The Daughter In Law

“Listen I don’t usually get involved in this shit because half the time I don’t know what the fuck, but my wife let me in on some of what has been going on. Let me give you a little background here so we can clear this up once and for all.” Everyone at the table was staring at dad like what the fuck? “Take the kids out of the room for a minute girls, I’ll call you when it’s safe to come back.” Mom clasped her hands under her chin as I watched my two sisters in law take their boys by the hands, as the kids questioned why they couldn’t eat. Damien was looking stupefied and I wasn’t too sure as to what was going on myself but my gut knew.

“Vanessa is my only daughter, I’ve got two boys and the one girl. Now I don’t know how they do things down your end but up here daughters are cherished. I’ve looked out for her her whole life and I don’t mean to stop until I draw my last breath. When she was young, I was the one that dealt with the bullies and the assholes as they came. Now just because she got married doesn’t mean that that’s changed, she’s still my kid and I don’t like people fucking with my kid. I understand along with everything else there’s a baby on the way. My kid showed up here with puffy red eyes and I’m thinking that can’t be good for her or the baby. If you want to keep up this shit campaign of yours I’ll come and move my kid back home, her and the kid she’s carrying. If your son wants to come he’s more than welcome I’m sure the army could find him a post up this way. Are you getting what I’m saying here or do you need me to spell it out? Good to hear it. Now I’m about to sit down to dinner with my family, I suggest you do the same.” He hung up the phone and I was afraid to look at my husband. There was no doubt as to who that was.

Mom made as if to call the others back into the room but dad stopped her. “Just a second Jacks.” He turned to Damien who was sitting there with his stoic face on.

“Boy I gave you my daughter because you promised to take care of her. I let you move her halfway across the country to bum fuck U.S.A. are you gonna make me regret that decision? Because like I just told your mother I will move her back here, her and my grandkid.”

Damien got that tic he always gets in his cheek when he’s pissed. Then he took my hand and turned to face my dad. “No one is taking my wife from me, not you and not my family. I asked her to let me handle it and just because I haven’t been stressing her with all the details she thinks I’m a whipped puppy at the end of my mother’s leash. She thinks flying off the handle and saying fuck you is the answer. It’s not, that shit will only last so long before the next cycle begins again. I admit that I had no idea any of this shit was going on, how could I? I was halfway around the world. After she told me what was going on, she told me a few days later that she was carrying my child. I made the decision then to shield her from as much of this shit as I could, because contrary to what she seems to think, I love her enough to want her to enjoy her impending motherhood and all that entails.

I had a talk with the only other person I trust implicitly, my dad. He filled in the blanks and he didn’t sugar coat it. I wanted to commit murder when he told me some of the shit that had been said and done to my wife while I was off fighting a fucking war and believing my mother’s bullshit lies when she would tell me how she was looking out for my girl. As I said before, there’s a way to handle this and if it’s not the way anyone else would do things, it’s my way. I know what the fuck I’m doing so with all due respect sir let me do this shit my way.

I told your daughter she needed to apologize because she was wrong to put her hands on Barbara. Not because I don’t think Barbara provoked her, but because what she did set me back. It made me lose ground. Last thing I’m gonna say on the subject, I have a kid on the way, he or she will hopefully be the first of many. I don’t want any of this shit flying around my kids. Let me work it; and don’t ever threaten to take my family from me again or I’ll pack her ass up and no one will know where the fuck we are.” You could’ve heard a pin drop. I was a little worried about dad’s reaction but all he did was clap Damien on his back and said ‘let’s eat’. Me, I didn’t know what the hell had just happened.