For five years, Elric and Fallon had given up their guest bedroom, turning it into a storage room for her parents\u2019 belongings. But once the couple discovered that they were pregnant, they asked the older couple to remove their things, causing unnecessary friction and a surprise reward.<\/p>\n
Five years ago, my in-laws just wanted a smaller house. So, they started looking for a little place just for the two of them.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe have too much space and too many things,\u201d my father-in-law, Bramwell, said.<\/p>\n
So, they asked if they could store some of their stuff in our house for a while.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s just the things we want to keep, darling,\u201d Bramwell told my wife, Fallon.<\/p>\n
We both didn\u2019t mind, and we had a guest room we didn\u2019t use.<\/p>\n
\u201cSure, Dad,\u201d my wife said. \u201cThe guest room is all yours for now.\u201d<\/p>\n
The key word here is for now.<\/p>\n
But guess what? They never took their stuff back. Instead, they just kept bringing more.<\/p>\n
For a while, Fallon and I used to joke about the guest room and how it had turned into a storage room in our own home. The bed had been pushed to the corner, and the room was stuffed full with boxes and old furniture.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhere should we put the vacuum?\u201d Fallon asked me one day as we bought a new vacuum cleaner.<\/p>\n
\u201cThrow it in the storage room,\u201d I replied, making my wife laugh out loud.<\/p>\n
But then, we discovered something a little unexpected.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m pregnant, Elric!\u201d Fallon said, running into our bedroom with a pregnancy test.<\/p>\n
We had both thought about having kids for a long time, but we still wanted to do so much and travel more. So, this was an unexpected little blessing.<\/p>\n
Together, Fallon and I sat and talked about everything from baby names to nursery colors when it hit us.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe storage room has to go,\u201d my wife said, sitting up in bed. \u201cWe need that room for the baby. We have to tell them, Elric. I won\u2019t have us changing our lives just because my parents keep too much stuff.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cOkay, I agree,\u201d I said calmly.<\/p>\n
Fallon was already getting upset.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re meeting them on Sunday for brunch. We can tell them about the baby and their things then,\u201d I said.<\/p>\n
My wife nodded, smiled, and settled back down.<\/p>\n
\u201cI just need us to come first here,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
The next morning, Fallon sat with her laptop and planned the nursery from start to finish.<\/p>\n
\u201cI know it\u2019s too early, Elric,\u201d she said shyly as she sipped her tea. \u201cBut I\u2019m excited, and I need to do something with all this excitement.\u201d<\/p>\n
Then came the Sunday brunch. I wasn\u2019t exactly sure how Fallon\u2019s parents would take the news because they seemed happy leaving their things at our home.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re having a baby!\u201d Fallon announced when we sat down at the coffee shop.<\/p>\n
My in-laws jumped up and started hugging and kissing us to say congratulations. Eventually, when their excitement calmed down a bit, I decided it was time to bring it up.<\/p>\n
\u201cMom, Dad,\u201d I began, calling them what they always wanted me to. \u201cWe need you to move your stuff out of the guest room as soon as possible because we plan on turning it into a nursery for the baby.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cOh, sure,\u201d my mother-in-law, Thaliah, replied with a quick wave of her hand. \u201cWe\u2019ll get to it soon.\u201d<\/p>\n
After that, she started looking at the menu, and the talk about their belongings was forgotten.<\/p>\n
Weeks passed, and \u201csoon\u201d seemed to mean never in their minds.<\/p>\n
Fallon and I started getting more worried because other than just waiting for our baby, the only real thing we could do was set up the nursery.<\/p>\n
But her parents were in the way of that.<\/p>\n
Eventually, I had to be firm.<\/p>\n
\u201cDo it,\u201d my wife encouraged. \u201cJust get them to clear things out.\u201d<\/p>\n
The following day, I went to my in-laws\u2019 house to pick up some soup for Fallon and to tell them I had enough.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe need it cleared out by the end of this month,\u201d I told them straight. \u201cWe have a lot to do before the baby arrives. And I don\u2019t want Fallon stressed out by this. No excuses.\u201d<\/p>\n
My mother-in-law nodded slowly.<\/p>\n
\u201cFine, Elric,\u201d she said. \u201cWe\u2019ll sort it out.\u201d<\/p>\n
Finally, Thaliah came over and started going through her old things. As she dug through the piles, she suddenly let out a scream.<\/p>\n
\u201cOh my God! Look at this!\u201d she yelled, pulling out a moth-eaten fur coat from one of the boxes.<\/p>\n
\u201cReally? Elric! Fallon! I can\u2019t trust you with anything! You and your dirty house ruined my favorite vintage coat!\u201d<\/p>\n
I couldn\u2019t believe what was happening. Not only did she not thank us for keeping her belongings in our house, but now she was blaming me for the damage.<\/p>\n
\u201cAre you serious?\u201d I snapped. \u201cYou left this here for five years, and now you\u2019re blaming me for it?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes, I am!\u201d she screamed. \u201cThis coat can\u2019t be replaced!\u201d<\/p>\n
I tried to stay calm.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think you\u2019re overreacting, Thaliah,\u201d I said. \u201cAnd anyway, if it was such a special coat, you should have taken better care of it instead of letting it sit in a box for all these years.\u201d<\/p>\n
The argument got worse, and she stormed out of the house, mad as can be. Fallon stood by, wide-eyed, clearly stuck between her mother and me.<\/p>\n
And then things just got messier.<\/p>\n
The next day, I received a notification for a bill of $695.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat? What on earth could you have bought for that amount?\u201d Fallon asked me.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s not me, love,\u201d I replied. \u201cIt\u2019s your mother. It\u2019s a bill for a new fur coat.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s the middle of summer, Elric,\u201d she said. \u201cShe\u2019s ridiculous.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIf she wants to play it this way, then fine,\u201d I thought. \u201cTwo can play this game.\u201d<\/p>\n
I sat at my laptop and looked up the price for a storage unit the size of our guest room in the city where we lived.<\/p>\n
The rate was $150 per month. So, calculating the cost for five years of storage came to $9,000.<\/p>\n
Next, I made a bill in Thaliah\u2019s name. She was going to learn a lesson.<\/p>\n
Here is the bill for five years of storage at our house. Thank you for your prompt payment. The money will be used toward your grandchild\u2019s nursery.<\/p>\n
\u2013 Your son-in-law.<\/p>\n
A week passed, and there was no response.<\/p>\n
Then one evening, just as Fallon and I were sitting down for dinner, the doorbell rang. It was my father-in-law, Bramwell.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m here for the rest of the things,\u201d he said, not looking me in the eye.<\/p>\n
He and Fallon packed up the remaining boxes and furniture, and by the end of the evening, the guest room was finally empty.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s about time,\u201d Fallon said, sighing. \u201cI\u2019m glad the mess is gone.\u201d<\/p>\n
My wife and I spent the next few weeks painting and decorating the nursery, turning the once-cluttered space into a cozy spot for our soon-to-arrive baby. It felt like a big weight was lifted off our shoulders.<\/p>\n
But just when I thought the drama was over, another twist came.<\/p>\n
\u201cDid you know that Thaliah is trying to sell that moth-eaten fur coat as a rare vintage item online?\u201d Fallon said one night, scrolling through her phone.<\/p>\n
My wife only called her mother by her first name when she was annoyed.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe\u2019s claiming that it is an antique with \u2018natural wear and tear\u2019 and asking for $1,200!\u201d<\/p>\n
I couldn\u2019t help but laugh at how crazy it was.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe\u2019s unbelievable. First, she blames us for the damage, then buys a new one, and now this?\u201d Fallon said.<\/p>\n
\u201cOr maybe she\u2019s just confused,\u201d I replied. \u201cEither way, we are done with that.\u201d<\/p>\n
One afternoon, I received a call from Bramwell.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m really sorry about everything,\u201d he began. \u201cThaliah\u2019s been a lot lately, and I know about her wanting to make you pay for her coat. I want to make it right. Can we meet?\u201d<\/p>\n
We met at the usual coffee shop, and Bramwell handed me an envelope. Inside was a check for $9,000.<\/p>\n
\u201cConsider this payment for the storage,\u201d he said, looking truly sorry. \u201cI know Thaliah would never agree to this, but it\u2019s the least I can do.\u201d<\/p>\n
Later that evening, Fallon and I had taco night to celebrate with Bramwell.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
For five years, Elric and Fallon had given up their guest bedroom, turning it into a storage room for her parents\u2019 belongings. But once the couple discovered that they were pregnant, they asked the older couple to remove their things, causing unnecessary friction and a surprise reward. Five years ago, my in-laws just wanted a […]<\/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-34354","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/newzdiscover.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/34354","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=34354"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/newzdiscover.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/34354\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":34355,"href":"https:\/\/newzdiscover.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/34354\/revisions\/34355"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/newzdiscover.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=34354"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newzdiscover.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=34354"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newzdiscover.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=34354"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}