After Cecile’s
husband Henry dies, she moves in with her son to find comfort. But when she
gets there, her daughter-in-law makes her pick between a nursing home and their
dark and cold basement. What takes place when Cecile chooses a different path?
It’s very
upsetting to lose a partner after forty years of marriage. Feeling lonely is
something that happens right away, but it gets worse over time.
It hurt more than anything else
for me to feel alone after my husband Henry died of a heart attack. I was too
sad to do anything else but be with my family.
I have two boys, Jack and Edward. Edward moved to
Oxford right after college because he was given the chance to study more. He
calls me every night to talk about our days.
Jack, on the other hand, lives not far from me. He is
married to Lucy and has a son whose name is after my husband.
Now that Henry bought this big house when we were
just starting our family, I’m living by myself in it. I’ve been trying to
decide whether to sell it, move out by myself, or live with Jack, as he
offered.
I chose to move in with Jack. It would bring me the
most comfort. But I had no idea that Lucy had other ideas for where I would
stay.
When I moved in with Jack and his family, I asked my
sister to help me pack up the old place.
So, I was at their door with my bags at my feet. I
was ready to live with Lucy as her mother and grandmother and take over the
kitchen whenever she needed me to.
Lucy opened the door for me with a coffee mug in her
hand and told me that their house was so crowded that Henry Jr.’s room was the
only one that was good for use.
She didn’t want to change anything about the room,
though. It was for Henry when he got back from college for a term.
That made sense to me. I didn’t want to be a bother
because it was his place. I thought Jack would have taken care of things for
me, though, since he asked me to move in if I needed to.
“Cecile, we’ve got a bit of a space issue, as you can see,” Lucy echoed.
“You’ve got two options,” she
continued. “There
is the basement, or there’s a nursing home. Your call, grandma.”
You’re stuck between a rock and a hard place.
Let me tell you about their basement now. There’s no
room that’s been turned into a basement like you might find in some homes, so
you can’t use it for crafts, games, or sewing. It’s not a den or a cozy place
for guests.
Jack’s basement is more like a prison because it is
cold and damp, and the bedframe sighs every time you move. The cushion has
sharp springs.
I didn’t need this kind of comfort.
“Lucy,” I said, shuffling my
weight from one foot to the other. “I appreciate the options, dear. But I’ll pass
on the basement and nursing home combo.”
Here comes my son, trying to make peace.
He walked up behind Lucy and put his arm around her
waist.
“Mom, I’m sorry. I wasn’t thinking when I invited you to stay.
Lucy has a point. We’re tight on space. I promise to get some furniture for the
basement to make it comfortable for you.”
I didn’t want to live in a basement. I wasn’t ready
for a nursing home yet. So I just did something about it myself.
I pulled my bags to the car and drove to my niece’s
house. I stayed there for a week while I looked for a house to buy.
The house was already for sale, and I knew I’d have
plenty of cash to buy a small apartment for myself after it was gone.
My niece helped me move in after everything was set
up, and I felt strong. I might not have needed family as much as I thought I
did.
Edward was worried about me being by myself, but I
told him I would be okay.
Not long after, I moved into my new apartment. It was
a cozy one-bedroom, just right for me and the cat I wanted to adopt. Nice thing
was that it was already set up, so I didn’t have to think about anything.
Then Jack called and asked Lucy and me to have dinner
together. It made me wonder what they wanted from me as I drove to their house.
As we ate dinner, I told them I had moved out on my own and bought an
apartment.
“I thought you were staying with Mia,” Jack said, referring to my niece.
“You can’t be serious!” Lucy
both yelled at the same time.
“I did stay with Mia until I moved. I needed my own space.”
It turned Jack red when he said, “You
said that you want to be around family, so I offered.”
“Yes, but if it meant being shipped off to a nursing home or
having to stay in your basement, I think I’m better off alone.”
After that, I left.
After a few weeks, I got my cat.
But I also changed my will to leave everything to
Edward. Even though I told them I didn’t need the money, he keeps putting it in
my account every month.
“A son must help his Mom,” he
said.
I said no to moving to another country with him when
he asked. At least for now, I had to be close to where Henry sleeps.
I went from having problems in the basement to having
my own cozy home. Life sure does throw you for a loop.
Would you have done those things if your child had given them to
you?
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