Paul smiled wide and said, «I wouldn’t have it any other way. We’ll all live together. Your dad’s apartment is big enough for the three of us, right?» The wedding was small but beautiful.
Dad insisted on wheeling himself down the aisle to give me away. There wasn’t a dry eye in the place. As I stood there, holding Paul’s hand, I felt like I was living a fairy tale.
But every fairy tale has its villains, and mine came in the form of my mother-in-law, Maria, and my sister-in-law, Olivia. From the moment I met them, I could tell they didn’t approve of me. «So, your father is handicapped?» Maria asked during our first meeting, wrinkling her nose like she smelled something bad.
«He’s disabled,» I corrected, trying to stay calm. «But he works as an editor.» «How nice!» she interrupted, clearly not interested.
Then she turned to Paul and asked, «Are you sure about this? There are so many nice girls from good families.» I felt my face flush with anger and embarrassment, but Paul immediately defended me. «Mom, Julie is from a good family.
Her dad’s disability doesn’t change that. I love her, and that’s all that matters.» That shut Maria up, but I could still see the disapproval in her eyes.
Olivia, following her mother’s lead, was just as cold towards me after the wedding. True to his word, Paul moved in with Dad and me, and our life settled into a comfortable routine. I’d go to work at the tax office, while Paul was on the road for days at a time.
When he was home, we’d all have dinner together. But whenever Maria and Olivia visited, the atmosphere in our home changed. They acted like they owned the place, barely acknowledging Dad’s presence.
Once, I overheard Maria whispering to Olivia, «It’s a shame. Paul could have done so much better. Now he’s stuck with this girl and her crippled father.
What if they have children? Can you imagine the genes?» I was furious, but I kept quiet for Paul’s sake. I tried to keep the peace, but it was getting harder and harder. One evening, after a particularly tense visit from Maria and Olivia, I broke down in tears.
Paul found me in our bedroom, crying. «Hey, hey,» he said, pulling me into his arms. «What’s wrong?» «Your mom and sister,»
I sobbed. «They hate me. They think I’m not good enough for you because of Dad.»
Paul’s face hardened. «That’s ridiculous. You and your dad are my family now.
If they can’t accept that, it’s their problem, not ours.» His words comforted me, but I couldn’t shake the feeling that this was just the beginning of our troubles with Maria and Olivia. As the months went by, Paul’s trucking business began to grow…
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