Even after working intensely for two decades, Jack believed he had not accomplished enough to call himself a successful man.
At 43, he believed he could do better, but his wife, Laura, thought otherwise.
He met Laura at work, but she eventually left and began her own business. She knew how to draw clients with minimum effort because she had a marketing degree from one of the greatest business schools in the country.
When Jack realized how successful her business was, he became intimidated and developed an inferiority complex.
After marrying Laura, Jack suspected her parents disliked her because he was not as wealthy as they were. Laura hailed from a wealthy family, while Jack’s parents were not particularly wealthy.
To cope with his feelings of unworthiness, he focused more on his work and worked hard to get promoted. He would work most of the day at his office and return home late every night.
One day, Jack’s wife called him at work and said something surprising. “Jack… Please come home right now,” Laura begged in a trembling voice. “Dad pa:sse:d away.”
He consoled his wife and assisted in the funeral arrangements.
A few days later, Laura informed Jack that she wanted her mother to live with them.
“She cannot deal with the grief of losing dad all by herself, Jack. She’s coming here once she accepts my offer.”
“No, Laura,” Jack shook his head. “That won’t happen.”
Two days later, Laura’s mother, Melissa, contacted her to say she was ready to move in with them.
“Don’t you understand I don’t want her in my house?” Jack yelled.
“It’s either her or me!”
When Melissa moved in, Jack did his best to irritate her so she would leave fast.
One day, Jack was in his bedroom, having an online meeting with his boss, when Melissa barged in.
“I’m sorry, Jack. But you won’t be getting a promotion this year,” Jack’s employer informed him.
Jack mustered a smile and concluded the meeting with his employer. Then he turned around, surprised to discover Melissa in his room.
“Laura! Look, your mom is spying on me!”
“Look, I need you to kick her out before Christmas,” he told her. “I won’t let her ruin my Xmas dinner. You need to send her back home on Christmas Eve.”
Laura realized she couldn’t dispute with her husband longer, so she begged her mother to come back on Christmas Eve.
The next day, Jack was relieved because his mother-in-law was not present. He decorated the house and ordered Laura’s favorite meal for supper.
While seated at the dinner table with Laura, Jack heard a car pull into their driveway.
Jack went to the door and was surprised to see Melissa seated beside his boss, Matt, in a car he recognized as his boss’s.
When everyone sat down to eat, Jack asked Melissa what was going on.
“I used to work as a secretary for his father when he was a kid. I even babysat him a couple of times when his father wasn’t around.” Melissa chuckled.
“I immediately recognized him when I saw him on your laptop screen that day,” she added.
Melissa put in a good word for her son-in-law with his supervisor. She assured him that he was hardworking and deserving. As a result, Matt chose to promote Jack.
Jack was overjoyed to find that Matt had given him a promotion. He believed it was the nicest Christmas present and thanked his boss and mother-in-law for making his dream.
Later that night, Jack apologized to Melissa for being impolite and invited her to remain at his home for as long as she wished. “You’re the best mother-in-law I could have asked for!” he commented to her.
