“Mom, about the holiday trip… you and Dad should probably sit this one out.” My son’s words, spoken so casually after dinner, made my hands freeze where I was clearing the table. “What do you mean? Your father already paid the travel agency. It was ten thousand dollars.” His eyes darted away, his voice dropping. “Well, Jessie’s parents have never even been out of the state. We talked it over, and we want to take them to see the world a little.” A hot surge of anger rose in my chest. “Absolutely not. Your father has terminal liver cancer. His last wish is to take this one trip. If you want to bring Jessie’s parents, you and she can pay their way. Why should your father and I be the ones to stay home?” “Mom, my company had a terrible year. We didn’t even get a Christmas bonus. Where are we supposed to find that kind of money? Besides,” he added, his voice hardening, “Dad is sick. He should be at home resting, not putting himself through all that hassle.” I let out a cold, bitter laugh and pulled out my phone. “Hello, is this the travel agency? I’d like to cancel a booking.” 1 Daniel lunged and snatched the phone from my hand. “Mom, what are you doing? I’m trying to do what’s best for you!” I was shaking with rage. “What’s best for us? You’re taking our money to take your in-laws on vacation, and you call that what’s best for us?” A flicker of annoyance crossed his face. “Mom, can you stop making everything about money? It’s not like your money isn’t going to be my money in the end anyway, right?” “And can you please be reasonable for a second? We finally get a break from work, and it’s already a pain to travel with our kid. You expect us to take care of a sick man on top of that? How is that a vacation?” His words were like ice in my veins. “You didn’t seem to care about being ‘reasonable’ when your father gave you fifty thousand dollars for your wedding, did you?” “Or when he paid the down payment on your luxury condo?” “But now that your father is sick, now you want to be reasonable?” A flush of shame colored Daniel’s cheeks. “Mom, why are you bringing that up? That’s different.” “Besides, isn’t that what parents are supposed to do? Every parent helps their son get started in life!” He said it with such entitlement that a sharp pain shot through my chest. Just then, my daughter-in-law, Jessie, came out of the bedroom holding our grandson, trying to smooth things over. “Mom, please don’t be angry.” “You know my parents have never had much. They’ve dreamed their whole lives of going to Washington D.C. to see the monuments. As their daughter, how could I say no?” Not wanting to scare the baby, I took a deep breath and softened my voice. “Jessie, I’m not against you honoring your parents. But you know your father-in-law’s condition. This might be his last trip. Ever.” “Originally, we were just going to go by ourselves to make it easy on you. But you two were the ones who insisted the whole family had to be together for the holidays, so your father booked for five. He’s been planning this for five months.” “We paid for everything, we did all the work, and now we don’t even get to go? Put yourself in our shoes. Wouldn’t you be angry?” Jessie didn’t answer. She just shot Daniel a look. He spoke up again. “Mom, you and Dad get to live with us in this beautiful condo, enjoying your retirement, while Jessie’s parents are stuck back in their small town. It’s just one trip. Why can’t you be a little more generous?” I snorted. “Enjoying our retirement? I’m your nanny, and your father is your housekeeper. Is that what you call enjoying retirement?” “We get a combined ten thousand a month in pensions. We give you five thousand for the mortgage, twenty-five hundred for groceries, and we’re constantly covering your extra expenses. Is that what you call enjoying retirement?” The more I spoke, the more the injustice stung. I paused, then continued, “If you want to treat her parents, you use your own money.” “And if your father and I can’t go, then nobody goes!” Seeing my resolve, Jessie’s eyes reddened as she played her final card. “Mom, you know my parents don’t have pensions, and Daniel and I haven’t gotten paid in months. We don’t have any extra money. Can’t you just find it in your heart to understand?” I untied my apron and threw it on the table. “Haven’t been paid in months, but you can still send your parents five hundred dollars every month?” Jessie’s family was not well off, and I knew she secretly sent them money. My husband and I had always pretended not to know. Her face went pale with panic. That’s when my son lost his last shred of patience. “Mom, can you stop being so selfish? Is this tiny little thing really worth tearing the whole family apart?” “You know what, Jessie was right. You just look down on her parents! You’re a snob, and you can’t stand your poor relatives!” My chest heaved, my face burning with fury. At that moment, my husband, Robert, walked out of the bedroom. “That’s enough,” he said softly. “Stop fighting. We’ll all go. I’ll pay for the extra tickets.” “No!” Daniel and Jessie said in unison. “Dad, what if your condition gets worse? What if you die on us out there?” Daniel blurted out. The air in the room froze. I stared at him, utterly incredulous. Even my husband, always so mild-mannered, turned ashen, his breathing ragged. A guilty look flickered across Daniel’s face. “Well… it’s true. Dad, just… don’t come and be a burden to us.” The next thing I knew, my hand had flown across his face in a sharp slap. “Daniel, you apologize to your father. Now!” But he was past the point of reason. He jutted out his chin defiantly. “I’m just telling the truth. We’ve spent so much money on Dad’s illness. Consider this trip our compensation!” Robert clutched his chest, his voice trembling. “The money for my treatment came from our savings. What do we need to compensate you for?” I rushed to his side, rubbing his back to help him breathe. “Your savings were supposed to be for me, weren’t they? Now it’s all gone on your medical bills. What’s going to happen to our family?” “Cancer is a death sentence anyway. In the end, we’ll be left with nothing—no father and no money,” Daniel complained, while Jessie stood by his side, looking equally aggrieved. So that was it. They had been stewing over the cost of Robert’s treatment for a long time. The trip was just an excuse to let it all out. “You… you…” Robert’s lips trembled, his face a ghostly white. Suddenly, his eyes rolled back, and he collapsed. “Robert, don’t scare me!” “Quick! Call 911!” ________________________________________ This is a tipping point in the story. Continue reading to see how a mother’s love turns into a lesson her son will never forget. ________________________________________ I followed the ambulance to the hospital. Looking at my husband, so thin and frail on the bed, I wept silently. I couldn’t understand how we could work our fingers to the bone for our son and his family, only to be treated like this. As I was sobbing, Robert woke up. “Alright, stop crying. Just let them have their way. Your son has a point… in my condition, I probably shouldn’t be traveling.” I wiped my tears. “Why should we? You’re his father. How could he treat you like that?” “Robert, let’s go back to our old place. Let’s just live by ourselves. I don’t want you to spend your final days being treated this way.” He managed a weak smile. “I don’t have much time left. It doesn’t matter how they treat me. I’m worried about you. If we really fall out with him, what will you do when you’re all alone?” His words caught in my throat. After a moment, he continued, “It’s fine. The trip leaves the day after Christmas. This way, the whole family can have a happy holiday together.” I didn’t want to cause him any more distress, so I finally nodded. “Okay. We’ll check out tomorrow and go get groceries for Christmas dinner.” The next day, Robert and I came home, our arms full of shopping bags, only to find our suitcases sitting by the front door. We pushed the door open. Inside, it was a scene of domestic bliss. “Dad, Mom. You’re back?” Daniel’s face was a mask of panic as he walked toward us. “My in-laws are here. There isn’t enough room, so… maybe you and Dad could stay in a hotel for a few days?” I was so furious I nearly threw the groceries at him. Jessie rushed over, taking the bags from my hands but blocking our way inside. “Mom, Dad, I’m so sorry to put you out. But my parents don’t visit often. Please, just try to understand.” Rage was boiling inside me, but Robert gripped my arm. “It’s no problem,” he said calmly. “It just means your mother will have a lot of work to do for Christmas dinner.” As he said this, Jessie tugged on Daniel’s sleeve. Daniel hesitated, then gritted his teeth. “Dad, this is our first Christmas in the new house. Your… sickness… it’s bad luck. You and Mom should just celebrate somewhere else.” With that, they quickly shut the door in our faces. My anger exploded. I pounded on the door. “Daniel, have you lost your soul?!” Robert pulled me away, and we left with our luggage. Downstairs on the street, I couldn’t stop the tears. But Robert was strangely calm. “Let’s sell the condo,” he said. I stared at him, stunned. “But… isn’t the deed in their names?” “Before we bought it,” Robert said quietly, “just in case, I had them sign a nominee agreement. It states that we provided all the funds, and they are only holding the property in their name. The condo is, in fact, ours.” “Perhaps I was wrong all along,” he continued, his voice heavy. “I thought raising a son would mean having support in our old age. Now I see the only things you can truly rely on are money and your own health.” “We can’t count on our son anymore. I have to make sure you’re provided for.” He took my hand, and we walked slowly down the street, finally stopping in front of a five-star hotel. “Come on,” he said. “We’ve scrimped and saved our entire lives. It’s time we lived a little.” My eyes welled up again. I squeezed his hand, and we walked inside. The next morning, Robert and I went to a real estate agent and listed the condo. Afterward, we went to the supermarket. The hotel suite had a kitchen; even if it was just the two of us, we were going to have a proper Christmas. On Christmas Eve, as we were making dinner, my son’s mother-in-law sent me a photo. “My son-in-law is so wonderful! He didn’t want me to get tired cooking, so he took us out for a huge seafood feast. Look at this spread, it cost over two thousand dollars! More than we can eat. Too bad you’re not here.” The picture showed a table laden with king crab, abalone, sea cucumber, and giant lobsters. I didn’t reply. I just arranged our freshly cooked meal on a nice plate, took a photo, and posted it to my social media. “Christmas Eve for two in a five-star hotel. Sometimes, simple is best!” A minute later, my phone rang. It was Daniel. “Mom, it’s Christmas. Do you have to be like this?” “How are we supposed to face anyone after you post something like that? All our friends and family will think we’re ungrateful monsters! Delete it, now!” I scoffed. “What we do has nothing to do with you.” “You had the nerve to kick your own parents out of the house. Are you really worried about being called a monster now?” I hung up and turned off my phone.
? Continue the story here ?? ? Download the "MotoNovel" app ? search for "388046", and watch the full series ✨! #MotoNovel