When Serena finally sheds the deadweight of her marriage with a divorce, she meets someone who makes her feel supported. But her ex-mother-in-law has other plans and wants Serena to go back to Ryan. Eventually, tired of asking Serena, Helen sends her a gift box that Serena will never forget…
I always knew turning thirty-four was going to be a little weird, but I didn’t expect it to be this weird.
A smiling woman | Source: Midjourney
My life had gone through a series of changes in the past year alone. First, there was the divorce from Ryan. We had been married for six years, and we had two kids, Chloe and Jacob, during that time. I’ll admit it, the first few years were great as we navigated our lives together, but as time went on, things got heavy.
Being married to Ryan was like dragging a deadweight through life. That man was lazy, he lacked ambition, and spent most of his time drinking outside or at bars with his friends while I was juggling my job and raising our kids.
A tired and annoyed woman | Source: Midjourney
“Enough is enough,” I said to myself one day when I woke up to about ten beer cans littering the coffee table.
But it wasn’t until I found out that he was cheating on me with the young new bartender at the bar he frequented.
“I can explain, Serena!” he said when I brought it up the first time. “It’s not what you think it is. Mimi is just a friend.”
A messy coffee table | Source: Midjourney
“I’ve heard that line before,” I shouted. “Pack your things and get out!”
“Where do you want me to go?” he asked pathetically.
“I don’t care, Ryan. Go to your mother. Go to a motel. Go to your bartender. I don’t care!” I exclaimed, throwing his clothes at him.
“You will regret this,” he said angrily.
A couple arguing | Source: Midjourney
So, he packed up all his things and went straight to his mother while I spoke to my lawyer about a divorce. To make matters worse, he spun this ridiculous tale to his family that I was the one who had cheated on him.
Naturally, Helen, his mother, believed every word. And soon, I was the villain in her life. She even showed up at my doorstep and screamed what a horrible person I was.
In front of the kids.
An angry older woman | Source: Midjourney
“Do you really believe that I would cheat on Ryan?” I asked. “I cook and clean our home, I take care of the kids, and I have my job. Where would I have the time?”
“But why would my son lie?” she countered.
“Because I kicked him out and told him that I wanted a divorce,” I declared.
A close up of a woman | Source: Midjourney
For a while, Helen had stopped talking to me altogether, and I was more than okay with that. But recently, she’s become a constant nag, trying to convince me to take Ryan back.
“I know that he made a mistake, Serena,” Helen said on the phone. “But don’t you think that you guys can try again? You can be a proper family again. Isn’t that what you want? For your children to have a father who lives with them.”
I wanted anything but that. Sure, my children deserved to have a father who loved them unconditionally, but Ryan wasn’t that person. Since he moved out, he seemed to have forgotten that he was a father, and had only seen the kids about three times.
“You’re the best thing that ever happened to him,” Helen whined on the phone.
But I knew the truth. She was probably just tired of taking care of Ryan. And ultimately, I knew that she missed all the pampering she had gotten from me when we were together. I was always buying her things that I thought she’d like.
She missed that. But I didn’t. I wasn’t going back to that life.
But today was my birthday, and I refused to let Helen or her son ruin it. Kevin, my boyfriend, had been planning a little party at home for me.
“It’s just going to be a small one,” Kevin reassured me. “Just your parents, a few friends, and the kids.”
Kevin was the breath of fresh air that I needed. He was everything that Ryan wasn’t: kind, thoughtful, and compassionate. We met at a coffee shop three months after the divorce, and he had quickly become someone I wanted around all the time.
“Fine,” I agreed. “But don’t do any surprises. I’ll help you sort things out, too.”
“I expected nothing less,” Kevin laughed.
A few hours before the party, my kids were running around the living room, playing tag while I finished setting up the decorations.
Balloons were floating lazily across the ceiling, and the smell of freshly baked cupcakes filled the air.
Everything was perfect. And well on its way. Kevin was out getting the birthday cake and bottles of champagne.
As I was about to start frosting the cupcakes, the doorbell rang.
“I’ll get it!” I called out to the kids, who were too busy giggling to notice.
I opened the door to find a huge red box sitting on the porch. It was enormous: tall and wide and covered in glossy red wrapping paper with a gold bow. At the top was a small note.
Happy Birthday, Serena! Enjoy your gift! Love, Helen.
My stomach twisted. Why would Helen send me anything? Was this some kind of peace offering or something else?
Against my better judgment, I grabbed the box by its base and dragged it inside, getting the kids’ attention.
“What is it, Mommy?” Chloe asked, her curls bouncing as she hopped up and down.
“I’m not sure, honey,” I said slowly, still staring at the box.
“Is it a present for you?” Jacob asked, his eyes lighting up.
“Looks like it,” I replied. “But it’s from someone that we don’t know if we can trust.”
I hesitated for a moment, then decided I might as well open it. Maybe it was something harmless. Maybe Helen had finally decided to let go of the past.
I tugged at the ribbon, and it fell away instantly. Maybe I was just being paranoid.
But as soon as Jacob lifted the lid excitedly, the sides of the box collapsed outward, and that’s when I saw them. I screamed loudly along with my children, who were clutching tightly onto my legs.
Rats. About a dozen of them. They spilled out of the box in a frenzied wave, squealing and scurrying in every direction of my home. Some of them ran toward the kitchen, others darted under the couch.
“Oh, my God!” I shrieked.
I grabbed my kids and bolted out of the house, my heart pounding so hard I thought it might explode.
Thank goodness I had my phone in my pocket. Instead of calling Kevin, I ended up calling 911.
“What’s your emergency?” the dispatcher asked.
“There’s a… there’s a box of rats in my house!” I said, the panic rising in my chest. “My ex-mother-in-law sent it to me for my birthday!”
There was a brief pause on the other end, and I could almost hear the dispatcher processing what I’d just said. I knew how ridiculous it sounded.
“We’ll send someone over right away,” she replied.
Within minutes, a patrol car pulled up in front of my house. Two officers got out looking as confused as I felt.
“You’re the one with the rat problem?” one of them asked.
“Yes,” I said, holding my daughter close to me. “They’re everywhere. The box came from my ex-mother-in-law. She sent a note with her name on it. If she denies it, she’s lying.”
“We’ll check it out,” the officer said.
The officers went into my home, and a few moments later, they returned, their expressions grim.
“There’s too many of them,” an officer said. “We need animal control in. You can’t stay here tonight.”
“I want to press charges!” I exclaimed. “How could she do something so stupid? And who knows what damage these rats are going to cause?”
“We’ll talk to her,” the second officer said. “What’s her address?”
I wrote it down on a notepad and gave it to them.
“She’ll probably deny it when she sees you,” I said. “Even if she wrote a note.”
“You drive and we’ll follow you,” an officer said.
I nodded and followed them. Thankfully Kevin had arrived while the officers were inside the house, and reassured me that he would keep the kids.
When we arrived, Helen opened the door looking surprised.
“You know exactly why I’m here,” I said. “You sent me a box full of vermin!”
Helen spent a good ten minutes trying to convince us that it hadn’t been her.
“There was a note, ma’am,” an officer said simply.
“Oh…” Helen said, finally realizing that she had nowhere to hide. “I forgot…”
“You deal with her,” I said to the officers. “I’m going back to my family.”
I got into my car and drove back home, leaving Helen looking scared as an officer took out a notepad and pen.
As I got home, Kevin was packing the car with the kids sitting on the swing.
“What’s going on?” I asked, getting out of the car.
“The party has moved, sweetheart,” Kevin said. “Come on, we’re going to your parents’ house for a barbecue. Helen isn’t going to ruin the day. We’ll get animal control to come in tomorrow. And unfortunately, the cupcakes are a no-go.”
“Yeah, Mom!” Jacob called out. “There was a rat sitting on the cupcake tray!”
Hours later, we were sitting in my parents’ backyard grilling burgers and steaks and just having a good time.
Helen and Ryan who?
What would you have done?