Mia and Bob\u2019s anniversary trip was meant to be a happy time, but her mother-in-law showed up and ruined it. They had a sweet moment, but Linda booked a room next to theirs and said mean things to Mia. Lina didn\u2019t know that Mia was about to teach her a very important lesson.
\nBob and I needed this trip.<\/p>\n
Taking care of kids, working, and living with his mother Linda after our house burned down caused us a lot of stress for months. Finally, we got our first real break in years. It was even better because it was our seventh wedding anniversary.<\/p>\n
No kids. Not having any duties. Only us.<\/p>\n
There was nothing but happiness for the first three days.<\/p>\n
There were the nicest hotel sheets I can think of, so we slept in. As we ate our breakfast slowly and quietly on our deck, we watched the waves hit the shore. We sat on the beach in the afternoons, drank cocktails, and touched each other like we were married again.<\/p>\n
I had my husband all to myself for the first time in a long time.<\/p>\n
Until she got there.<\/p>\n
As if the main character in a scary movie were understanding that the monster was right behind them, I slowly turned my head.<\/p>\n
She was right there.<\/p>\n
Kathy.<\/p>\n
My spouse\u2019s mom.<\/p>\n
\u201cMia!\u201d Bobby!\u201d<\/p>\n
I had been trying to get away from that high-pitched, sing-song voice for three months.<\/p>\n
She stood there with a smug little smile on her face, wearing a bright flower dress and sunglasses that were too big for her face.<\/p>\n
\u201cI thought you two would get bored without me!\u201d She chirped. \u201cAll right, here I am!\u201d<\/p>\n
I wasn\u2019t moving. I was short of breath.<\/p>\n
Bob, on the other hand, almost choked on his drink.<\/p>\n
\u201cMom?\u201d How the hell did you get here? \u201cAre you sure?\u201d<\/p>\n
She walked over to us, dug her heels into the sand, and smiled.<\/p>\n
\u201cI bought a ticket at the last minute!\u201d I thought you two lovebirds might want to hang out with someone. I needed some warmth too, to be honest. \u201cThis is also mine.\u201d<\/p>\n
My throat became dry.<\/p>\n
I choked on \u201cLinda.\u201d \u201cWhere are the kids?\u201d Are they all right? Is something wrong? \u201cWhy are you here?\u201d<\/p>\n
As if to say no, she waved her hand.<\/p>\n
\u201cOh, sweetheart, don\u2019t worry. My best friend Irene has the kids. She really missed them and was so happy to have them back! This is great for her because her grandchildren live all over the country.<\/p>\n
I had a tight chin.<\/p>\n
The same woman who begged us to go on this trip so we could have some alone time\u2026 had just left our three kids to follow us across the Pacific?!<\/p>\n
I looked at my husband. Bob\u2019s face was hollow, and his eyes were tired and sunken in. He looked like he was on death row.<\/p>\n
We were so excited and full of life just now.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat do you think about this?\u201d I put my drink down and asked him.<\/p>\n
Bob let out a sigh. \u201cMia, she\u2019s already here\u2026\u201d We can\u2019t just send her back. I\u2019m really sorry, honey. We\u2019ll just have to deal with it, I guess.<\/p>\n
Deep down, something broke in me.<\/p>\n
Did he really let his mom join our romantic trip?
\nWas he really putting her ahead of me again?
\nDid he really believe this was okay?<\/p>\n
Bob got up. He said as he walked toward the beach bar, \u201cI\u2019ll get Mom a drink.\u201d<\/p>\n
Oh. Oh my god. It had already started.<\/p>\n
Then Linda put her hand on mine.<\/p>\n
\u201cMia, do you really believe that you are now the most important woman in my son\u2019s life?\u201d she asked in a low voice. \u201cDon\u2019t fool yourself.\u201d I\u2019m still here.<\/p>\n
It looked like the ocean itself stopped talking.<\/p>\n
I couldn\u2019t say anything.<\/p>\n
The next room Linda booked was right next to ours, and she messed up the whole trip.<\/p>\n
On the first night, Bob and I were going to have a romantic meal on the beach with some other couples. We already placed our order through the hotel\u2019s room service menu. We just needed to get the basket and go to the shore.<\/p>\n
What do you think happened?<\/p>\n
Linda went to her room, took the whole basket, and helped herself.<\/p>\n
That wasn\u2019t all, though.<\/p>\n
The cruise with a romantic sunset?
\nLinda got dizzy out of the blue and needed Bob to help her get back to her room.<\/p>\n
The dinner by yourself on the beach?
\nOh, Linda \u201caccidentally\u201d changed the ticket to fit three people at a table.<\/p>\n
The spa night for two?
\nThis made her \u201ccouldn\u2019t sleep alone\u201d and she begged Bob to \u201ccome to her room for just a second.\u201d<\/p>\n
I was very hot.<\/p>\n
But when she knocked on our door for the fourth time on the third night, I lost it.<\/p>\n
I said in a whisper, \u201cBob, don\u2019t open it.\u201d \u201cPlease.\u201d Do not do it at all.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut what if she needs something?\u201d<\/p>\n
I clenched my teeth and said, \u201cDO NOT open that door.\u201d<\/p>\n
I was done. Done and done. I was very angry. I was worn out. It felt like a nightmare on my date.<\/p>\n
So I called the next morning.<\/p>\n
\u201cAn endless adventure in Hawaii.\u201d A person asked, \u201cHow can we help?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHi,\u201d I said in a low voice as I went into the bathroom to avoid waking Bob up. \u201cI need your top-notch experience.\u201d I\u2019m not going. My wife\u2019s mom is, though. This will make her happy.<\/p>\n
\u201cNo trouble, ma\u2019am.\u201d We\u2019ll soon send you a full schedule to your room. Just give her the information she needs, including any health issues.<\/p>\n
Linda had a full day planned when she woke up.<\/p>\n
6:00 AM: Hike to see the sunrise (10 miles, with a break).
\n9:00 AM: Volcano tour (very little shade, very hot weather).
\n12:00 PM: Traditional Hawaiian dance class (long, exhausting, and inevitable).
\n3:00 PM: Three hours of chopping, stirring, and sweating follow a cultural cooking lesson that comes with the package.
\n6:00 PM: Private nighttime tour (for the sleep-deprived!).<\/p>\n
At 7:00 AM, Linda knocked on our door. She looked sweaty and lost.<\/p>\n
She waved her phone and asked, \u201cDid you guys sign me up for something?\u201d \u201cI keep getting these alerts, but I believe I missed a hike.\u201d<\/p>\n
I let out a gasp and grabbed my chest like it was my life.<\/p>\n
\u201cNo way, Linda! Did they mistakenly put you in an exercise program? You might have agreed to something when you checked in. \u201cThat\u2019s really strange.\u201d<\/p>\n
I looked at my sweet, unaware husband Bob and blinked.<\/p>\n
He asked, \u201cDo you\u2026 want to cancel?\u201d<\/p>\n
She wasn\u2019t sure.<\/p>\n
She was very proud of herself, you see. She was never going to say she wasn\u2019t able to keep up. She would never say she was having a hard time.<\/p>\n
She would lose if she said yes.<\/p>\n
She stood up straight and forced a smile instead.<\/p>\n
\u201cNo, I\u2019m going to leave.\u201d I don\u2019t want to throw away the chance.<\/p>\n
Okay.<\/p>\n
She was too tired to text by Day 3.<\/p>\n
On Day 4, she called me.<\/p>\n
Her voice wasn\u2019t strong. Needed badly.<\/p>\n
\u201cMia, please help me.\u201d Stop it right now. I want to go home.<\/p>\n
Linda, I see. The mission was completed.<\/p>\n
I made plans for her to fly that afternoon.<\/p>\n
I spoke softly as Bob helped her get out of the car.<\/p>\n
I told Linda in a whisper, \u201cMaybe I\u2019m not Bob\u2019s number one.\u201d \u201cBut now you know\u2014I\u2019m smarter than you.\u201d<\/p>\n
Linda never did something like that again.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Mia and Bob\u2019s anniversary trip was meant to be a happy time, but her mother-in-law showed up and ruined it. They had a sweet moment, but Linda booked a room next to theirs and said mean things to Mia. Lina didn\u2019t know that Mia was about to teach her a very important lesson. Bob and […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-28663","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/newzdiscover.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/28663","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/newzdiscover.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/newzdiscover.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newzdiscover.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newzdiscover.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=28663"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/newzdiscover.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/28663\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":28664,"href":"https:\/\/newzdiscover.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/28663\/revisions\/28664"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/newzdiscover.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=28663"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newzdiscover.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=28663"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newzdiscover.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=28663"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}