“Our apartment,” my MIL answered.
“Uh huh. And when does your lease end?”
Adrian looked at his wife.
She reached for her wine. “Why does that matter?”
Bella frowned.
“Well, because the building has new owners, and management says transferring an apartment requires approval.”
Trey frowned.
I continued. “I also learned that some units aren’t being renewed. So I thought we should check our arrangements.”
Adrian turned toward Bella. “Did you speak to the landlord?”
She didn’t answer.
“Bella?”
“The building has new owners.”
My MIL sighed. “They told me our apartment wouldn’t be available after this month.”
Trey nearly dropped his fork. “What?!”
Adrian stared at his wife. “You told me we were still waiting for their decision.”
“I didn’t want you worrying!”
“What?!”
I’d suspected that Bella was hiding something.
I hadn’t expected Adrian to be completely unaware.
Trey leaned forward. “Mom, you said we could move into your apartment.”
“I thought something could be arranged!”
“With whom?” I asked. “The apartment fairy?”
Bella glared at me.
Bella was hiding something.
I continued. “So just to clarify, you expected us to leave our house for an apartment nobody has agreed to rent to us?”
Nobody answered.
I nodded. “Excellent. I’ve seen children plan lemonade stands with more research.”
Bella finally snapped. “What difference does it make?! Trey promised us this house!”
I opened my folder. “That brings us to my second question.”
Bella finally snapped.
I placed a copy of the deed on the table. “Whose house is this?”
“Trey’s,” Bella answered.
“And mine.”
She waved dismissively. “You’re married. What’s yours is his.”
“Exactly. I’m delighted we’ve established that.”
“Whose house is this?”
I continued. “I spoke to an attorney. Trey can’t transfer my share without my participation, and I haven’t agreed to anything.”
Bella turned toward Trey. “You said everything was settled!”
He shifted uncomfortably. “I thought Josie would eventually agree.”
I looked at him.
“I spoke to an attorney.”
My MIL shouted, “You’re embarrassing my son!”
“No, Bella. Your son did that himself.”
Then, Adrian asked a question that changed everything. “Bella, why didn’t you tell me the apartment lease was ending?”
She looked down. “Because I knew you’d insist on finding another rental.”
“You’re embarrassing my son!”
“Well, yes,” my FIL said. “Generally, that’s what people do when their lease ends.”
“But we can’t afford the kind of place we deserve!”
I stopped smiling.
For the first time, Bella sounded frightened.
Adrian rubbed his forehead. “We could’ve looked for somewhere affordable.”
I stopped smiling.
Bella shook her head. “We’ve worked our whole lives! Why should we spend our retirement in another cramped apartment when our son has this beautiful house?!”
“Because,” I said, “your son doesn’t get to give away something that also belongs to me.”
She looked at Trey.
He said nothing.
Bella shook her head.
Then, Adrian asked, “What about the money?”
Bella stiffened. “What money?”
“The credit cards. You said Trey was going to help us pay them off.”
My husband looked confused. “Pay off what?”
“What money?”
Adrian explained that they’d accumulated debt after several car repairs and months of helping Bella’s sister, Carol, with expenses.
What surprised me was Bella’s solution.
She’d told my FIL that after moving into our house, Trey might refinance it and use some of the money to clear their debt.
I stared at her. “You planned to use our house to pay your credit cards?!”
They’d accumulated debt.
Bella frowned. “Not immediately.”
“Oh, great. A delayed financial disaster. Very thoughtful.”
Trey turned red. “Mom, I never agreed to refinance anything!”
“You said you’d take care of us!”
“That doesn’t mean borrowing against our house!”
“Very thoughtful.”
My MIL started crying. “I didn’t know what else to do. I was ashamed.”
Adrian reached for her hand. “You should’ve told me the truth.”
“I thought you’d be disappointed.”
“I’m disappointed now,” he said. “Not because we need help, but because you lied.”
The room went quiet.
“I was ashamed.”
For eight years, Bella had acted as though I wasn’t good enough for her family.
Now, I understood that she’d been hiding her own problems.
