There is shy, and then there is living in someone else’s house every other week for four years while behaving as if the homeowners were part of the furniture.
A 45-year-old stepmother is tired of feeling invisible in her own home. Her stepson’s girlfriend began staying over because the family didn’t want him to drive her home at night, which was a thoughtful offer to keep both of them safe. But then, one sleepover became two, then three, and it finally became a part-time residency for her, week on and week off. The girlfriend stays for the entire week when the stepson is at his father’s house.
The problem is that despite living there, she enters the house without greeting anyone, heads directly upstairs, and stays hidden in his boyfriend’s room. If she enters the kitchen, she avoids eye contact and only speaks when someone speaks to her first. She might have social struggles, but that doesn’t mean she can’t say “hello” and “thank you”.
Her boyfriend always has an explanation ready to justify her behavior. She is shy. She feels self-conscious. Her own home is crowded, so she needs somewhere peaceful to study. Those explanations might have worked during the first few visits, but four years later, they sound more like excuses.
The final straw came when the girlfriend complained about being asked to wash her own car. Well, it’s her car, and she decides how dirty it gets, but the fact that she complained about one minor request while enjoying the family’s hospitality made the stepmom reach her limit. She’s not demanding heartfelt conversations at family dinners. She demands a simple greeting and an occasional “thank you”. For this stepmom, to be acknowledged would be enough.
Author: Kayitsi.com
