Her husband had a drinking problem, and he died from a drunken fall into a ditch, yet my in-laws blamed her for "killing" him, and they kicked her and her son out.
They kicked her and her son out.
"Emma used to be so capable, but she married a man who beat her. Finally, she outlived that terrible man, but now she has nowhere to go; it's so pitiful."
My mother-in-law lamented.
After hearing that, I felt a stirring in my heart.
My mother-in-law had been tirelessly taking care of our family, but as she ages, I didn't want her to keep working so hard.
Recently, I had been considering hiring a nanny.
I had always been generous towards women in temporary difficulties, and since Emma was a pitiful person I knew well, I thought it would be good to give her a chance. It would also provide her and her son a place to stay.
When I brought it up, my mother-in-law agreed, but Jeremy frowned.
"I saw that woman's son a couple of years ago; he seemed silly and impolite. If he moves in, Nina will definitely feel uncomfortable. You always want to be the good person!"
Jeremy rarely spoke harshly to me, so I was a bit taken aback and said, "I just feel sorry for them being a single mother and son; why are you being so harsh?"
My mother-in-law then criticized Jeremy. "Ava has a good heart; she's just trying to help. If it doesn't work out, she can find another job and leave. Why are you so upset? I see you're just itching for trouble."
Jeremy came back to himself, adopting his usual warm and calm demeanor. "Hey, babe, I was too harsh. You're kind-hearted, so let's follow your arrangement on this, okay?"
When I first saw Emma, she appeared to be the most ordinary person, with dark, rough skin and a small frame.
Her weathered face still showed signs of past beauty.
As soon as we met, she held my hand tightly, tearful with gratitude.
"Ava, if it weren't for you, James and I would probably be homeless now."
However, her son, James, wasn't very likable.
He had a round, puffy face, wide-set triangular eyes, a flat nose, and a dull gaze.
Even after entering the house, he didn't say a word for a long time.
Following my prior instructions, Nina warmly greeted James, inviting him to play with toys.
But James just stared blankly, showing no response.
Next to me, Jeremy furrowed his brow, his expression darker than I'd ever seen.