The next day passed more quietly than I expected.
The children settled into their room.
Seth and Shawna organized their things around the living room.
The dog seemed comfortable.
I went about my usual routine.
I made breakfast.
I worked on a small sewing project.
I watered the plants.
Nobody mentioned the receipt.
I didn't bring it up again.
I had said what I needed to say.
That afternoon, I received a call from Gaylene.
She wanted to know how things were going.
I told her everybody had arrived.
She asked whether Seth had read the paper.
I laughed.
"Several times, I think."
Gaylene laughed too.
Then she asked whether she should still come over.
I told her I would be happy to see her.
We agreed on the evening.
At six, I heard a car outside.
Gaylene came up the porch carrying a pie.
I opened the door.
She looked past me into the living room.
Then she smiled.
"Well, how is our landlord doing?"
I laughed.
"He's managing."
She stepped inside.
I took the pie from her.
We went into the kitchen.
Seth was sitting in the living room.
When he heard Gaylene's voice, he stood.
"Hi, Gaylene."
"Hello, Seth."
Her voice was friendly.
There was no argument in it.
She placed her handbag on a chair.
Then she looked around.
I noticed Seth glancing at the receipt on the coffee table.
He hadn't put it away.
Gaylene noticed it too.
She didn't say anything about it.
I made coffee.
We sat at the kitchen table.
Gaylene asked how I was settling into having company again.
I told her it was all right.
The children were being good.
The dog wasn't causing trouble.
Seth and Shawna were managing.
Gaylene nodded.
Then she looked toward the living room.
"Has everybody found a place to sleep?"
I answered.
"The children have the spare bedroom."
She smiled.
"That's nice."
"And Seth and Shawna are on the pullout couch."
Gaylene stopped stirring her coffee.
She looked at me.
Then she looked toward the living room again.
I could see that she understood.
She didn't laugh.
She didn't make a joke.
She simply nodded.
Seth walked into the kitchen.
He had apparently heard the conversation.
"Mom, are you going to keep doing this?"
I put my cup down.
"Doing what?"
"Making a point every time somebody comes over."
Gaylene looked at him.
I remained calm.
"Nobody is making a point, Seth."
He glanced at the receipt.
"That paper is still sitting there."
I looked toward the coffee table.
He was right.
It was still there.
I had no intention of hiding it.
Gaylene spoke.
"Seth, can I ask you something?"
He looked at her.
"What?"
"Do you remember when I stayed with you after my knee operation?"
He nodded.
"Of course."
"How long was I there?"
"About five months."
She nodded.
"And did you ever ask me for rent?"
He shifted his weight.
"No."
"Why not?"
He didn't answer immediately.
Gaylene waited.
He finally said that she had been recovering from surgery.
He said she needed help.
He said it wasn't the same situation.
Gaylene listened.
Then she spoke quietly.
"Carla needed somewhere to stay too."
Seth looked toward me.
I kept my eyes on my coffee.
Gaylene continued.
"I stayed in that exact bedroom. You and Shawna looked after me. You didn't ask me for a payment. You told me to rest."
She paused.
"I was grateful."
Seth said nothing.
Gaylene put her spoon down.
"When Carla told me what you had charged her, I didn't know what to say."
I could see that he was uncomfortable.
He looked at the floor.
Gaylene didn't raise her voice.
She didn't accuse him of being a bad son-in-law.
She simply said what she had seen.
"You treated us differently."
Seth rubbed his forehead.
"Gaylene, I don't want to get into this."
She nodded.
"That's your choice."
Then she looked at me.
I knew she was trying not to make the situation harder than it needed to be.
She had come to support me.
Not to take control of my family.
I reached across the table and touched her hand.
"I'm all right."
She squeezed my fingers.
Then we changed the subject.
We talked about the bakery.
We talked about the children.
We talked about the weather.
The pie was delicious.
Seth eventually returned to the living room.
I didn't follow him.
Gaylene stayed for another half hour.
Before leaving, she hugged me.
"You did the right thing by speaking up."
I didn't know whether I had done everything perfectly.
But I knew I hadn't done anything cruel.
I had provided a place for my family to stay.
I had made beds.
I had prepared food.
I had welcomed the children.
I had simply stopped pretending that what happened in Aurora hadn't hurt me.
After Gaylene left, I put the remaining pie in the refrigerator.
The receipt was still on the coffee table.
I picked it up.
I looked at the handwriting.
Then I placed it back where Seth could see it.
Click here to continue reading: PART 8: I Had Spent Months Protecting My Son From an Uncomfortable Truth, Until His Own Words Made Me Stop Apologizing
I Thought My Son Was Giving Me a Place to Stay Until He Put a Price on the Guest Room
Part 7 of 20
