Margaret Susan, sixty-two years old, has been retired for two years. Her decision was deliberate, as she put it, “making way for the younger generation.” “Let them work; I’m old now, I toiled as much as I could in my time. Enough. It’s time to rest,” the woman declared.
Without much hesitation, Margaret Susan decided to move from the city to the countryside. She had her own small farm there. In the village, she never felt lonely. On weekends, her children would visit.
Her eldest son, Michael, was married and often stayed at his mother’s with his wife, Emily. Margaret Susan eagerly awaited the arrival of grandchildren, but the couple wasn’t planning to have children yet. Her younger son, however, couldn’t find a suitable partner and always came alone.
But one fine day, everything changed. Leonard visited Margaret Susan with a young, attractive woman. He proudly introduced his new girlfriend to his family.
— Dear family, I’d like to officially introduce you to my beloved. This is Irene. Irene, this is my mother, my brother Michael, and his wife, Emily.
— Pleased to meet you, Irene smiled.
Irene later shared her story with her new acquaintances. She had a difficult childhood, never experiencing a mother’s love or affection. Her parents abandoned her at the maternity hospital. Her mother fled, leaving a crying bundle behind in the ward. Irene grew up in an orphanage, knowing nothing about her father. She was an orphan.
In the orphanage, Irene helped the caregivers and nannies. She loved spending time with the younger children, playing with them, feeding them, and assisting with their homework.
The orphanage staff praised the hardworking Irene. At first, it seemed she was trying to impress to be adopted into a family. But that wasn’t the case. Irene simply enjoyed caring for others; she was genuinely kind-hearted.
The orphanage director’s sister worked at a medical institution and offered to help Irene, who dreamed of becoming a healer. But Irene declined the help and enrolled in a nursing school on her own. Passing the entrance exams with ease, she earned a fully-funded spot, which thrilled her. Her dreams were slowly coming true.
Studying came easily to Irene; she grasped the material quickly. Unlike her classmates, who spent their free time at discos and bars, Irene devoted every spare moment to her studies. She graduated from nursing school with honors. Soon after, she landed a job at a local children’s clinic. Working as a surgical nurse brought her a decent income and immense joy, as she was helping people. That’s where fate brought her and Leonard together.
Leonard was admitted to the hospital where Irene worked, diagnosed with acute pancreatitis. Unable to sleep at night, he wandered the hospital corridors. That’s how he met Irene. He told her that her presence eased his pain. Irene grew fond of Leonard. She frequently visited his room, administering injections and IVs. After his discharge, he approached her, asked for her phone number, and invited her on a date. Irene didn’t hesitate long and agreed, feeling flattered. Their relationship began.
But Margaret Susan didn’t take to Irene. After a family dinner, citing a headache and fatigue, she retreated to her room. She disapproved of her younger son’s choice. “Oh, Leonard, you’ve picked up some poor janitor. She changes bedpans, gives enemas, and then comes home. She might bring some disease. Ugh, how disgusting,” she thought, feeling nauseated.
Their family had always been wary and disdainful of medical workers. Margaret Susan’s late husband believed doctors brought dangerous diseases home, infecting their families. A neighbor, a doctor, once died of tuberculosis, supposedly contracted from a patient. The family promptly moved to another house. Later, it turned out the man died of cancer, but that didn’t change their attitude toward medical workers.
Irene desperately wanted to learn about Leonard’s childhood, hoping Margaret Susan would share stories. But Margaret ignored her, spending time with Emily instead. The two women constantly insulted Irene behind her back. When she approached, they dodged conversation and pointedly walked away. Irene felt awkward, sensing she wasn’t welcome but unable to understand why.
One day, Irene decided to cook dinner for the family. While Margaret Susan and Emily gossiped about her in the garden, Irene busied herself in the kitchen. Soon, a pleasant aroma spread across the property.
— Margaret Susan, I’ve made dinner. Come eat.
Instead of gratitude, Irene faced a torrent of negativity. Margaret Susan was furious, spitting with rage. Apparently, Irene had used the wrong skillet and touched food she wasn’t supposed to.
— You wretched, insolent girl! You’ve ruined all the food with your filthy hands! Margaret Susan shouted.
Irene burst into tears and fled to her room. Meanwhile, the “vipers” smugly rubbed their hands, continuing to torment the poor girl.
— Oh, Margaret Susan, you’re handling this so well. Soon that girl will realize she doesn’t belong here and leave.
— Of course, she’ll leave. And if she tries to stay, I’ll make her life unbearable.
Soon, another unpleasant incident occurred. A hailstorm poured outside, and Irene, returning home, was soaked to the bone. The keys Margaret Susan gave her were for the shed, not the house. Margaret had “accidentally” mixed them up. Irene stood knocking at the gate, but no one came to let her in.
After standing in the rain for over two hours, Irene left for her own place. To avoid falling ill, she took a hot bath, drank tea with lemon, and wrapped herself in a warm blanket. Leonard was away on a business trip and knew nothing of the incident. Irene returned only after he came back. Learning she was coming, Margaret Susan began plotting a new scheme to get rid of Irene as quickly as possible.
— Oh, son, why is she coming here? You know, your girl gave me such a migraine, the whole house had to calm me down. She’s frayed my nerves completely. Now I’m drinking valerian.
— I don’t understand what you’re talking about, Mom. Can you explain?
— You think your Irene left for no reason? You know how many awful things she said to me, how rude she was. She got ashamed of her behavior and left.
— Stop talking nonsense, Mom. Irene said no one opened the door for her. The poor thing was soaked through. She feels bad being alone. I’m waiting for her; she’s already on her way.
— Oh, she’s lying. A deceitful, brazen girl. Didn’t she tell you anything? You’ll hear all about her now.
Margaret Susan eagerly began recounting Irene’s supposed misdeeds. Apparently, Irene made tasteless food, offered it to her, and then threw it in the trash. She was rude, using foul language. But Leonard couldn’t believe it. He knew Irene was kind and would never behave that way.
Determined to get to the bottom of it, Leonard anxiously awaited Irene’s arrival. Suddenly, Margaret Susan developed a severe migraine and retreated to her room. Leonard called Irene into a room and questioned her. He doubted she was capable of such actions. Irene denied everything his mother claimed.
She wanted to say Margaret Susan was lying but couldn’t bring herself to. Michael, the older brother, intervened.
— You know, Mom’s right. That evening, I saw food in the trash. I think Irene’s lying to you. My wife’s scared of her too. Irene was yelling, slamming doors, and then ran off. She’s unhinged. You’d be better off dumping her and finding a normal girl.
Leonard felt terrible and fell into depression. He broke up with Irene because of her supposed actions, but deep down, he still loved her. He lost weight, stopped eating and drinking, and dwelled on his first love. He had even planned to propose. To distract himself, Leonard took a vacation and stayed at a friend’s country house. Meanwhile, Irene lived with a friend from nursing school, unable to stay in her apartment where everything reminded her of Leonard. She loved him deeply and couldn’t believe he trusted his mother’s fabrications and left her. She stared out the window daily, unable to forget him.
Her friend and former classmate, Mary, began to lecture her.
— Listen, darling, this won’t do. Those vultures ganged up on you, spewed all sorts of nonsense, and you stayed silent, not telling Leonard about their behavior. That’s not right, Mary fumed.
— Do you think if I’d told him bad things about his mother, it would’ve helped? He’d probably hate me even more. You should never speak ill of mothers, Irene said remorsefully.
— What a rotten guy you ended up with. No offense, but it’s true.
— No, Leonard’s not to blame. It’s Margaret Susan, Irene sighed sadly, memories of her lost love flooding back.
Three months passed since the breakup. Irene was beginning to forget Leonard. One day, after a long shift, she came home and put the kettle on, planning to read and relax with tea. Suddenly, the doorbell rang insistently. Surprised, as she wasn’t expecting anyone so late, Irene opened the door to find a distressed Leonard. His mother, Margaret Susan, had suffered a stroke and needed urgent help. He came to Irene, knowing she worked at the hospital.
— I know we broke up, but I have no one else to turn to. I’m ready to pay you. Mom needs care; she can’t walk or eat on her own. Please help us. I’m sorry for all the trouble we caused you, Leonard pleaded, tears in his eyes.
Irene, with her kind heart, sighed. The family had caused her immense pain, and because of Margaret Susan, she lost the man she loved. But she felt sorry for his mother. Perhaps it was divine punishment for the suffering she caused. Irene agreed to help and care for Margaret.
Irene moved back to Margaret’s house. The woman couldn’t even use the bathroom alone. At night, she quietly cried into her pillow, ashamed of how she treated the decent young woman. She believed fate was punishing her for her actions.
Margaret tried to hide her tears from Irene. Her beloved daughter-in-law, Emily, fled as soon as she learned she’d need to bathe Margaret and change her diapers, citing a heavy workload. Emily stopped visiting or even calling to check on her mother-in-law.
Irene quit her hospital job, as Margaret required constant care and couldn’t be left alone. She refused payment, taking on household chores, cooking, cleaning, and doing laundry.
Over time, Margaret began to sit, eat, and slowly walk. One day, unable to contain her emotions, she broke down in front of Irene.
— Forgive me, Irene. I’ll tell my son the truth. God has already punished this old fool. I got what I deserved and will carry this burden for the rest of my days.
— It’s alright, Margaret Susan. I’ve long let go of any resentment. Everything’s fine, don’t worry.
Margaret decided to confess the truth to Irene, revealing the family’s prejudice against doctors. When Leonard came home from work, she told him everything too.
— My dear girl, I sincerely beg your forgiveness for my cruel actions. I didn’t mean for this to happen. I’ll understand if you want to leave, Irene. But I’d love for you to stay. I’ve grown fond of you and seen how kind and caring you are. I’d love for you and Leonard to work things out. I want to hold my grandchildren. You know how hard it was for Leonard after you broke up? He was pale, stopped eating and drinking. I even thought of taking him to a doctor for depression medication.
— Margaret Susan, I was just doing my duty, caring for you. I don’t need anything from you. I forgave you long ago; everyone makes mistakes.
A year later, things gradually fell into place. Margaret Susan regained her strength, got back on her feet, and started paying attention to her health. She now respected doctors.
Leonard and Irene got married. He learned the truth but forgave his mother and was overjoyed to have his beloved back.
Michael divorced Emily, realizing how petty and cruel she was. Soon, Irene gave birth to a son. Margaret Susan was thrilled and helped the young couple raise their boy. Irene finally felt true happiness creeping into her life. From an unloved orphan, she found a new home where she was valued and respected.
Cherish what you have now and never regret anything.
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