The first surprise of Samantha’s new marriage comes when her father-in-law, Bill, refuses to take a wedding picture. This makes Samantha feel hurt and confused. She looks deeper into the past because she wants to find out why he is acting so distant. Samantha is deeply upset by what she learns. Will this news change her marriage for good?
The day was lovely. With flowers blooming all over, the yard was a great place for our wedding.
I was worried and excited at the same time as I stood next to my husband James.
There was a photographer taking pictures of us while we smiled for the camera.
“Time for the family picture!” the photographer yelled.
Bill, James’s dad, stood close but didn’t join us.
He shrugged and said something about calling someone before leaving.
As I watched him walk away, I felt hurt and lost.
There had been other times when Bill had been so cold.
As soon as we met, Bill was nice, but he never got too close. Whenever I walked into a family meeting, he would always find a reason to leave the room. We never really talked. I’ve never known why.
Did he not like me? What did I do wrong?
James squeezed my hand because he could tell I was in pain. “Don’t worry about Dad,” he said barely audible. “He’s just… difficult sometimes.”
It wasn’t easy, but I nodded and tried to push the ideas away. Bill’s avoidance had cast a cloud over our relationship and reminded me all the time that James’ family didn’t fully accept me.
The photographer kept taking pictures of us while telling us how to act in different ways. I smiled, but I really felt bad. Today was meant to be a good day, but I was worrying about how Bill wouldn’t behave.
The photographer said with a smile, “Okay, let’s get a picture of just the bride and groom!”
For the picture, James put his arm around me and we smiled. I tried to think about him, our love, and who we were together. James was my rock; he always understood and helped me.
We talked to our guests after the picture shoot. Family and friends praised us, and their smiles and well-wishes made me feel better. I would sometimes look away and see Bill standing on the edge of the crowd with his phone in his hand.
I felt uneasy the day after the wedding and couldn’t get rid of it.
James and I were sitting in our cozy living room. The fireplace didn’t help me feel better, though. I had to talk to him about his dad. It was no longer possible to ignore Bill’s actions.
“James,” I asked, “why does your father dislike me so much?”
James looked surprised, but he quickly covered it up. He thought about it for a moment, rubbing his hands together and nervously looking around.
He slowly began, “Samantha, it’s not that he doesn’t like you.” “It’s… he thinks you have a personal hygiene problem.”
What he said hit me like a ton of bricks.
I was shocked and stared at him. “What?” That’s not even funny!”
James sighed. “I understand. But he’s been saying things that make it sound like you… smell bad.
My face turned red with anger and shame, and memories from the last few months came flooding back.
Because James said some mean things about my body odor, I became very suspicious.
I began taking multiple showers a day, using deodorant all the time, and even asking family and friends if I smelled bad.
All of them told me I smelled fine; some even said I smelled too clean.
James continued, “And there’s something else I need to tell you.” “This is something my dad did to my mom too.”
I got a chill. “What?” What do you mean?”
“If a woman thinks she smells bad, she won’t want to cheat, will love her husband very much, and will always be clean,” “It’s his weird way of making sure you stay loyal,” James told me, and I could tell he was embarrassed.
“He hurt my mom, and she never turned away from him.” He did the same thing to you because he thought it would help us.
What I heard made no sense to me. My anger got very strong and hot.
“That’s awful, James!” It’s just plain trickery. It’s not love!”
“Yes, Samantha. I know.” I’m really sorry. I need to have seen it sooner. “I let him get inside my head,” he said in a sad tone.
After sitting down next to him, I put a light hand on his shoulder. “James, we can’t let this go on. This kind of deception is not okay. It’s dangerous, and we shouldn’t put up with it.
James said yes, and he looked more shaky than I had ever seen him. “You’re right.” I need to talk to him about it.”
“But know that making rules isn’t enough. I told him, “We need to get rid of all of his bad behavior from our lives.” “This evil should not get into our relationship. We need to focus on ourselves and our future without him getting in the way.
James put out his hand and grabbed mine. “I’m telling you, Samantha. Whatever it takes, I’ll keep us safe from his poison. We’ll take care of this together.”
“Thank you, James,” I said slowly. “I love you.”
James looked right at me. “Sam, I love you too. “We’ll get through this together, no matter what.”
We drove to Bill’s house in the morning, ready to talk to him.
We walked up to the big suburban house after James parked the car. Even though my heart was racing, I knew this had to be done. Before we went inside, James gave me a comforting squeeze on the hand.
He whispered, “Stick with me,” and I said, “Yes.”
Bill met us at the door and looked confused.
“Why are you two here so early?” he asked in a friendly way.
“Dad, I think we should talk. “Right now,” James said.
We went into the living room, and I stood nearby and paid close attention.
James took a big breath and began to talk about what we had learned about Bill’s “method.”
“Dad, we do know that you lie to us. He told her, “The things you’ve been implying about Samantha are wrong.” “First you did it to Mom, and now you did it to Samantha.” “That’s not okay.”
Bill’s face became more serious. “James, that’s a surefire way to do it. It was good for your mom and would have been good for Samantha too.
Even though I was mad, I kept quiet and let James handle it.
His father was making him feel bad.
“No, Dad,” James said in a firm voice. It’s unfair and harmful to do that. You must honor Samantha and our connection if you want to be a part of our lives.
Bill looked at James with his eyes closed.
I thought for a moment that Bill would argue. But then he let out a sigh when he knew James was serious.
Bill said, “Fine.” “If you want that.” You’re wrong, though.
James turned his head away. “No, Dad.” It was wrong to let this go on for so long. I and Samantha both deserve better.
I felt calm and happy all at once.
James defended our friendship and us.
It wouldn’t be easy, but this was a good start.
We drove home from Bill’s house in silence, each of us thinking about something. I knew it would be hard, if not impossible, to trust Bill again. But I was thankful that James always stood by me.
James looked at me as we pulled into our driveway. It was a soft question, “Are you okay?”
I nodded, and I felt a lot of different things. “Yes, I am.” Thanks, James. Because you stood up for us.”
He smiled and reached out to grab my hand. Sam, we’ll get through this together. “I promise.”
I loved him more than ever because I knew we were stronger together. I said in a soft voice, “I know we will.”
As we walked into our house, we felt hopeful again. Things were still going to be hard, but we were ready to deal with them. Our bond had grown stronger through this, and we were excited to start a new life together, free from abuse and manipulation.
After getting used to our evening routine, I felt calm. I knew we could do anything with James by my side. We loved each other very much, and it would get us through anything. Together, we couldn’t be stopped.