John, a widower, faces a difficult decision when his daughter Alice insults his new girlfriend Claire at a family dinner, leading him to cancel her tuition payment and demand an apology, but ultimately bringing his family closer together as they work through their issues.
He Had Been Mourning
Meet John, a 56-year-old man who lost his wife in a car accident at the young age of 51. John was in deep mourning for about a year after her death until he met his new girlfriend, Claire, around January. Claire was the one who made him laugh for the first time after his wife died.
He Loves Her Deeply
John describes Claire as smart as hell, with three Ivy League degrees, a dark sense of humor that he loves, a terrific cook, and overall an amazing woman who he can imagine spending the rest of his life with. However, Claire is on the heavier side, a fact that becomes relevant later.
She Denied It
John has two children, Emily (25M) and Alice (19F). They were well aware that he had gotten a new girlfriend before he first introduced them to Claire this summer. While she got along immediately with Emily, Alice was very standoffish. After that initial meeting, John asked Alice if there was something wrong, but she denied it. Claire made a few more attempts to get to know Alice, but they were all rudely rejected.
She Was Rude
Emily and Alice both came home for Thanksgiving dinner. John asked Alice to please be polite during the meal since she’s always been rude in her interactions with Claire, even though Claire has been nothing but gracious in return. The dinner started off well, but John noticed Alice glaring at Claire the entire time. When Claire went to grab her third helping of mashed potatoes, Alice said, “Don’t you think you’ve eaten enough, you fat pig?” Claire started sobbing immediately and ran off into the bedroom.
He Stopped Payment
John felt his face turn red and told Alice to get out. About half an hour after Alice left, he texted her stating that he would no longer pay her tuition unless she apologized to Claire and she accepted her apology. Alice must have assumed that John was bluffing because she instead doubled down on her behavior during Thanksgiving dinner. John then logged into her university’s tuition payment website, canceled the next semester’s tuition, and sent Alice the screenshots.
He Wouldn’t Accept
Alice called John crying and begging him to reconsider, but he told her his mind was made up. John’s decision to cancel Alice’s tuition payment was not an easy one, but he felt that he needed to stand up for Claire and make it clear that he wouldn’t tolerate such behavior in his home. John knew that Alice was going through a tough time, but he also knew that she needed to learn the consequences of her actions. He hoped that this would be a wake-up call for her to change her behavior and treat others with respect.
She Apologized
A few days after Thanksgiving, Alice showed up at John’s house with a handwritten apology letter for Claire. She also apologized to John for her behavior and promised to make things right. John was relieved to see that Alice had taken responsibility for her actions and was willing to make amends. He accepted her apology and agreed to pay for her tuition for the next semester.
He Was Proud
Over the next few months, Alice made an effort to get to know Claire better and to treat her with respect. She realized that her behavior was unacceptable and that she needed to work on herself. John was proud of Alice for taking responsibility for her actions and for making an effort to change. He knew that it wasn’t easy for her to admit that she was wrong, but he was glad that she did.
He Thought The Decision Was Right
In the end, John’s decision to cancel Alice’s tuition payment was a tough one, but it was the right one. It showed Alice that her behavior had consequences and that she needed to take responsibility for her actions. It also brought his family closer together and helped them to work through their issues.
Straight to the Internet
John knew that his wife would be proud of the way he handled the situation and the way his family came together in the end. He was grateful for Claire, who had brought laughter and joy back into his life, and for his children, who had learned an important lesson about respect and responsibility. But what John wanted for himself with closure; therefore he decided to reach out to a popular internet forum for advice.
The Internet Responds
One person says, “A is probably still deep in mourning for her mother. You’ve managed to put your grief behind you, but the process is much slower for some people. Seeing C in her mother’s place at Thanksgiving was probably very hard on your daughter. That doesn’t excuse her rudeness, but it might explain it. Secondly, you’ve made your daughter’s tuition dependent on C accepting her apology. As the fees are something between you and your daughter, that’s not appropriate especially as C seems to be the issue here.”
Another Response
Someone else writes, “You talked about moving on after only a year. No child is going to be as happy as you want after so little time.”
A Final Response
A third person writes, “Yeah, forget tuition for next semester. Pay for some therapy, ’cause that’s what she really needs.”
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