ひとみと夫の哲也は新婚夫婦で、同居生活を始めるが義母との関係が悪化し、義母が私の雇用データを削除する事件が起こる。ひとみは義実家を出て独り暮らしをするが、後悔や自責の念に囚われる。哲也に連絡を取る勇気がなく、自らを責める。気持ちを整理する為にビジネスホテルで一人になり、情緒は落ち着く。同居を安易に考えたことを後悔し、哲也への感謝と申し訳なさを感じる。同居の難しさや継母という存在の厳しさを痛感し、感情を整理する。
Continuation from last time. My husband, Tetsuya, and I are newlyweds. In the area where my husband lives, it is not uncommon for the eldest son to live with his parents. After meeting certain conditions, we decided to start living together with my husband and his parents. Initially, my relationship with my mother-in-law was good, and I thought we could live together maintaining a moderate distance. However, my mother-in-law started coming over saying things like, “Let me teach you how to cook!” and “Help out in the field!” When I told my husband about this, he scolded his mother, but her dissatisfaction with me grew. And finally… an incident occurred where my mother-in-law deleted my employment data. I thought it was impossible to continue living together, so I left my in-laws’ house.
Tetsuya called me several times, but I didn’t have the confidence to express my feelings properly, so I couldn’t talk to him on the phone.
My mother-in-law had a bruise on her arm. When I was alone in the hotel, my feelings started to calm down as time passed. At that moment, I regretted pressuring my mother-in-law too much. My regret wasn’t just about hurting my mother-in-law. Looking back in the past, I could only think, “I should have done this,” “I should have done that,” wondering where I went wrong.
I regretted being too hasty in considering cohabitation at the beginning of our marriage. I should have thought more carefully. I thought I had a kind personality, but I realized I was too confident.
I felt very sorry for Tetsuya, who always protected me and prioritized me. Although Tetsuya had always protected me, this time he would have surely been angry with me. There was no other option but to give up.
Being alone in a business hotel, I gradually calmed down. While I couldn’t forgive my mother-in-law’s actions, I felt sorry for pushing her away. Just because I thought about it didn’t mean I wanted to go back to my in-laws’ house. I realized once again the difficulty of living together and how the accumulation of small daily events makes the role of a stepmother so challenging.
Tetsuya ran towards me out of breath. Despite being a little drunk from drinking desperately, I used the power of the alcohol to express what I wanted to say.
To be continued in [Episode 9].
Original Idea: Mamasta Community | Script: Watanabe Tae | Illustration: Yoshida | Editing: Ishii Yasu