I thought letting my daughter-in-law borrow my car would help patch up our rocky relationship. Instead, she brought it back scratched and filthy, spinning lies to dodge the blame. What I did next left her stunned and scrambling.
I’m Calista, a 60-year-old widow living on my own since my husband passed five years ago. Harlan fought hard against cancer, but we couldn’t save him. His last words still linger, spoken as he held my hand the day before he was gone for good.
“Calista, keep an eye on Bowen,” he said softly. “He’s 30 and can handle himself, but our boy’s got a soft heart. He’ll need his mom to have his back.”
He was right. Bowen leaned on me after Harlan’s death. We’d sit together, sharing stories about how Harlan took us to his favorite diner, his silly jokes making us laugh until our sides hurt.
Bowen and I would giggle, then cry, hit hard by the truth that Harlan was gone forever. It broke our hearts, but that’s how we started to heal.
Things changed when Bowen found someone new to fill the space I’d held. A year after Harlan’s passing, Bowen brought home a beautiful 30-year-old woman named Elowen, a coworker he’d fallen for.
She showed up in a stylish dress, hair pulled back neatly, dressed perfectly to meet her boyfriend’s mom. I’ll admit, she knew how to make a great first impression.
“Hi, Calista,” she said, giving me a warm hug at our first meeting. “How are you doing?”
“I’m okay, thank you,” I smiled, charmed by my son’s choice. “You look lovely, Elowen!”
Back then, I had no idea this woman would soon drive a wedge between my son and me. She seemed so kind; I never would’ve guessed the sly side she was hiding.
Bowen and Elowen got married just six months after we met. I was thrilled for my son as he started this new chapter, my heart full of hopes for his happiness. I can still see myself tearing up as my boy said his vows, standing tall like a man.
Not long after their wedding, Bowen and Elowen invited me to their place for lunch. I hoped it’d be a cozy chance to get closer to my daughter-in-law, just the three of us, but it was anything but cozy.
Bowen asked me to be there at 2 p.m., but I hit traffic and arrived 10 minutes late. Elowen jumped on that to make a fuss.
“Why are you so late, Calista?” she snapped the moment I walked in. Bowen wasn’t near the door. “I’ve been waiting forever!”
“I… I got stuck in traffic,” I mumbled, caught off guard by her sharp tone.
“I don’t like hosting people who waste my time,” she grumbled.
“I’m really sorry, Elowen,” I said, trying to keep the peace. “It was just 10 minutes.”
“I don’t care if it’s 10 minutes or 10 hours,” she glared at me. “You need to show up on time at my house, got it—”
“Hey, Mom! You’re here!” Bowen cut in, strolling over. “How’s my favorite lady?”
“I’m alright, Bowen,” I said, hugging him tight, still rattled by Elowen’s attitude. “How about you, sweetheart? You look like you haven’t been eating enough.”
“I’m good, Mom,” he grinned. “What were you two chatting about?”
“Your wife was—”
“Nothing, hon,” Elowen jumped in, cutting me off. “I was just telling her how nice she looks today.”
“Really?” Bowen glanced from his wife to me. “My mom always looks great!”
I was floored by Elowen’s act. Why was she so sweet around Bowen? And why didn’t she let me tell him what she’d said?
I spent the rest of the afternoon at their place, watching Elowen flip to her charming self whenever Bowen was around. But when he wasn’t looking, she’d toss snarky comments to make me feel out of place.
That day kicked off the tension between me and my daughter-in-law.
Then, I started noticing Bowen taking her side whenever Elowen and I disagreed in front of him.
“Elowen’s right, Mom,” Bowen said one night at a restaurant as we picked out dinner. “We don’t need a big salad bowl. It’s just the three of us. A small one’s fine.”
“See, I told your mom to get the small one, but she won’t listen,” Elowen said with a smug chuckle. “I don’t know why she never trusts me.”
She played the victim so well, and my poor boy bought it every time. I don’t blame him; he’d seen his dad always have my back. But I wasn’t like Elowen. I didn’t put on a fake act to look like the perfect daughter-in-law.
Elowen’s attitude didn’t shift until she called me one day. I was honestly shocked to see her name pop up on my phone.
“Hey, Cal!” she said cheerfully.
Cal? I thought. That’s new.
“Hi, Elowen,” I replied, trying to match her friendly tone. “How’s it going?”
“I’m doing alright,” she said. “I was wondering if I could borrow your car tomorrow. Is that okay?”
“My car?” I asked, surprised.
“Yeah,” she sighed, sounding upset. “I was supposed to visit a friend today—she lives a couple hours away—but my car broke down. The mechanic says it’ll take a few days to fix.”
“Oh, wow! That sounds like a hassle,” I said, actually feeling for her.
“I was so bummed, but then Bowen suggested I ask to borrow your car for a day,” she went on. “I’ll bring it back in a week.”
A week? I thought. That’s a stretch.
But I felt sorry for her. She sounded like she was in a bind, and since Bowen had brought it up, I didn’t want to let her down. Plus, I saw it as a chance to smooth things over between us.
“Sure, that’s fine,” I said. “Swing by today if you want.”
That was one of the worst decisions I ever made.
A week later, Bowen and Elowen returned my car, and I couldn’t believe what I saw. It was covered in scratches, dents, and dirt. The inside smelled like rotten garbage!
“What happened to my car?” I blurted out. “What did you do?”
“What?” Elowen said, acting offended, her eyes narrowing. “What did I do? It was like this when I picked it up!”
“Stop it, Elowen!” I shouted. “Don’t lie to me.”
“You’re calling me a liar?” she snapped, turning to Bowen. “Honey, look at her! She’s accusing me! How dare she?”
“Mom, Elowen’s telling the truth,” Bowen said. “She told me the car was already like that when she got it. She’s not lying.”
“Bowen, really?” I stared at him, stunned, seeing no point in arguing further.
I had no proof, and neither did she. But Bowen backed her up, completely swept up in his love for her.
I knew arguing might push my son away, so I decided to teach Elowen a lesson instead. That night, I browsed online and found a clever idea. A quick call to a nearby pet store, and my plan was ready to go.
The next evening, I drove to their house with animal attractant sprays in tow. In the dark, I quietly sprayed their backyard, driveway, and front porch, making sure no one spotted me.
Their house was dark, so I knew they were asleep. I carried out my plan quickly and slipped away, feeling a mix of nerves and glee.
I was sure this would show Elowen not to mess with me again.
The next morning, my phone rang. It was Bowen.
“Mom, we’re in trouble!” he said, sounding frantic.
“What’s wrong, sweetheart?” I asked, acting clueless. “Is everything okay?”
“We woke up to a disaster! The yard stinks, and wild animals have trashed our place! The whole house smells awful, and we don’t know what to do!”
I hid a grin, enjoying his panicked rundown of the mess. The irony was perfect.
“Oh, no!” I said, pretending to be shocked. “That’s awful. I guess that’s what happens when you wreck someone else’s stuff.”
I’m not sure if Bowen picked up on my hint, but I’d bet Elowen knew those animals didn’t show up by chance. She had to suspect it was me, her usually quiet mother-in-law who’d never pushed back before.
Since that day, Elowen hasn’t dared to cross me. We had dinner together once, and she didn’t make snarky remarks or complain about me wasting her time. Meanwhile, Bowen started calling me often, checking in to see how I’m doing.
I guess my dear Harlan was right after all. My son needed me to snap him out of the spell Elowen had him under. He needed me to stand up for myself and draw a line his wife wouldn’t dare step over again.
