The Ways Of Mothers-In-Law Are Mysterious Indeed

My mother-in-law rarely thought about what she was saying or doing. Many times, she had me puzzled. Here are a couple of examples.

One day, I was changing a lightbulb for her, and she switched on the light.

Mother-In-Law: “This way you can see what you’re doing!”

On another occasion that I remember well, my husband and I went to stay with [Mother-In-Law] for Christmas. We arrived on Christmas Eve. Quite late in the evening, I was in the kitchen helping to clear up after a meal. [Mother-In-Law] tiptoed in, looking furtive, holding a pair of very nice, locally-made slippers, and WHISPERED to me:

Mother-In-Law: “Try these on.”

They were a good fit for me, and she took them away, wrapped them up, and gave them to me on Christmas Day.

I never did understand quite what she would have done if they were the wrong size — the local shops had closed several hours before — or why she was whispering.