My husband slammed my hand onto the burning stove because the steak was “overcooked.” As I collapsed in agony, my mother-in-law stepped over me, laughing, “She needs to learn her place.” My father-in-law just turned up the TV. They thought I was reaching for a bandage. I smiled through the tears and whispered, “enjoy your last few minutes of peace.” then, the siren lights flashed outside…
bone. He genuinely believed he had won. He believed the lesson had been successfully administered and received.
“Good,” he said, releasing my face and wiping his hand on a silk napkin as if my tears had soiled him. “Now, go clean yourself up and join us at the table. My parents did not drive all this way to eat in silence.”