He stopped visiting regularly.
He laughed when Vanessa criticized our modest home.
He even made uncomfortable remarks about Eleanor’s clothing.
Still, my wife insisted we should be patient.
“He’s our son, Robert,” she’d remind me. “Maybe they just need time to settle into married life.”
And because I loved her, I tried.
Then Daniel announced that he and Vanessa had purchased a magnificent six-bedroom house.
Eleanor was thrilled.
“Oh, Robert! Their first real family home!”
She immediately began thinking about a housewarming gift.
I suggested buying something from their registry.
But Eleanor wanted to make something meaningful.
For three weeks, she worked on a beautiful handmade tablecloth.
She selected soft ivory fabric, embroidered delicate flowers along the edges, and carefully finished every seam.
Sometimes I’d find her sitting beneath the reading lamp late at night, adding another row of stitches.
“Eleanor, you’ve been working on that for hours.”
