I Couldn’t Divorce My Mother-in-Law
The Lilith blog presents original short fiction: “The Elephant in the Bush” by Penny Jackson
“Look,” my mother-in-law tells me. “There’s an elephant in the bushes.”
I turn to look where she is pointing. We are sitting on white deck chairs in a very suburban backyard in New Jersey.
“Do you see it?” She presses my hand. My mother-in-law, whose name is Ida, starts bobbing her head in the agitated way I know now so well.
“Of course,” I tell her, taking off my sunglasses and peering at the shrubbery.
“How funny. Not only an elephant. But a baby elephant!”
Ida is in stage five of Alzheimer’s disease. She is either a late five or early six. I’ve read the books her daughter has loaned me. The 36-Hour Day is the most popular book that is passed around from family member to family member.
One comment on “I Couldn’t Divorce My Mother-in-Law”
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It is very nice how you treat your mother-in-law and I think we get evaluation by the people who are not seemingly important. And you did not let what your husband change the person you are.