments. Teresa’s small apartment, inherited from her parents, was in a neighboring town, and they decided to rent it out.
Everything was going well. The only thing that troubled Mrs. Parker was the fact that her son was not really looking for a job. He would go out of homes somewhere but often came back tipsy. And it was obvious that he was not at a job interview, son, but that’s not right. Theresa has a job, and you have the same education.
Mom, don’t you understand? Teresa studied better than me, and she was invited to the firm where she interned, and I’m looking for a job on my own. And I’m not ready to work for a penny. But you should start somewhere. No one’s going to take you on as a boss right away, but you should help your family as a man. A wife can’t carry everything on her shoulders, and when the kids come, what will you do?” said Mrs. Parker reproachfully, realizing that his mother will not let him off. He used a method from his childhood, he went over, hugged her, and told her that soon everything would be fine and that she did not have to worry.
A week later, Hugh came home with a cake and announced that he had gotten a job. But Mrs. Parker’s joy began to fade after a couple of months. She noticed that her son had changed, and he often smelled of women’s perfume. “Where were you? Cheating on Teresa?” she asked him bluntly. “Mum, what kind of nonsense is this? I’m working late. I don’t even have time for this.” “But what about the perfume?” The mother did not calm down. “I put it in the general closet. I have three other women working with me in the room. Alas, one of them likes to douse herself in perfume,” after this conversation, Mrs. Parker calmed down a bit.
Another two months passed, and Hugh was promoted and given a company car. Once again, doubts crept into his mother’s mind. Her son often stayed at work late, and after his promotion, he started going on business trips. Teresa, however, did not notice anything strange. She loved her husband very much and was happy for his success. One evening, she told her mother-in-law and husband that she was expecting a baby.
Mrs. Parker was pleased, but Hugh was upset because in his opinion, the pregnancy was too early, since they did not even have their own home. “Honey, you have a job now, so we can raise the baby. Besides, your mother is nearby, which is a plus because I will be able to return to work early. You will help us, won’t you?” asked Teresa, turning to Mrs. Parker. “Of course, I will. I have a lot of energy left. For a week, you were gloomy as a cloud. He could not smile at his wife, and when he turned away, his opinion was written all over his face. Mrs. Parker saw it all, and her heart ached for it.
On the weekend, Hugh suggested that Teresa goes shopping, relax, and buy presents for the new year. Mrs. Parker had a bad feeling, but she didn’t stop them. Five hours passed, and they still weren’t coming back. Hugh’s phone was off, and Teresa did not pick up. Mrs. Parker couldn’t find her peace, and then she got a call from the hospital saying there had been an accident. “Your son is fine and will be home soon. He left the hospital, even though we insisted on hospitalization. But his wife, she is seriously injured.” Mrs. Parker shouted that she would be there soon and rushed to get dressed. She was already putting on her jacket when Hugh entered the apartment. There were small scratches on his face. “What are you doing here? Your wife is in the hospital,” exclaimed his mother indignantly.
“Mom, not now,” he said rather rudely and went into his room. Mrs. Parker had no time to argue with her son and rushed to the hospital. There, the doctor told her that the car had skidded on the ice, and they had crashed into a tree. The impact was on the passenger side. She sustained a serious injury. “We performed an operation. I can’t give you any prognosis yet. Come tomorrow.” When Mrs. Parker returned home, she did not see Hugh there, and he did not answer the phone. The woman could not sleep and was up all night, and at eight in the morning, she was already in the hospital again.
From a conversation with the doctor, she understood that Teresa would live, but she would need special care and then rehabilitation. As for the pregnancy, she lost her baby. “Honey, everything will be okay. Everything will be fine. We’ll get you back on your feet,” said her mother-in-law quietly and stroked her raised arm. “How is Hugh?” she asked faintly. “He’s all right. He will come to you soon. Please rest,” Mrs. Parker comforted her daughter-in-law a little longer and then came home.
Her son was sitting in the kitchen as if nothing had happened, drinking tea. “Your wife is in the hospital, and you’re sitting here?” “Well, mum, I got hurt too,” the son replied reproachfully. “What about Teresa?” “Teresa is alive. But your child is not. She will need care and rehabilitation to get back on her feet, but the prognosis is good.” “Tell her I’m sorry,” you said firmly and seeing the bewilderment on his mother’s face, he added, “I’m filing for divorce tomorrow. I have been in love with another woman for a long time. She’s my boss, and she appreciates me. This is Teresa’s compensation.” He pointed to the envelope on the table.
Mrs. Parker couldn’t believe what she heard, and then she was suddenly angry. “You’re just like your father! How dare you remember how hard it was for us when he left us for the rich woman like that!” “I remember, Mom. That’s why I left the money.” With these words, Hugh got up and went into his room, and a few minutes later, he came out of there with a suitcase. He threw the keys to the apartment on the shelf in the hallway and slammed the door. Mrs. Parker dropped her head in her arms and wept.
A couple of weeks later, Teresa was discharged home, but she could not walk yet. With the money left by her son, Mrs. Parker bought a special bed and a wheelchair. Teresa’s colleague Edgar volunteered to help move her home. Teresa accepted the fact that her husband had left her. She had no strength to be angry, but she was immensely grateful to her mother-in-law for not abandoning her.
“Teresa, how could I leave you? You’re like a daughter to me. Everything will work out for us, and we’ll cope with everything. And this Christmas, I think you and I will have one wish for both of us. Miracles do happen. We should just believe in them.” Several months passed, and Edgar periodically came and helped take Teresa outside so she could get some fresh air.
One day, Mrs. Parker approached Teresa and held out a piece of paper. When she unfolded it, Teresa saw it was a deed to Mrs. Parker’s apartment. “But what about your son? He will be left without an inheritance,” asked a shocked woman. “I don’t have a son anymore, but I have a daughter,” answered Mrs. Parker and hugged her. A month later, Teresa went to another course of rehabilitation. She was on the mend with confidence.
Edgar continued to visit Teresa while she was in the hospital, and one day he purposely came to Mrs. Parker’s home and confessed to her his feelings for Teresa. “You see, I’ve always liked her ever since college, but she married your son, so I didn’t even come near her. And then I found out that my colleagues were collecting money for her treatment, and they were looking for someone who could help with the transportation. And that’s when I decided, this was my chance. I want to propose to her. Don’t you mind?”
Mrs. Parker smiled and said she would be happy if Teresa had a loving man by her side. After this conversation, Edgar thanked Mrs. Parker and rushed to the hospital. Of course, Teresa agreed to become his wife. Six months later, Mrs. Parker was looking at her daughter in a dazzlingly beautiful white dress and a handsome Edgar by her side. Edgar’s parents couldn’t come; it turned out they lived abroad.
“Mom, we have a gift for you,” said Teresa. “So it’s your wedding day, not mine.” Mrs. Parker was surprised. The young couple laughed and held out the envelope with a voucher to a sanatorium for a month. Mrs. Parker had never rested so well. Today, she was returning home. She told Teresa and Edgar that there was no need to meet her at the airport because Mr. Phillips, whom she had met in the sanatorium, would give her a ride home.
When Mrs. Parker tried to open her apartment, the key did not fit. Suddenly, the door opened, and in front of her was an unfamiliar woman who asked Mrs. Parker what she was doing here. “Excuse me, but I live here.” “No, I bought this apartment two weeks ago, and I live here now.” Mrs. Parker was stunned. Suddenly, she saw Teresa and Edgar running up the stairs. “Mum, sorry, traffic. We were going to surprise you and almost gave you a heart attack. Let’s go outside,” said Teresa with a smile.
“Teresa, don’t I have a home anymore?” asked Mrs. Parker quietly, lowering her eyes. “Are you going to put me in a nursing home? I won’t allow it,” interfered Mr. Phillips. “No one is going to put anyone into a nursing home,” answered Edgar. “We bought you another apartment. You’ll be living next door to us. After all, we will need Grandma’s help soon.” When Mrs. Parker entered the new apartment, she could not believe her eyes. It was a spacious apartment with beautiful renovation, good furniture, and appliances. And not far away was a beautiful, large park.
“That’s where we’ll be walking with you, Mrs. Parker. By the way, I live at the opposite end of this park,” said Mr. Phillips. He went along with them to make sure Mrs. Parker would be all right. Edgar and Teresa looked at the elderly couple and smiled. After all, Mrs. Parker deserved to be happy like no one else. “Now, let’s go to our apartment. The table is set there, and my parents want to meet my mother-in-law. Mr. Phillips, you were invited too,” said Edgar and winked to the man.
