A mother in law Dilemma Part One

It’s been a while since I have posted some of my thoughts and believed it is high time I did so. Those few who enjoy my style of writing, I hope you are able to enjoy. Those who do not, I hope you are somewhat lenient with your critique.

All of you, as always, feel free to post comments. All I ask is you try to be constructive so I can understand what it takes to be a better writer.


I am none too sure why it is I allowed the affair to start, if indeed an affair is even the right way to describe it. I guess the honest answer to it all is a lack of willpower on my part. The much bigger problem is, affair or not, it has now turned into something of an obsession. One I am afraid to say I have no idea of how I can bring to a stop. I have tried. Believe me I truly have, yet each time I make the effort, each time I think I have the answer, he has a way about him to convince me otherwise.

My problem itself started a few months ago though the problem itseil revolved around my daughter and her recent marriage to her now partner Andy.

I guess as parents we were maybe both to blame. On the one hand my hubby had never really taken to Andy. He had always viewed him as something of a chancer and had expressed to me he felt the marriage was wrong for all kinds of reasons, not least that he felt Andy would be someone to play away from home, yet I put much of that down to the old maxim of losing his daughter rather than gaining a son.

As for my views on Andy as her choice, truth was, my initial reaction was I quite liked him. Sure he was a little rough around the edges but that in itself kind of made him all the more appealing, well from a female point of view and anyway, despite what the two of us believed or said the choice was always going to be our daughters.

Initially, as I guess anyone would expect with a newly married couple, things went along well with the only difficulty being, until they were able to save for a deposit, we’d agreed they could live with us. Of course, there were the occasional conflicts, how could there not be with the four of us under the same roof but aside from these and the fact my hubby could still not bring himself to like Andy, things moved along quite well.

It was some six months later when my daughter came to confide in me I first realised the marriage was starting to move down a slippery path. She confessed to me her belief Andy was having an affair with someone she thought worked in his office. She had no proof other than some texts she’d seen on his phone and though she had tried raising the matter with him, he of course had denied any such thing. I did offer the usual motherly advice in the hope she might be able to nip things in the bud at an early stage and of course I duly discussed the matter with hubby who, given his earlier beliefs was more supportive than I’d expected and hadn’t gone about telling me that he’d been right with his assumptions on Andy. However, we both agreed there was little we could do at this stage without actually interfering in full so we agreed to keep an eye on things as best we could but of course, in reality this was never going to work. My daughters fears continued and when she next came to see me it was to tell me she believed he’d recently had sex with a woman while on a boys night out. This time she’d seen proof. Lipstick marks on his shirt collar which he’d laughed off as little more than some fooling around. It was then hubby and I decided we would step in to try and help with our initial plan being hubby would take Andy to one side and discuss both these issues and what we saw as his responsibilities to our daughter.

It was an early July evening when this took place. After we had all shared a meal hubby suggested Andy join him for a drink at our local pub. I guess even then Andy knew something out of the ordinary was on the cards for he’d never been asked out for a drink before. My daughter and I stayed home and chatted as we cleared away the dishes. It was some considerable time later the two of them returned where Andy went off with my daughter to their room leaving hubby and I alone.

Seemingly, the drink idea had gone better than hubby had expected. He pointed out my daughters concerns while at the same time, mentioning what he saw as Andy’s responsibilities. He’d accepted all hubby had had to say and though he hadn’t admitted to having any extra marital activities, neither had he denied it. What he had though agreed, was that he maybe could pay our daughter more attention and with this in mind they had shook hands and returned home.

It was a week later that I realised all was still far from well when I came home one afternoon to find my daughter red eyed and in tears. In between sobs she told me she had been confronted by some female earlier that day who claimed to have had sex with Andy and that she planned to take him from her. I listened and soothed her fears as best I could but deep down I was furious and had already vowed to myself I was going to have it out with Andy once and for all. Hubby had tried and failed. Now I saw it as down to me to resolve these matters once and for all. There was no way I was going to watch my daughter suffer this way.

Circumstances didn’t allow me the chance that evening so the next day, with hubby working away from home and with my daughter leaving for work early, I decided to delay my own, usual early departure for work in order I could confront Andy with this latest revelation.

I rose as normal that morning and was showered and dressed ready for work by the time my daughter came down for breakfast. That particular day I’d decided to wear a business jacket and skirt type suit, with accompanying white blouse. The idea being, it would afford me a more authoritative figure where confronting Andy was concerned. I made no mention of my plans to my daughter, thinking it best I kept them to myself for the time being. Twenty minutes later with my daughter having duly left for work I poured myself a coffee and sat down at the breakfast table in readiness for Andy’s appearance who would always leave for work sometime after everyone else had departed. In truth I had no idea how long I might have to wait but as annoyed as I was, I had already left a message with work that I may be a couple of hours late.

A half hour later, while on my second cup of coffee, Andy finally put in his appearance where I was more than a little taken aback that he was still in a pair of shorts and t-shirt he would have worn for bed. On seeing me sat at the table he smiled but I could already detect he suspected something was amiss, given I would ordinarily have left for work well before this hour.

“Good morning Lindy.” he proffered, before adding, “I don’t normally get the pleasure of your company this time of the morning. Is something wrong?”

Deep down I was still seething and determined I would not allow his placating tone to affect my current mood.

“Yes Andy! As a matter of fact there is something wrong. In fact, very wrong and it needs to be resolved.” I told him, trying to sound as forceful as I could.

“And would it have anything to do with your daughter and me?”

“Yes! That’s exactly what is has to do with so I want you sat down at the table ready to listen to what it is I have to say.”

“Hmmm! Well in that case, you won’t mind sitting there while I pour myself a coffee first, will you?”

I sat there, watching as he made his way over to the percolator, unable to believe his arrogance that I should be made to sit and wait until HE was ready to sit down and talk. I bit my lip, fearing I might at any moment say something which would jeopardize my plans. I watched as he poured himself a coffee before returning to stand nonchalantly at the side of the table.

“Sit down please Andy as what I have to say may take some time.”

He gave me a somewhat flippant look but did at least pull out a chair and sit down. He took a sip of his coffee then placing the mug on the table said, “Ok so what is this little lecture all about?” adding under his breath, “Like I couldn’t guess!”

On hearing his snide remark and as much as I had vowed to stay in control of my anger, now I was really annoyed. I decided to stand and make my way toward where he was sat, believing my stance, my body language together with how I was dressed might have the desired overbearing effect.

“Yes Andy! I believe you know full well what this is about. It’s how you have been treating my daughter or more to the point, how barely a few months into your marriage, you are playing away. It’s not acceptable Andy. Not acceptable at all!” I shouted.

I watched as he sat there, a non committal expression written across his face, like he really couldn’t have cared less.

“Yeah! Sure I guessed what this was going to be about so maybe it’s time I made a few things clear to you. For one, what goes on between your daughter and me is no business of yours. Two” he added with some distain, “Your hubby has already given me this lecture. It didn’t work then and whatever you may think, it’s not going to work now. And three! Before you go spouting off on what YOU think is right and wrong, maybe you should first make yourself aware of all the facts.”

He sat back and took another sip of his coffee, obviously in the belief he had just shot my argument to pieces with all he’d just said.

“No Andy!” I spat. “When you live in my house, and when it affects my daughter, it’s got everything to do with me.” I again stepped closer as I tried to appear all the more imposing but now it was his turn to stand and all at once my five foot four frame didn’t seem so imposing anymore.

“No Lindy! If you’re going to shout the odds then you need to be in full receipt of all the facts. You aren’t and I am, so if I choose to play around, as you put it, it’s because I have good reason too.”

“Really!” I hissed at him. “And what would that be? Probably nothing more than wanting to work your way through the office typing pool is my bet!”

“If that’s what you want to think then fine.” He again answered with his couldn’t care less manner. I lowered my eyes and was shocked to see a bulge had formed in his shorts since he had first entered the kitchen.

“Good God!” I cried out. “Just look at yourself! Even just the mention of the girls at work is enough to turn you on. You really are a bastard!”

He looked down at himself and laughed then looking up said, ” You really think that’s it do you Lindy? Christ! If that’s the case, you’re even more prissy than I thought?”

“What do you mean prissy? I’m not prissy. I just don’t expect the husband of my daughter to flaunt himself whenever he feels like it.”

“Oh you’re prissy alright. Look at you. Look at how you’re dressed! You like to make out butter wouldn’t melt in your mouth you’re so damned prissy. Mrs Prim n proper is what we should call you.”

“I’m not prissy!