During a family dinner, Evan is forced to bite his tongue when his brother and sister-in-law speak down to his wife, Sam, for her profession. But things soon change when Sam gets an offer that she cannot refuse, all thanks to the reason she was belittled. Soon after, Evan’s sister-in-law knocks on Sam’s door, asking for her professional help.
Since Samantha and I got married, my brother and his wife have always been on Sam’s case. She’s a massage therapist and is insanely gifted with her hands.
As part of her volunteerism, she goes to a local old-age home to treat the elderly to massages. I think it’s beautiful and selfless, but my family had other thoughts.
“Do you still work as a massage therapist?” Jill asked her when we went to dinner at Jill and Brian’s house. They were celebrating big promotions at work and had just moved into a new house.
“I do,” Sam said, twirling her pasta around her fork.
“But why? Not only will you and Evan never afford a house like this on your meager salary, but you also choose to touch old people. That’s gross!” Jill sneered at my wife while she sipped her wine.
“I find my work incredibly fulfilling,” Sam said, her composure well-maintained. “Helping those in need, especially the elderly, is satisfying to me. It’s more meaningful to me than managing stock exchanges.”
I clenched my fists under the table, anger boiling inside me.
I loved my brother, but since he and Jill got married, they had become insufferable. I didn’t understand the need to belittle Sam.
I opened my mouth to speak my mind, but Sam put her hand on my arm, giving me a subtle shake of her head.
“I’m sorry,” I told her in the car. “I should have intervened earlier.”
“No,” she said, leaning back in her seat. “Nothing good would have come from that. Your brother and sister-in-law believe that money is the only way to success. They don’t understand anything else.”
I nodded. That much was true.
Two weeks later, things began to change for my wife.
She came home beaming while I began dinner.
“What’s that smile for?” I asked her as she walked in. “You’ve got news, haven’t you?”
“Evan, it’s been a good day!” she said, sitting down at the counter.