I Earn Mom's Love, It's Free for My Brother

On Thanksgiving, my sister-in-law flipped the dinner table just because my mother hadn’t made her favorite lobster.

Mom was so angry that she had a cerebral hemorrhage. She was rushed to the hospital and stayed there for two weeks.

During that time, my brother and his wife didn’t visit even once.

I called him, asking him to take turns watching over our mom.

But before I could finish, Mom snatched the phone from me.

“Don’t bother your brother! He’s busy with work! He can’t just take leave whenever he wants.

“And besides, it’s not convenient for a man to stay and take care of me.

“Oh, and hire a housekeeper for your brother and your sister-in-law. There’s no one at home to cook for them. I can’t relax thinking about that.”

She was sick, so I didn’t complain.

When she was discharged, I took the refund of 12,000 dollars in medical expenses and brought her home.

Out of nowhere, she said, “Transfer this money to Ethel. She’s the one who pays my medical insurance every year. You can’t take advantage of your own sister-in-law.”

I let out a short laugh. “In that case, let’s just split everything evenly.”

——

“Split evenly? That’s just ridiculous, Beulah!” My sister-in-law, Ethel, immediately changed her expression, her tone dripping with mockery.

“You do realize this is your mother we’re talking about, right? The woman who carried you for ten months, who raised you with her own hands?

“She didn’t raise me—not even for a single day. And you expect me to split the costs equally? Do you even hear yourself?

“Are you blind? Go look around—what daughter doesn’t spend money on her own marital family? If you don’t spend it on your family, where else do you spend it, huh?”

Her temper flared. The more she spoke, the angrier she sounded.

My mom and my brother were terrified of upsetting her. She had them both completely under her thumb.

Mom nervously tugged at my arm, giving me a pointed look.

“Stop being difficult, you brat! Don’t make your sister-in-law mad. She’s right about everything.”

“You’re the younger sister,” she added, “it’s your responsibility to treat your sister-in-law well. As for that money, round it up to twenty thousand and give it to her.”

My brother chimed in, like it was the most natural thing in the world.

“Come on, Beulah, we’re all family. You’re not a kid anymore. Don’t make your sister-in-law upset. It’s just a bit of money. Isn’t it only right to give it to her? We’re family. Don’t be so stingy.”

Ethel, smug and sure of herself, stretched out her palm toward me, waiting for me to hand over the cash.

I couldn’t help but laugh.

So this was how it was.

This entire family thought I was some kind of fool with a bottomless wallet.

I opened my bag, pulled out a small mirror, and placed it in Ethel’s outstretched hand.

“Take a good look at yourself. You see a difference between you and a beggar?”

“Actually,” I sneered, “scratch that. No beggar would have the nerve to ask for this much!”

She froze, her face twisting like she’d just swallowed a fly.

“Who are you calling a beggar, huh, Beulah?! What are you, exactly? Coming into my house acting like you’re the queen of it?! Is this how a sister-in-law should be treated?!”

She stomped her foot and shouted, “That’s it! I’m done! I want a divorce! I’m getting divorced!”

Her outburst sent Mom and my brother into a panic.

Mom slapped my arm sharply, her voice trembling with anger.

“Apologize to your sister-in-law! Right now! If you don’t, you can forget about calling me your mother again!”

My brother scrambled to comfort his wife like a bootlicker.

“Please, honey, don’t be mad. I’ll never let anyone in this house treat you unfairly.”

Indeed, she had never been treated unfairly, not once. My brother, Buck, and my mom both pampered her like she was made of gold.

Buck’s obsession with her? I could understand it. Honestly, I even envied her a little for having a husband who loved her that much.

Mom, though… She spoiled her daughter-in-law far more than she ever did for me.

In this house, Ethel never lifted a finger. Food was served to her; clothes were handed to her.

In fact, every meal had her favorite dishes. But the braised pork I liked? Mom never made it again.

It was all because Ethel once said that braised pork was “greasy and disgusting.”

From that day on, Mom never let that dish appear on the table again.