My Daughter-In-Law Threw Me Out of the House When I Became a Burden, Crawled on Her Knees Later – Story of the Day

An ailing elderly man was kicked out of his son's house by his daughter-in-law who didn't want to care for him. However, she came crawling back when something surprising happened.

"Are you new here?" a kind lady at the nursing home asked me when I arrived and settled. The staff rolled me in my wheelchair outside, sensing that I needed some relaxation. This woman came over. She must have seen my sad expression.

I shrugged my shoulders. "Why is everyone here?" I replied sardonically. I lifted one corner of my mouth, but she just stared back with wide eyes and curiosity. "Well, I used to live with my son. But my daughter-in-law saw the opportunity to kick me out when he had to travel for work."

"Aw, that's terrible," she said. "But it's not so bad here. You won't be alone. People are nice, and there are many activities."

I sighed. I didn't know what to say to her.

"I see. What's your name?"

"Miriam, and you?"

"Don."

"Nice to meet you, Don," she said. "I'm curious. What will your son do when he finds out you're not there when he comes back?"

"Well, I have no idea," I shook my head. "I hope he'll at least give his wife a talking-to for doing things behind his back. But I suspect she might convince him that it's better. Maybe it is better this way. She had to cook and tend to me sometimes. That can get tiring."

"You can always hire someone, and you can stay at home," Miriam said, shaking her own head.

"That's what I thought would happen. I mean, my son has money. It's not a money issue," I said.

"Well, you'll like here, and maybe, your son will come to pick you up soon," she supposed and smiled. I smiled back but said nothing and continued taking in the outdoors.

***

To my utter shock, the person who appeared at the nursing home in despair weeks later was not my son, Jackson. It was Adeline, his wife.

"Don! Don! Oh my god, I'm so sorry! Please, you have to come home!" she wailed, kneeling in front of me. I had been reading in the common room, and everyone turned to watch us.

"Adeline, get up. Don't make a scene," I said quietly.

"Please, Don. Jackson kicked me out! And… no one else would offer me a place to stay. Everyone was so busy with their lives to even think about me, and my husband would not let me back into the house." Adeline was sobbing on my knee.

"Well, I know what that feels like," I muttered, the sarcasm evident in my tone.

"I know! I know! I was horrible to you! Please, you have to come back with us! I'll do anything! I'll care for you! I won't be so selfish again! I hate myself, but I don't want my husband or you to hate me. Please, I'm soooooo sorry. Please, will you help me?" Adeline begged, her tearful eyes staring up at me.

"If Jackson kicked you out, why isn't he here for me?"

"I didn't tell him what nursing home I sent you to. It was the last leverage I had. I wanted to punish him for being mad at me. I bet he's been looking for you, but it's only been three days since he found out," she replied, raising her head from my knee.

I sighed. I didn't know what to say to her. I honestly had started to like things there. Miriam had been right. It was nice. I was making some friends, and the staff was extremely professional. This might've been the right choice, even if I didn't make it myself.

I told Adeline that I couldn't go back. But I asked her to call Jackson and tell him where I was. I had to talk to my son.

Jackson came and apologized for what his wife had done to me. He said he had promised his mother – my late wife, Sarah – that he would always care for me and never send me away.

I told him that it wasn't a bad setup. In fact, I assured him I was doing better at the nursing home than at the house alone with nothing to do.

However, I didn't urge him to forgive Adeline. That was up to him. Because in the end, she had acted behind his back, and whatever happened next was his choice.

Eventually, my son forgave Adeline after she started visiting and volunteering at the nursing home. It took a while for him to make that decision. She moved back three months after he kicked her out.

Because I decided to stay in the nursing home, I found myself doing much better, and as an added bonus, Miriam and I got closer, and we eventually got together. I even thanked Adeline at some point, which made her laugh and apologize again. She never acted selfishly ever again.

What can we learn from this story?

• Big decisions, such as sending a parent to a nursing home, should be discussed first. Adeline made a rash decision without consulting her husband first, causing her to regret it later.
• Everyone deserves a second chance. Although Adeline made a huge mistake, Don and Jackson forgave her at some point because she was family and deserved the chance to make amends.

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If you enjoyed this story, you might like this one about a woman who punished her daughter-in-law for being a liar.

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