When Marilyn agreed to leave home every weekend so her husband could spend time with his son, she thought she was being understanding. But after months of this arrangement, she returned home unexpectedly and saw what was really going on.
She thought her six-month marriage to Scott was built on a solid foundation. They had been dating for two years before getting married, and during that time, she had gotten to know his six-year-old son, Ben.
The child was sweet and shy, with his father’s blonde hair and a smile that could melt anyone’s heart. His mother, Patricia, seemed fine with her at first. They even chatted when she dropped Ben off, asking her about her work as a high school teacher.
“You’re really good with Ben,” she had once said, watching him show off his latest Lego creation. “It’s nice that he has another positive influence in his life.”
That kindness changed after the wedding. She saw less and less of Patricia, and months later, Scott dropped a bombshell on her.
It was a quiet Tuesday afternoon in spring, and they were both busy in the kitchen. Marilyn was preparing dinner and looking at the beautiful rain falling outside through the window. Scott was trying to fix a cabinet handle that had broken the day before.
Suddenly, he cleared his throat, and Marilyn turned her head, raising her eyebrows.
“Sweetheart, I think it would be better if you went to your parents’ house on the weekends,” Scott began, still focused on the cabinet.
Marilyn blinked. “Excuse me? What? Why?”
He sighed and straightened up, fiddling with the handle in his hands. “Patricia doesn’t want Ben around you anymore. She says it will confuse him. If she finds out you’re here when Ben visits, it will make things difficult. I just want peace.”
She dropped the cutting knife and grabbed a kitchen towel to dry her hands. “I don’t understand,” she started. “Ben and I get along so well. He loved the science experiments we did last weekend. Remember how excited he was when we made that volcano? He learned so much. Plus, he loves how I cook.”
“I know, I know,” Scott said, resting the handle on the counter and running his hands through his graying hair. “It’s just… she says it’s different now that we’re married, and she doesn’t want Ben to think you’re his mother.”
“I’m his stepmother, so…” Marilyn trailed off.
“I know. It’s ridiculous. But it’s temporary until Patricia calms down. Please? You know how she can be when she doesn’t get her way. She threatens to reduce my time with Ben.”
“So your solution is to kick your wife out of her own house every weekend?” Marilyn frowned and placed the towel back in its spot. “Scott, this is crazy.”
“I’m not kicking you out,” he backed off. “Just… take a small break on the weekends. Visit your parents. They’d love to see you more, right?”
She felt bad but didn’t want to be the reason Scott lost time with his son. She felt obligated to agree.
So that Friday, she packed a bag to stay overnight and drove to her parents’ house, twenty minutes away, passing familiar neighborhoods and the park where Scott had proposed.
Her mom opened the door, and immediately her brow furrowed in concern. “Marilyn? What are you doing here? What’s going on?”
“I’m sorry I didn’t call beforehand. I just came to visit for the weekend,” she said, forcing a smile as she stepped inside. “I thought I should spend some quality time with my favorite parents.”
Her mom let her in without saying anything, though Marilyn could tell she didn’t believe her. She was glad her mom let her stay that night, but the next morning, over breakfast, her mom asked her for the truth.
“Why are YOU leaving? It’s your house,” her mom said, spreading butter on her toast with angry, forced movements. “When I was your age, Henry never would’ve asked me to leave our home. Not for anyone.”
“It’s just temporary,” Marilyn lied, pushing the eggs around on her plate. “Patricia’s going through some things. This just makes it easier.”
“Easier for who?” Her mom’s voice was soft but firm. “Sweetheart, there’s something about this that doesn’t sit right with me.”
“I know, but can we just let it be?” Marilyn murmured, and luckily, her mom nodded.
But a few weekends turned into every weekend, and then months passed.
Every Friday, she packed her bags, as though she were being evicted from her home, the one she had bought even before meeting Scott.
It wasn’t fair, and according to him, Patricia liked the arrangement, so they had to keep doing it. He constantly reassured her that he only wanted her and hated how his ex was behaving.
But they had to go along for Ben’s sake.
She was eager to understand it because Scott always seemed very sincere, and she loved both him and his son. But how much longer would she put up with it? She didn’t know when she would snap.
It happened one Friday. She was just five minutes from her parents’ house when the thought “Are you an idiot?” crossed her mind. Why was she accepting this? This wasn’t normal!
She could no longer justify the strange arrangement, so she made a dangerous 180-degree turn and headed back home. She parked in the driveway and used her key to open the front door.
From outside, she realized the house was too quiet for a Friday night, with a six-year-old who loved blasting cartoons on the TV.
But she knew what was really going on as soon as she stepped into the living room. First of all, she couldn’t see Ben anywhere.
Instead, she saw Scott on the couch, his arm around Patricia. She was wearing Marilyn’s pajamas, the ones she had just bought that were a bit more expensive.
“What the hell is going on?” Marilyn asked.
With an expletive, Scott jumped off the couch and hit his knee on the coffee table. “Marilyn! Y-you’re supposed to be at your parents’ house,” he said, limping toward her.
She didn’t look at him. Her gaze was fixed on Patricia, who hadn’t moved. She was just smiling while running a hand over the silk of the pajama top. “Well, well. Looks like someone’s gone off-script.”
“Where’s Ben?” Marilyn asked.
“At my mom’s,” Patricia replied softly, crossing her legs. “He’s always at my mom’s on Fridays. They have a special movie night. Didn’t Scott tell you?,” she turned to him with feigned concern. “Darling, don’t tell me you’ve been lying to your new wife.”
The pieces fell into place. “It was never about Ben, was it?”
“Smart girl.” Patricia smiled and stood up. “I told Scott that if he wanted another chance with me, he’d have to give me weekends to see if we could work things out. Although sending you away was his idea,” she shrugged. “He’s always been good at finding… creative solutions.”
Marilyn laughed, with a hollow sound. “That’s interesting, because Scott told me something very different.” She pulled out her phone and hit play on a recording from the previous week.
