It was many years ago now, when Thomas and Evelyn met as students at the University of Oxford. They were drawn to each other, though Evelyn did not belong to Thomass usual circle. In those days, tradition still held sway within Thomass family, and his parents expected him to marry a young woman of their choosing. Yet Thomas hoped to make Evelyn his wife.
When word of their relationship reached his parents, Thomass mother marched to Evelyns halls of residence. She threatened her, even yanking at her hair and warning her fiercely, “Stay away from our son!” Evelyn, gentle in manner and not accustomed to confrontation, was unable to defend herself. Thomas, upon seeing her so distressed, was incensed. He returned home and a blazing row erupted between him and his mother. His father, declaring such behaviour disrespectful, told Thomas to leave the house.
From then on, Thomas moved into the halls with Evelyn. The following day, they went together to the register office and submitted their marriage application. Once they graduated and received their degrees, they held a modest celebration and moved to London. Evelyns aunt, who lived there, welcomed them warmly and provided a safe haven.
Bit by bit, Thomas and Evelyn found work and soon enough, rented a flat of their own. While Thomass parents maintained silence and would not reach out, not even when their granddaughter was born, Evelyns family and aunt offered steadfast assistance.
Over time, Thomas and Evelyn opened a little shop, then another, followed by a café and a tailoring studio. A decade slipped by. With the continued support from Evelyns parents and her auntwho put forward the depositthey were able to purchase a cosy flat.
Eventually, Thomass family began to reconnect. His elder brother called and paid them a visit, and the couple welcomed him graciously. His sister soon followed with her family, and they too were made to feel at home. Harmony seemed to return. In the end, even Thomass parents arrived, and Thomas and Evelyn received them with all due hospitality. The past was not mentioned, and nothing seemed amiss. But old habits die hard, and Thomass mother could not keep herself from causing trouble.
One afternoon, Thomas and Evelyn returned from work to find their son sulking and tearful in the corner. It transpired that his grandmother had struck him for refusing to eat his lunch. Thomas gently but firmly asked his mother not to lay hands on the children. She acquiesced, or so it seemed, but the following day she raised her hand yet again.
That day, Evelyn came back earlier. When she told her mother-in-law to keep away from her children, the elder woman reached for Evelyns hair once more. But Evelyn was not the fragile girl she had been; she clasped her mother-in-laws wrist tightly, looked her square in the eye and said, If you ever lay a finger on me or my children again, I wont hesitate to break your arm.
Later that evening, Thomas and his father returned home. His mother complained, showing a bruise on her arm, but the child ran up and told his father what had really happened. Both Thomas and his father understood who was at fault, and reprimanded her. His father did not want to lose Thomas again, after so many years of estrangement for the sake of his wife. At last, Thomass mother realised she had to change, lest she lose her son, her hand, and her family forever.
