THE LOATHSOME SON-IN-LAW

A BUTTERFLY THAT CALLED ITSELF A BIRD

Timothy, Mary, and Andrea were having their lunch when Andrew wobbled inside with his bag of clothes, bowed at them and walked towards the steps leading to his room.

"What a jerk. Is that how to appreciate me for the money I spend in the hospital because of you?" Mary O'Connor stood up in anger, raised her arms, formed two fists banged it on the dining table, and then looked horrified as the bowl of soup flew up and smacked into Timothy's face.

"Aish!"

"Oh my goodness!"

"I'm so sorry, honey. It's all this unfortunate son-in-law's fault... High time we send him packing before he contaminates us with his bad luck."

Andrew smiled as Mary held the blinded Timothy to the restroom to wash the soup off his face, he turned and began to climb the steps to his room.

"Your days are numbered in my grandpa's villa. Smile now that you have the chance to... And where did you see these beautiful clothes, shoes, and wristwatches? You didn't steal them. Did you?"

"No. I worked for them... Please excuse me."

He ignored Andrea's taunt, strumbled towards the door of his room and stood astonished at the sight awaiting him. 

"Where are the few pieces of furniture in my room?"

The place he stepped into was deserted of any furniture or gadgets, and a dirty blanket was laid on the white tiles, and some rags were folded as pillows at the edge of the blanket. 

"Did they expect me to be sleeping on this dirty blanket?"

He immediately felt the hot breath and the scent of a woman made him leapt in fright, staggered as he landed on his wounded knee and cried out in pain.

"Gush... Who is that?"

Mary stepped inside, walked towards Andrew and peeked at him from head to toe, his mouth soon drooled with saliva when she poured out, "What happened to you?"

"What did you mean?"

She snatched the bag in Andrew's hand, poured the contents on the ground and let out in amazement, "Oh my gosh!"

"Did you like them?"

"Yes... Tell me where you see the money to buy all these."

"Why should I?"

"You did not steal them, did you?"

"No, I don't."

"Nor did you dupe someone to get it?"

"No, Mary. Stop your negative thoughts about me."

"Then you must part with something for your darling mother-in-law. Won't you?"

"Why not? God bless me so that I can bless others," Andrew answered back as he removed a pack of dollars and tossed it to the open-mouth woman.

"Ho... Thank you, Andrew. I never believed you would be a giver. In truth, nothing lasts forever."

"You are welcome. How is Timothy's face?"

Mary leaned towards Andrew and whispered, "Please don't bother about him," she paused, looked around and muttered, I warned Andrea to leave all your gadgets and furniture, but-."

"Don't worry. I will order a better one."

"You must have come into a real fortune."

"You bet!"

As far back as Andrew could remember, Mary O'Connor had shown him that he was not welcome as part of the family. Though her tantrums were minimal during Brian's days, she immediately brought out her true colour as soon as the old man was out of the picture. And it was her motherly advice that made her daughter's feelings for him depreciate from indifference to downward hatred. 

Initially, Andrew had tried to do his best as an adopted son to her, and then as a good son-in-law. But all his effort can be compared to pouring water inside a basket. 

Fruitless!

"Why did your family hate me so much?" Andrew asked Brian a few days before his death.

"Because I loved you and they were all afraid all my shares and estates would be willed to you."

"I am not interested in your wealth. I just want to live a quiet life here, make you happy and be the best son-in-law to the O'Connor family. Is that too much to ask?"

Brian answered back with a chuckle, and let out after," Mary always referred to you as a butterfly that called itself a bird... There is nothing you can do to change their opinion of you."

"Brian is right!" Andrew exclaimed as the memory of the conversation flowed into his subconscious. 

"Lazy bone. You better come and wash all the dirty clothing in this house if you want to eat dinner tonight."

Andrea's voice jolted him out of his trance, and he smiled as she peered at his designer clothing with an open mouth.

"To hell with your dinner."

"Why did you come back? I thought you would be leaving the hospital and never looked back."

"This is my home as far as I know."

"Let me warn you. We will make this place hotter for you, and I bet you will run in a few days."

"You want me to leave so that I won't have any access to Brian's property. Is that not what you all want?"

"You are wiser than I thought. Can you be kind enough to grant us this wish?"

"I am not interested in your grandfather's will, but he made me pledge to remain in this house for the ten years of our marriage," Andrew paused his speech, hissed and let out, " I will forever be miserable if I break the promise I made to him at his last moment of living."

"Stop lying. You don't care about the old man's wish. You think he will give you a larger share of his assets. Don't you?"

"You are entitled to your opinion."

"I was the one that removed all the furniture and gadgets. Let's see how you will cope without them."

"Brian gave all the furniture and gadgets to me before his death, and you have no right to park them out in my absence."

"Brian is my grandfather and I have the right to do whatever I like with his property. How long will l remind you of that?"

"Forever. Because he is the only one I know as my family as well."

"You must tell me where you see the money to buy all this stuff. I won't be comfortable if you robbed someone just to impress us."

Andrew dipped his hand inside his pocket, brought out another wad of dollars tossed it to Andrea, and then let out, "Share this with your family, and tell them your loathsome husband is now rich."

Andrea shakes her head and her countenance changes from resentment to shock, and then to awe.

"You must tell me the truth, Andrew. Tell me where you see all this money or else-"

"Or else what? The money is mine, you can give me back if you don't want to."

"I will accept it as part payment for the food you have been eating in this house... But that won't stop me from finding out the source of your wealth, and if I should discover you amassed it through any cunning way, then I won't hesitate to get the cops involved."