January 24th, 2010

Millie and Me

I’ve had a revelation about my mother-in-law, Millie. Let me just admit up front I’ve never liked the woman.

Our relationship has been mostly one of tolerance, a precarious pretense that we don’t bother each other. I have my list of gripes: Millie’s bigotry, her lack of curiosity, her provincialism. I turn up my nose at what I perceive as her low-brow interests: the bowling team of “girls”; the forays to the casinos to play the slots; the television that’s left on, at full volume, 24 hours a day. Our aesthetic differences can be summed up by the crocheted doily skirt on the toilet paper roll that resides in her bathroom. Enough said.
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By Mary Beth McClure