When I found my 10-year-old daughter Tessa sleeping under the basement stairs, my whole world fell apart. A scary truth came out when she told me that my mother-in-law, Linda, had been mistreating her and making her feel unwanted and unloved.
Linda seemed perfect on the outside, but her heart was harsh and cold, especially toward Tessa, who wasn’t her real granddaughter. I tried to keep the peace, but Linda’s mean behavior kept happening, making Tessa feel alone and ignored.
Linda offered to watch the girls while we were away after my mother died. Even though I didn’t want to, I reluctantly agreed. When we got back, I found Tessa alone and forgotten in the basement. “Grandma
Linda told me to sleep here,” she said, and those words still haunt me. “I shouldn’t get in the way because Sadie is her real granddaughter,” she said.
Because I was mad and determined, I came up with a plan to show Linda what she really was like. I pretended to help her with the family gathering every year while telling everyone the truth about how she treated Tessa. The day of the gathering came, and I showed a slideshow that told the sad truth.
Picture of Tessa in the basement flashed on the screen, and the room went quiet. As whispers changed into gasps, Linda’s perfect front fell apart. People didn’t believe her when she tried to defend herself, and her image was ruined for good.
As I stood back, I felt good inside because I knew that justice had been done. “No one will ever treat you like that again,” I told Tessa in a whisper. Linda and I haven’t talked since then, but I know that I’ve kept my daughter safe from her abuse.
