Standing at the doorstep was the mother of my daughters future husband.
It was shaping up to be a challenging morning… I was waiting for my daughter and her fiancé to arrive, hoping their visit would help calm my nerves, but those hopes soon faded. At six oclock sharp, the doorbell rang. When my husband went to answer it, he nearly dropped the keys in shockthere on our doorstep stood the fiancés mother and her husband. They had arrived for the wedding, which wasnt until the next day.
What annoyed me most was that they hadnt even bothered to let us know theyd be coming so early. They just turned up unannounced and simply stated:
Oh, what harm is there? Were practically family now!
To say we were caught off guard would be an understatement, but there was no polite way to send them away. I just asked why they had come so early. The mother replied that a neighbour was driving in this direction and gave them a lift. She added there were too many suitcases for a comfortable ride on the coach.
Indeed, they brought plentyshe unloaded jars of pickled onions and smoked chicken. I could hear glass bottles rattling in another bag. In short, she went about as she pleased, without a care for what we thought.
Not willing to be put out too much, I offered them some tea and showed them to our other flat. I told them to take all their luggage with them. My husband drove them over in our car.
Honestly, Ive never got on with that woman, and I have my reasons. She has her own plans (which she values far above mine); tomorrow, for instance, were supposed to go to the beauty salon together, and she wont listen to a word about how, these days, you have to book every appointment weeks in advance.
My husband and I had hoped for a quiet evening discussing things with our children. Now, instead, we have to phone them and rearrange everything. Theyll probably turn up with a few bottles in tow and insist we all have a drink or two…
Sometimes, life brings unexpected guests and plans spin out of control, but its in these momentswhen we handle surprises with patience and good humourthat we truly show the strength of family, as well as our own.
