Melissa smirked directly at me, raising her glass. “You can toast too, hun. From the kitchen.”
A woman from the cul-de-sac leaned toward June, whispering loudly, “Isn’t that Derek’s sister?”
“Yes,” Melissa answered for the room. “The one who works overseas. She’s terribly shy.”
That was the exact moment the dam broke.
Ellen Holloway, sixty-six years old, pushed her heavy wooden chair back and stood up. Her hands were visibly trembling, but her jaw was set like granite.
“Her name is Iris,” my mother said, her voice ringing clear and authoritative through the dining room. “And this is her home.”
Derek’s face flushed dark red. “Sit down, Mom.”
1 thought on “After 6 years working abroad, I came home to surprise my mom in the $600K house I bought her. My brother’s wife answered the door: “The maid is”