My 51-year old mother-in law cried with me after I adopted her twin boys a few months later. Her heartbreaking news was so shocking that I couldn’t contain my emotions.
It was the height of happiness in my life. A beautiful nest filled with love and warmth was all I could ask for. My life was made easier and more enjoyable by William, my husband and three of our little boys.
Although we were not wealthy, our family was able to enjoy every moment of joy. William’s 27th birthday celebrated another day filled with feasting, fun and family. My in-laws and family invited us to our birthday party.
All was well. As William made a toast, laughter spread across the small home and we were filled with joy. Marley (my mother-in-law) joined in the fun and raised another toast.
“To my two little buns in the oven!!” She announced and the entire room was filled with silence. My fifty-year-old mother in law was having twins by IVF.
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William seemed very embarrassed. While some toasted my mother-in-law and cheered, others began to whisper things. My husband was clearly furious. I grabbed his hand and asked him to calm down.
“We can sort this out later, hun. People are watching,” I whispered.
William wouldn’t be able to process the news, as we were about to have another child. We had hoped to have another child, but our husband was already a brother.
Both love and grieving are conjoined twins. It is impossible to have one without the others.
“Jessica, you don’t understand. How could mom even do this? She’s fifty and turning fifty-one soon… How could she even—” William laughed. My husband was mad at me.
My mom-in law and her husband were going through a difficult time in their relationship. Perhaps she believed that having children could help them heal their differences. Although I wasn’t sure what to think, I felt sorry for my mother-in law. This was not an easy decision that she took overnight. This decision was not an easy one.
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My mother-in-law was fifty-one a few weeks after I gave birth to her twin boys. Because it was such a difficult birth, I kept my hands close to my mom-in-law in the maternity unit.
All the pain she had endured was soon replaced by joy as she heard her little joy-filled cries. She was the happiest—I could tell by looking at the endless tears of joy flowing from her eyes as she held her infants. That brought tears of joy to mine, as well.
All of a sudden my phone rang. The sound of William’s cries was audible. He then began to stammer.
“Hon—Honey, daddy met with an accident. He died on the spot.”
“WHAT??” I dropped the phone to see my mother-in law. She was so happy cuddling her kids that she made me feel like the world had stopped. What will I do to tell my wife that her husband has died? Outside the ward, I wept. The truth was out.
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After a few more days, my mother-in law began to worry about her husband.
“Darling,” She called for me. “Where is David? Why hasn’t he come?”
“Mom, let’s go home first,” William said it to her. After that, he was speechless and could not speak.
My mom-in law and her children drove us home. As we got closer to our home, our hearts started to beat faster. The framed photo of her late husband, which was surrounded with wreaths, flowers and candles, almost made my mother-in-law faint. It was clear to her that he had left and would not return.
My children and I were pillars for my mother-in law after a couple of weeks. As she was coping with postpartum complications, my children and I helped her care for her kids. We thought that the storm was calmed but my mother-inlaw called me to let us know a few secrets. She first wanted me to keep a promise when we met in private.
“Jessica, will you adopt my babies after I’m gone?” She asked.
“What? Why would you say that?”
“Because I was recently diagnosed with terminal cancer. I don’t have much time left.”
When I heard that, I was completely blown away. This was just the beginning. My mother-inlaw revealed to me a terrible secret that she and William had been keeping from William throughout their lives.
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“David and I thought our relationship would improve after adopting William. It didn’t, but we loved our son to the core. But it kept pricking us we couldn’t bear children due to David’s infertility.”
“I knew it was a stupid idea, but I wanted to become a mother though I was fifty and still hadn’t reached menopause. I wanted to have my own kids, and IVF helped. I should’ve done this earlier, but the fear of society always haunted me. I then realized that society was not going through my pain… I was… so I took the risk.”
When I found out that my husband was the adopted son of my mother in law, I was shocked. Even worse, he didn’t know.
What can I do to tell him? Do I tell him the truth and ruin his peace? Or should I just keep this secret for my own grave? I pondered.
My mother in law broke my silence when she begged me for a promise to care for her kids after her passing. It was difficult for me to decide. My three children were grown up, William was just starting his new job. We still struggled financially. However, my mother-inlaw was a different story. Retired teacher, she survived on her pension. She didn’t experience any hardships like we did.
Double the expense and responsibility would be required to take her children into care. Although it was difficult for me to make a decision, I couldn’t help but offer my support to her.
“I promise, mom. I will raise your children like my own. I’ll be their mother, no matter what.”
Although I knew there would be challenges, I was ready to take them on. My parents were orphans and my childhood experience taught me how difficult it is to survive without love and parental support. I refused to allow my mother in law and her children this dark, difficult life.
A few months later my mother-inlaw died from cancer. Although I knew it was coming, I wasn’t prepared for the sudden death of my mother-in-law.
William learned the truth about her after she had been laid to rest with her loved husband. Although I was aware it would be painful, I couldn’t resist telling William the truth.
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“Honey, there’s something I want to tell you,” As I stared deeply into William’s eyes, I started. His mother was missing him to the core.
“I promised your mother that I would adopt her babies. They need us. We have to raise them. We cannot abandon them, hun.”
My husband hugged and held me close, and then he cried on my shoulders. I was told by him that at first he was jealous of his siblings’ newborns, but that after their parents died in just a few short months, he realized the importance of those little, innocent lives. He decided that he would take the children in to care for them. My husband said he wanted to talk with me about this and get my approval.
“Darling, I’m so blessed to have you. You taught me the true meaning of love. I was embarrassed when my mother had her babies. I didn’t understand her. But I really miss her now, and I want to tell her how much I love her…” He said it and then wept.
William hugged me and I felt relief. However, I was not free from thoughts. Do I need to tell William all about my adoption?
The day came when I took the secrets of my husband’s adoptive motherhood to the grave and promised to be a great mom to my five children. Because love is rooted in the heart and not from DNA, it would make no difference. His dad and mom were his true love, and I did not want to make it worse.
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This story has many lessons to teach us.
- Broken hearts can be healed only by kindness and love. Marley found out she was going to die from cancer and asked Jessica to become her adoptive mother. Jessica agreed to adopt Marley’s children despite her difficulties because she cared about her mother and felt her pain.
- Both love and grieving are conjoined twins. It is impossible to have one without the others. William was shocked when his mom announced that she was pregnant. Even more jealous was William’s newborn siblings. He realized how much his mother meant to him and that he misses her.
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One young man took in his mother’s mother when her son was sick and left it to a nursing facility. Read the whole story by clicking here
The inspiration for this piece came from stories that our readers have shared with us. It was written by professional writers. All resemblances to real names and locations are purely coincidental. Illustrations are provided for educational purposes only. Send us your story, it might change someone’s mind.