The Lifespan Doll

My mother-in-law, Judith Carver, had never thought I was good enough. Yet when she was dying, her greatest wish was to see me. She lay in her hospital bed, holding my hand, her eyes full of sorrow. "Nadine, I've been awful to you all these years you've been married to Victor. I was wrong, and I'm sorry. You've worked so hard looking after me since I got sick, and I accused you of putting on an act. I should never have treated you that way." As she spoke, she pressed a red box into my hand with trembling fingers. "This is something precious I want you to have. Keep it close to your body every day. Remember, you must keep it with you. Don't open it until 49 days have passed." My husband thought it held gold bars or a bank card. His sister thought it was a priceless family heirloom. I was the only one who felt uneasy. After tormenting me for so many years, how could Judith have changed overnight? When her scheme finally came to light, I broke out in a cold sweat. ***** "Mom, what's in the box? Let me have a look. I didn't even know we had a family heirloom." My husband's sister, Paige Hensley, leaned toward Judith and reached for the red box in her hands. Judith's expression changed at once. She clutched it to her chest. "It's for Nadine! No one else is allowed to open it." Paige pursed her lips in disappointment. "Fine. Keep it to yourself. You certainly have your favorites." She glanced at me. "Nadine, look how good Mom is to you. Where else would you find a mother-in-law like her?" My husband, Victor Hensley, tugged at my sleeve. "Nadine, didn't I tell you Mom would see how much you've done for her? What are you waiting for? Thank her." I stared at the box. The bright red was painful to look at, and I felt increasingly uneasy. The moment it touched my hand, I put it back on the table as though it had burned me. Something was wrong. This felt wrong in every possible way. Judith had always found fault with me and made my life difficult. How could she have changed so suddenly? I couldn't accept that box. Even before Victor and I got married, she had criticized everything about me. "She's so short and skinny. Nothing good will come of marrying her! Those narrow hips won't give you a son. Her family is ordinary, her job is ordinary, and so is she. How is she good enough for you? I don't understand what you see in someone so unremarkable." The first time I went to meet her, she scowled throughout the visit. She hadn't even prepared a meal. "I'll never accept you into this family. Victor deserves someone better. Don't make me spell it out. Have some self-respect." I shook with anger. Victor had a furious argument with her in my defense. "Nadine is the only woman I'll marry! You don't have to like her. I'm the one who's going to spend my life with her. If that's how you feel, you two never have to see each other. I'll visit you once every year or two." Judith got so upset that she ended up in the hospital. Victor still refused to back down. Seeing the determination on his face, I felt tears sting my eyes. We'd been together since college, and he'd always shown me he loved me. He made me feel secure. As soon as he started earning a paycheck, he handed his bank card over to me. He kept his distance from other women and did all the housework. "Don't worry about what my mom says. You're the one I want. If I ever have to choose between you and her, I'll choose you without hesitation. She can call me a terrible son. Everyone can condemn me. I still won't let anyone hurt you." Eventually, Judith agreed to our marriage. But she never once treated me kindly. For Victor's sake, I put up with it. He'd already done so much for me. How could I make things harder for him?