The following weeks weren’t easy. I still carried painful memories, and Martha was afraid of making another mistake.
But gradually, things changed.
Three months later, I returned home from work and found Martha sitting on the couch with Linda and Susan.
They were laughing together.
The moment I walked in, they stopped talking.
For a second, my heart sank.
Then Martha smiled.
“Girls, here’s my Emily! I was just telling you she’s the most patient daughter-in-law in the world!”
Linda laughed.
“Martha, if you keep praising her like this, she’ll ask you to stop!”
“Let her!” Martha replied. “I spent three years speaking badly about her. Now I have three years of good things to say!”
Everyone laughed, including me.
I hugged Martha, and she whispered:
“Thank you for giving me another chance.”
Two years have passed since that afternoon.
Martha still lives with us. She still complains when the soup is too salty or her tea arrives late.
