Thank You for the Journey I Shared in Marriage with Your Son; I’m Bringing Him Back to You.

Thank you for the lesson I learned while I was married to your son. Im taking him back to you.

Dear motherinlaw,

It hurts me that I cant call you Mum as I hoped we would when we first met and when your son proposed to me. Of course I longed to marry; my closest friends have been wives for years, and I watched with envy how they lived with their husbands, caring for each other, showing respect and love.

I dreamed of a home where a man would always be at my side, a place I could lean on, where children would grow up under our joint watchful eyes. I also imagined caring for my husband, letting him feel my love, sharing every thought with him.

When I first saw how you treated him, I thought you had raised exactly the kind of man I wanted in my life. Before the wedding you said a single line that sketched the future I was about to step into. You may have forgotten it, but I still hear it clearly and regret not giving those words the weight they deserved. You said, My son is used to looking after only one woman. Those few words sum up the way youve shaped your son since he was a boy.

Your son will never refuse to dash to the chemist for your tablets, nor to fetch them from the other side of town, even though the shop is just a few steps from your front door and buying medicine isnt hard. If your front door squeaks, my husband hurries to oil it, so you never have to worry about such a serious problem. The fact that every door in our flat creaks in its own pitch, or that the wardrobe doors hang low, never seemed to bother him.

When my husband drove me home, instead of taking you for a walk in the park you made a scene, accusing me of being coldhearted, lazy, and accustomed to a cosy life. And why not? Its honestly easier to travel by car than by train, and lugging heavy bags yourself isnt the best idea either. Yet you wanted a breath of fresh air.

My husband is a wonderful son. When you couldnt sleep and, in the small hours, shared your misery with himwithout thinking of the fact we both had to be at work the next morninghe hurried to flag a taxi, because hed had a few drinks the night before and didnt want to risk his licence. Instead of thanking him, you said there was nothing wrong with abstaining from a drink with his wife if his mother might need help at night. Of course you can abstain from anything, not just alcohol, because he is your son and I am just his wife.

Congratulations on never handing me the reins in your relationship with your son, though its absurd to share a man. You dont want to share him with anyone.

Thank heavens we have no children. They would have noticed at once, but they wouldnt have been able to ask for their fathers time because Grandma gets priority. Your caring son didnt support me even when I truly needed it; my friend Susan stepped in, understanding that depression would bring me nothing good. I clung to the hope of hearing a few words of support, compassion and understanding from your son, but instead he once again turned his aid towards you.

Yes, I admit defeat; I could never become for him what you are, despite my best efforts. Its a shame all that effort went unnoticed by your son. He is genuinely in love with one woman​you. The words of love he uttered to me were merely a formality, a polite exchange between betrothed.

I want to be needed by a man, not a flawless, polished husband, not someone who arranges everything with military precision as your son does. Let him sometimes come home after a night out with the lads, something your son would never allow. Most of all, let him need me, worry about my failures, rejoice in my triumphs.

Im grateful Ive realised that my husband will never be that kind of man. We never had children, because you dont need strong emotions; your son was saving his heart for you and no one else. That frugality pushed me toward pregnancy. Now I have another person in my life and a little boy who will be born in three months time.

I promise to raise that boy to be a proper man, but not in the way you understand the word. Thank you for the experience I gained while married to your son. I return him to you, as healthy, caring and attentive as ever. Be happy.

Your former daughterinlaw,

Clara BennettShe watched the carriage disappear down the lane, feeling both relief and an unexpected flicker of hope.