After I Fell Down the Stairs, My Mother-in-Law Called My Father and Said, ‘Come Take Your Daughter Back—She’s More Trouble Than She’s Worth.’ Dad Gave Her One Quiet Warning, but She Laughed Because She Had No Idea Who He Really Was…
My first memory after falling down the staircase was hearing my mother-in-law speaking on the phone. Her sharp, impatient voice echoed through the entrance hall, sounding exactly as it did whenever a housekeeper misplaced something or a dinner reservation disappointed her.
“Come get your daughter, Arthur. We’ve done everything we can for her, and frankly, she’s become more trouble than she’s worth.”
I lay on the cold marble floor, struggling to breathe comfortably, while my husband, Preston Whitcomb, stood several feet away, making no attempt to correct his mother’s version of events.
Dad apparently said something she found amusing, because she laughed briefly before replying, “You really don’t understand who you’re dealing with.”
She moved the phone from her ear, allowing me to hear my father’s voice and recognize the quiet resolve beneath it.
