Chapter 456 Comfort
Carol took one look at the dishes on the table and scoffed, "Way too much oil and salt. You young folks might be fine, but us oldies? This stuff's gonna send our blood pressure through the roof."
Seb just stood there, totally at a loss for words.
Todd chimed in, "Eating it once or twice won't kill you."
"You go ahead. I'm out." Carol tossed her utensils aside, got up, and stormed out of the dining room. "Kathy, make me a bowl of oatmeal, no seasoning!"
"Yes, Mrs. Carol Anderson," Kathy replied quickly.
"Bring it upstairs later. I'm beat and need to lie down," Carol said as she headed upstairs.
The dining room got real awkward real fast.
Susan looked at the spread she’d spent all afternoon making and felt super bummed. Carol was a tough nut to crack, always giving her a hard time. Susan knew the road ahead wouldn't be smooth.
But Todd stayed chill. "Susan, don't mind Carol. She's just in a funk lately. Let's eat!"
Todd grabbed his fork, tried a couple of dishes, and nodded. "Hmm, not bad."
Susan felt a bit better with Todd's thumbs-up. Seb then put some food on her plate.
Susan looked up and saw the apology in Seb's eyes. With Todd's approval and Seb's understanding, Susan felt like maybe all the hassle today was worth it.
She decided not to let Carol ruin her mood. Carol wasn't worth it, so she dug in happily.
Honestly, she hadn't cooked in ages, and she did a pretty good job today, so Susan ate a lot.
After dinner, Todd and Seb chilled in the living room, chatting.
Susan made a pot of coffee and poured them each a cup.
"Susan, don't worry about me. Go check if the kids have had enough. They're growing and can't go hungry," Todd waved her off.
"Yes, Dad," Susan smiled and went to check on Hayden and Spring.
By now, Hayden had finished eating and was drawing in his room. Susan chatted with him for a bit and then headed to Spring's room.
Mary was on the floor, playing with Spring and feeding her.
When Susan closed the door, Mary said, "Mrs. Susan Anderson, Mr. Seb Anderson's mom is a real piece of work. Your days ahead won't be easy!"
Susan wasn't quite used to being addressed in that way. Then, Susan smiled and sat down in front of Spring. "I'm ready for it."
Mary fed Spring a spoonful and said, "Look how cute and smart Spring is, yet she gets flak just for being a girl. What kind of grandma does that!"
Even though Susan felt uneasy, she still tried to calm Mary down. "Alright, she's still Seb's mom. We just have to deal with it."
Mary nodded. "True, dealing with a tough mother-in-law is no joke. The key is having Mr. Seb Anderson on your side!"
"It's tough for him too, stuck between his wife and his mom," Susan sighed.
"Yeah, guys are always caught in the middle," Mary laughed.
Later that evening, as Susan headed upstairs, she could hear Carol's sharp voice coming from the master bedroom.
She shouted, "There's dust on the glass and the floor, and these sheets—why aren't they silk? Don't you know I have a skin allergy and can't use cotton bedding?"
Since Todd and Carol were visiting, Susan and Seb had given up the master bedroom and moved into the guest room.
That morning, Susan and Kathy had cleaned the master bedroom and put on fresh bedding, but it still wasn't good enough for Carol.
Seb's voice came from the master bedroom. "Mom, Susan and Kathy cleaned the glass and floor this morning. We don't have any new silk bedding at home, so can you make do for tonight? I'll have someone buy some silk bedding first thing in the morning, okay?"
"Just make do for now. The kids are all busy with work," Todd added.
But Carol shot back, "Seb is busy with work, but Susan, as a woman, has two kids at home. Why does she need to work? Does our Anderson family care about the little money she makes? Since Seb married her, she should be grateful and stay home to take care of the family. Otherwise, why would our family marry a girl from such a modest background? Plus, she's from a single-parent family. I heard her father is very unreliable, and her mother is just a housewife. How can I tell people about such in-laws?"
Hearing this, Susan felt like she'd been stripped bare, with all her flaws and insecurities laid out by Carol, making her feel utterly humiliated.
"Mom, who would want a father like that? It's not Susan's fault," Seb naturally defended Susan.
"Seb, I think you're too lenient with her. Since you already have two kids, I won't say much. If you want to marry her, go ahead. I can't stop you. But you must make her adjust her attitude. A woman marrying into our family must be dutiful and virtuous. I heard she runs a small company. She should stop that and focus on taking care of you and the kids at home!" Carol declared.
"Mom." Seb tried to speak up for Susan.
But Carol was firm. "That's settled. She doesn't need to go to work tomorrow. I'll stay home and teach her how to be a good wife and mother!"
Hearing this, Susan really wanted to barge in and give Carol a piece of her mind.
But after thinking it over, she didn't. Instead, she angrily returned to the guest room because she loved Seb, loved the kids, and loved this home. Confronting Carol would definitely affect her relationship with Seb, and they might not be able to get married, which she didn't want to see.
Not long after, Seb entered the guest room.
Seeing Susan sitting on the bed with a sullen face, he closed the door and walked over.
"Are you mad?" Seb looked down at her and asked softly.
Although Susan felt wronged, she forced a smile and said, "After all, she's your mother. What's there to be mad about? Every woman has to endure some mother-in-law's temper, right?"
"Don't say you're not mad. It's written all over your face," Seb sat beside Susan, holding her hand and smiling.
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