The future mother-in-law, Eleanor, had taken total control over every detail of the wedding, from the specific shade of white roses in the centerpieces to the final approval of the catering menu. Relinquishing authority wasn’t in her nature; she was a woman used to being in charge. A formidable woman whose fingers were adorned with heavy gold rings, she possessed a gaze so piercing that local vendors often lowered their prices the moment she walked through the door.
Her son, Mike, was marrying Allison—a soft-spoken blonde with a hint of hidden sadness in her eyes. Eleanor viewed her son’s choice as a burden she had to endure, accepting the girl like one accepts an unavoidable storm. Allison’s background left much to be desired in Eleanor’s eyes: no influential family connections and no significant inheritance to speak of.
The girl had lost her mother when she was only five. She was raised by her father, Bill—a quiet, unassuming man who had spent his life working at the local manufacturing plant, his hands calloused from years of labor. Bill usually wore a slightly oversized suit that looked like it belonged to a different era, and he had a habit of keeping his head down, avoiding direct eye contact.
During the families’ first meeting, Eleanor had whispered to her sister, Susan, that her boy deserved a much better match. she lamented Mike’s “blind infatuation” but consoled herself with the thought that Allison seemed easy to manage. Meanwhile, she dismissed Bill with a condescending sniff, often making remarks about his lack of ambition.
Susan would nod in agreement, her lips pressed thin, fully sharing her sister’s skepticism. Their family successfully ran a regional chain of hardware stores, and Eleanor’s husband, Leonard, owned a profitable series of auto body shops. Compared to their success, Bill looked like a total zero, a man who could offer the newlyweds nothing more than an old TV and a small room in a modest apartment.
At the reception, the groom’s side of the family dominated the ballroom. They were a loud, confident crowd, showing off designer labels and trading boisterous jokes. Allison’s guest list was small: a couple of friends, a few distant relatives, and her kind neighbor, Mrs. Gable, who had helped her with the alterations on her dress.
Bill sat quietly at the very edge of the head table, trying to blend into the background. For the occasion, he had bought a new suit—a simple, dark blue one, but neat. He had struggled with the tie, and Allison had to fix it for him with trembling fingers just before the ceremony began…
