Mavis and Teana sat on opposite ends of the sofa in awkward silence. Sipping her jasmine tea, Teana stole a glance up at her mother-in-law’s face. Trent looked so much like his mother when he was disappointed that Teana’s hand shook. Tea splashed Teana’s leg. She yelped and spilled the entire cup on the floor. Leg scalded, Teana hurried to the kitchen.

Soaking cold water onto a cloth, Teana placed a wet hand on her scorching forehead. At her last therapy session, Trent joined. He encouraged Teana to keep her boundaries with his overbearing mother. Trent promised to always be in her corner even with his mom. She pressed a cool cloth on her thigh and shuddered. Trent promised to talk to his mother.

But Teana didn’t want her husband to fight her battles. Surely two grown women could talk? Teana thought as she examined her reddened flesh. Hand extended, Mavis was standing in the kitchen door. Teana blinked in confusion.

Muscling past her daughter-in-law, Mavis opened the cabinet under the sink and pulled out a roll of paper towels. Teana didn’t even buy paper towels. Mavis was buying things again bringing them into to their home with her old key. Looking to the ceiling, Teana rued the day she agreed to buy Trent’s childhood home. Without a word, Mavis returned to the living room and patted the floor where the tea had spilled.

“Mavis you don’t have to do that.”

“You probably don’t know but standing water is very bad for wood floors. These are original to the house. When John and I lived here, I swept every day and used oil soap to condition the floors every Sunday,” Mavis said.

Mavis showed the dirty paper towel to Teana and shook her head pityingly. Teana closed her eyes and counted to ten.

“Mavis I wanted to talk to you. I thought it would be a good idea for us to share our feelings face to face.”

Crossing her arms, Mavis sat back on the sofa.

“This sounds like something your therapist told you to do,” Mavis said, pronouncing the word “therapist” so that it sounded both distasteful and obscene. “Trent told me you have to see a therapist for your brain problems.”

Teana gasped.

“I’m sure Trent didn’t say that. Therapy is important for a lot—“

“My Trent said you are very sensitive and that I have to be very careful what I say to you because you will take it out on him. I don’t believe in therapy myself. No one in my family ever needed something like that but it’s fine if that is what you need.”

Mavis leaned back on the sofa and sipped her tea. Teana watched her mother-in-law scrutinizing each corner of the room. She thought about the couple’s therapy and the endless conversations she and Trent had had about his mother and her lack of boundaries. Shaking her head sadly, Mavis finished her tea. Understanding dawned on Teana.

“So what do you have to tell me dear?”

“Would you like some cake? I have an Entenman’s in the pantry. I would love to learn how to be a better wife. Tell me more about Trent,” Teana said on the way to the pantry.

“Store-brought cake, well if that is the best you can do. In my day I always baked fresh when company was expected. More’s the pity. You probably don’t know but Trent thinks store-bought cake is lazy. He likes to be taken care of. Sure he will pretend he wants to help out with the domestics but between you me and the lamppost he thinks it’s unfeminine for the wife to not handle the house things. Trent doesn’t think you’ll understand his feelings,\.”

In the kitchen, Teana hacked the poundcake in half. Whack. Whack. Whack.

“Oh I understand completely."