The Misadventures of the Laundry Hag 00 - Skeletons in the Closet

What on Earth happened?”
    “It was a simple misunderstanding, Laura.” She had never offered to let me call her Mom, and I was very glad for it. “We’ve got it all taken care of, and it will never happen again.”
    My reassurance fell on deaf ears. “We don’t have time to discuss this now, but I had to do some fast talking to keep Mr. Henderson from backing out of today. He heard about your escapade and was ready to blow off the whole deal! Now, he’ll be here in half an hour with his teenage daughter, and so will Mr. Stevenson and Dr. Fredrick and their wives. Please, don’t embarrass me.”
    “I’ll do my best,” came out through tight lips.
    Neil and Marty appeared, both finely dressed in my husband’s button up shirts and slacks, although Neil made a subtle face at me as he reached for Ralph’s hand.
    “Good to see you, Dad.”
    “Laura, Ralph, you remember my brother, Marty.”
    The introductions over, I ushered my in-laws into the living room.
    “Oh, Maggie, the furniture looks wonderful! You see what a little style can do for a room.”
    I was glad I had banned my family from the furniture for the duration. Come the morrow, the stains would run rampant, and I wouldn’t care.
    “Where are the boys?” Laura queried in a distracted tone.
    “I’ll go check on them,” I said, glad for the reprieve.
    Josh emerged from the bathroom, dressed in the outfit I’d laid out for him. In the green button-up shirt and black slacks, he looked like a miniature version of his father.
    I gave him a kiss on the head. “You look handsome. Your grandparents are here. Where’s your brother?”
    “He says he won’t come out.” Josh pointed to the closed bedroom door.
    “Go on out, sweets, I’ll talk to him.”
    Kenny lay on his bed in his undershirt, face buried in a pillow.
    I crossed the room and rested a hand on his shoulder. “What is it, Kenny?”
    A sniffle was my only answer.
    “You know Grandma and Grandpa are here. Let me help you get dressed.”
    A violent head shake, and he clung tighter to the pillow.
    I rubbed his back. “Talk to me, Sport.”
    “I don’t like this. We never used to have to get all dressed up, except when we went to church. Thanksgiving was fun in Virginia. All of Dad’s friends and their kids, not a bunch of stuffy old people.”
    My heart ached in my chest. “Kenny, I know you miss the way everything was, but sometimes things have to change.”
    “I know.”
    “It’s only a meal, sweetheart. We’ll eat, and then when everybody leaves we can go play some football in the backyard. And think of all the awesome leftovers! You know what a great cook Leo is. We’ll have good food, and when we’re done we’ll send all the old farts packing.”
    That elicited a watery laugh. “I’m gonna tell Grandma you called her an old fart.”
    “No need,” Laura said from the doorway.
    Aw crap.
    “Kenny, please finish getting ready.” I stood and marched staunchly ahead to face my doom.
    With her features frozen, Laura looked like the evil queen from The Chronicles of Narnia . “Margaret, I would appreciate it if you wouldn’t malign us to our grandsons.”
    “Laura, I was only trying to cheer him up. He’s having a little trouble adjusting to all the changes, and I meant no harm by it.”
    Laura narrowed her green eyes and looked at me as if I had sprouted horns. “Children need to be taught to respect their elders, not to mock them. It’s outrageous enough that you don’t work for a living, setting an outdated and passé example for the boys, but do you really need to compound that embarrassment by belittling those more progressive than yourself? You may not have been taught proper respect, however—”
    “Now wait a darn minute, lady. My sister has nothing but respect for her elders and she was taught by the best. But respect is earned, and I think you should show Maggie a little consideration in her own house because she has sure earned some.” Of all the unlikely heroes, Marty decided to stand up for me.
    I was floored.
    Laura glared at Marty and turned on her heel, leaving a cloud of expensive perfume and simmering rage in her wake.
    “Marty, I….”
    “Save it, Laundry Hag. No one should talk to you like that, no matter what a screw up you can be.”
    “Right back at ya, Sprout.”
    Marty shifted his weight. “Anyway, I came to tell you that your guests are arriving.”
    We made our way back to the gathering where I greeted the stuffy new