May I suggest reading "Unexpected" prior to reading this chapter
This is a true story, it deals with an incestuous relationship with my mother-in-law which went on for about 6 months in 1998-1999.
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Early on the morning of December 23, 1998 I closed the back doors on the Suburban after loading the suit cases and dreaded the trip to my mother-in-laws house for the holidays. Nervous does not even begin to describe my condition. How in the hell do I spend 3 days in the same house with my wife and her mother after what I've done. Sherry didn't have a clue and Dot had not mentioned the incident or even acted any different toward me in the weekly telephone conversations my family and I had with her. I guess guilt is a better way to express what I had felt for the last 3 months.
It was a very long 5 hour drive. I was abnormally quite during the trip to the point that Sherry asked twice what was wrong. I told her I wasn't feeling very good, kind of like I was catching a cold.
When we arrived at Dot's home, she came running out of the house and down the driveway to greet us. She hugged and kissed each of us. She acted no differently than she ever had. As the day progressed, I became more at ease. During dinner, Sherry asked her mom if she wanted to do a little early morning last minute shopping with her and the girls. Dot declined saying she had been in the stores almost every day since Thanksgiving and would rather just relax before the big doings Christmas Eve.
I watched television until about 9pm and decided to turn in. Dot gave me some cold medication she said would help me rest. I could not believe how normal she was acting. I went to bed very relieved and feeling like I'd dodged a bullet.
Sherry woke me at 8am the next morning and told me she and the girls were leaving and would be back by noon. She said Dot was up and waiting to cook me some breakfast. I got up showered and shaved and wasted as much time as I could in the bathroom. I did not look forward to being alone with my mother-in law.