It took two grueling makeup exams and a mountain of extra credit before Eleanor begrudgingly gave her an A. If the professor had known the girl was dating her son, Christine wouldn’t have passed at all. On graduation day, Jack proposed. He didn’t want to spend another day without her, even though she still had grad school ahead of her.
Christine said yes. They opted for a small courthouse wedding and a quiet dinner with close friends. Christine knew her mother couldn’t afford a lavish country club wedding, and she didn’t want Jack’s parents footing the bill and holding it over her head. For a long time, Jack delayed the inevitable: introducing his fiancée to his parents.
Every time Christine complained about the “nightmare professor” in the Econ department, Jack found a reason to change the subject. He knew these two women would clash like titans. At home, Eleanor was already poisoning the well. “Jack, you wouldn’t believe this girl in my seminar. She’s arrogant, argumentative, and thinks she knows more than the faculty.”
“Maybe she’s just passionate, Mom?” Jack would say, feeling sick to his stomach. “Passionate? She’s a nuisance. I’ve half a mind to fail her just to teach her some humility. She needs to learn her place.”
“Does she actually fail the assignments, or do you just dislike her?” “The moment she walked into my lecture hall, I knew she’d be trouble. She sits right in the front, hands always up, always challenging the material. I can’t stand her.”
