Ive known my daughter Emilys husband, James, for three years now, and I still cant quite figure him out. He never seemed to settle down, and the idea of a quiet family life never appealed to him.
James is rarely at home. One week he claims hes swamped at work, the next hes off on an urgent business trip with his mates, and the rest of the time hes off on some hobby that has nothing to do with ordinary folk. My motherinlaw, Margaret Thompson, began to worry about Emily. Theyve been married three years, yet theres no child, and James seems to value his friends more than his own family. Emily says theyre not ready for that yetstill too young. I cant help but wonder whether James has a lover somewhere, especially when Emily looks at him with blind trust and believes every word he tells her.
Even though Emily is happy with James and they live on their own, Margarets main concern is that her daughter should truly be happy. So she feels she ought to step in, but how? Margaret isnt the type to meddle or point out how people ought to live, yet she also cant just stand by and watch things go awry. She thought perhaps she should get to know James better, understand his nature, and maybe that would bring some clarity.
In time she began to see the real James. He loves a bit of a splash, enjoys being seen, and likes to show off a little. When Margarets birthday rolled around, he turned up with a massive bouquet of roses. The guests were astonished, praising him left and right.
Now theres a soninlaw worth his weight in gold, they said. You can tell he loves his motherinlaw already, not a stingy sort.
The bouquet was impressive, but it was clear James wasnt gifting it out of pure love or respect; he wanted to flaunt himself. Margaret, who isnt exactly rolling in cash, thought to herself, If youd just given me a few thousand pounds instead, I could have bought a nice little bunch. Still, she kept quiet; the gesture, however overthetop, was pleasant enough.
After a while Margaret decided that James does have potential, and perhaps his flair could be put to good use for the family. Other sonsinlaw might be handy around the garden or earn more, but James hates the garden. Hes always on the road, and you cant lure him with a plot of land.
Then a chance presented itselfthough not a pleasant one. My neighbour, Mike Brown, was stopped at a traffic light when a reckless driver slammed into his bumper, claiming hed tried to beat the red light and blamed Mike for suddenly stopping. Mike, a quiet, responsible man, was ready to take the blame, or at least a share of it, just to avoid a mess. He never gets into such scrapes himself.
It reminded Margaret of a promise James had made recently: If anything ever happens to a car, Ill be there in a flash. You never know what could come up. True to his word, James answered her call immediately.
Red light, you say? Ill be there right away. Just tell me where, he said.
He rocketed to the scene, talked to the police, cited the relevant roadtraffic regulations, and got Mike cleared of any wrongdoing. After the whole episode, James strutted around Margaret like a heroa look shed never seen on his face before.
Emily later explained to her mother, Mum, thats just James. At work hes always under pressure, so he needs to feel like a hero. Hell move mountains for that. A quiet life isnt his thing; hes still a lad at heart. Thats why hes in the fire service, always rushing to help friendswhether its pulling a car out of a ditch or rescuing a pal whose boat capsized while fishing. He even hauled a whole sack of fish back as a thankyou.
Why didnt you tell me before? I was worried James was a bit aloof, Margaret said, smiling.
Emily replied, I thought youd think I chose the wrong husband. You and Dad always wanted everything neat and tidy. With James its a bit chaotic, like living on a volcano, but we love it.
Good for you then, Margaret hugged her daughter, feeling a little more at ease about the future.
A few weeks later, Margarets own mother, Eleanor, suffered a severe back problem and needed to be taken to the city hospital. Eleanor was a hefty lady, and they called James straight away.
James, we cant manage without you. We need a proper lift for Mum, she pleaded.
James arrived in a company van equipped with a special seat, tucked Eleanor into it, and whisked her off to the clinic. After that, Margarets respect for her soninlaw grew even more.
But then came a mortifying mishap that even Margaret, usually so composed, almost fell into. One winter she bought a tiny pair of garden rakes at the corner shopsomething shed been hunting for for ages. As she walked home, she slipped on the pavement outside a neighbours house, grabbed the rakes for balance, and unintentionally brushed against a parked car. The cars alarm blared, and the owner stormed out, shouting, Youve scratched my new car, you old witch! Ive got a dashcam in theredont try anything!
Just then James rolled up in his old, beatup hatchback.
You think you can shout at my motherinlaw? he called back. My cars ancient, I barely nicked the paint. Look, you dont even have a scratch. Here, take a thousand pounds for the trouble.
The man inspected his vehicle, found no real damage, and grudgingly accepted the cash. Margarets reputation was saved; the embarrassment of almost scratching a strangers car with a rake vanished.
Because James once called Margaret Mum by accident, she grew to love him even more. It became clear why Emily adored himhes warm, quick to help, and genuinely caring.
The familys grandchild arrived later that summer. On Dads birthday, Emily and James stopped by to wish Mike Brown a happy birthday. While chatting, Emily recalled a school friend, Gillian from the flat next door, and asked how she was doing. Margaret, knowing Gillian was away on holiday with her husband, slipped in a little secret: Lydia, Gillians mother, confided that theyve been hoping for a child for ages. Winters the most common time for a baby, so theyve been planning a getaway.
She raised an eyebrow, and James perked up, scratching his head.
Boys in winter, you say? We could use a lad toomaybe Ill take a few into the fire service and start rescuing people.
Soon enough Emily announced she was expecting, and by the end of summer little Dennis entered the world, making Margaret a proud grandmother.
Now James truly cherishes his motherinlaw, and Margaret has come to love her soninlaw. Hes a solid bloke; you never go wrong with him. He may not be fond of a garden now, but when the grandchildren start visiting the grandparents, hell learn to enjoy it.
Were all different, but its best to look for the good in each other, because theres almost always something worth holding onto. I wish everyone happiness, health, and a little bit of wisdom along the way.
