My son, a soldier, came home after a five-year absence to find me on my knees cleaning the floors in my own home, while his wife and her mother were peacefully sipping coffee on the couch 
However, he then did something that made everyone who had made fun of and degraded me for years regret everything 
My nose was irritated by the strong scent of cleaning solution. I was scrubbing nonstop while kneeling on the chilly parquet floor. I wanted to cry because my knees hurt so much, but I’d learnt to put up with it for a long time. As I crawled past them, I was cleaning floors for folks who couldn’t even bring themselves to get up.
My daughter-in-law and her mother were seated on the couch. They were scrolling on their phones, conversing, and sipping tea. I was practically invisible to them.
My heart constricted when I heard the front door open. I started scrubbing more quickly and lowering my head even more. Laura, my son’s wife, would yell once more if the floor wasn’t immaculate. There was always something for her to criticize.
Mom?
That voice was one in a thousand that I would have recognized.
I felt as though someone had doused me with ice-cold water. I slowly raised my head and noticed a man dressed in a military uniform. Dusty and exhausted, he stood in the doorway with a backpack slung over his shoulder. My son was there. My name is Alex.
In an instant, his face changed. When he saw me down at his wife’s feet in an old apron with untidy hair, the smile vanished.
“Is that you, Mom?” he said softly.
The room was filled with a profound quiet.
In order to avoid me getting in the way, Laura’s mother lounged back on the couch and raised her feet. As though nothing was out of the ordinary, she took a drink of her tea.
Laura nearly dropped her glass as she nervously chuckled, “You’re back early.” – You were not anticipated today.
Alex remained silent. He moved in closer, crouched next to me, and grasped my hands. The roughness and cracking of his fingers made him tense.
— What’s happening? His voice was dull as he asked.
Laura’s mother blurted up, “She likes helping around the house.” Cleaning is beneficial for senior citizens. Isn’t it?
Alex got to his feet carefully. He glanced around the room, then back at me, then at the individuals seated on the couch. His expression stiffened.
Then he moved forward, and everyone was horrified by what he did next, which made them repent everything.
Alex abruptly fell to his knees in front of me. Like when he was a kid, his shoulders shook and he drew me into his arms.
He cried as he said, “Pardon me, Mom.” I apologize for picking you such a daughter-in-law. I apologize for abandoning you. I had no idea. I would never have permitted this if I had known.
The chamber hung in deathly quiet. Not even Laura dared to speak.
Alex got to his feet carefully. There was no longer any agony or bewilderment on his face. Without hesitation, he took Laura’s mother’s and her own hands and pulled them to the exit.
“Leave my house,” he stated icily. — And I want to never see you again.
He had already opened the door when they attempted to object.
I’ll call the police if I hear one more word. Even our nation’s adversaries are more compassionate than you. He paused, “It’s a shame you’re a woman, because otherwise you wouldn’t have gotten off so easily.”
The door shut with a slam.
Alex returned to me, gave me another embrace, and whispered:
— I’m here now. And you will never again be humiliated by anyone.
