My MIL died 27 years ago this month, she was a real sweetie who treated me as a son. My parents were gone by the time I was 18, both died prematurely, I had just started dating her daughter and within a few months they took the role of parents, they weren't my MIL/FIL yet, but they were very kind.
When we were married about 8 years, I had a bad sports injury that required serious surgery to rebuilt my shoulder. I was in the hospital for 9 days, then was able to come home. My wife taught school, it was still summer, so she could be home to help me take shower, get to the bathroom and feed me. I had my arm in a brace, so I was helpless.
MIL saw that once my wife went back to school, I was going to be alone all day. We had two small kids who needed to get to school or daycare, she really didn't have time for me until dinner. I was still on strong drugs, the doctor said I should not be left alone, so MIL, who was retired, drove an hour each way to stay with me during the day.
I slept a lot, she was writing her 3rd book, I just kept a bell to ring when I needed her assistance. Regular bathroom was not difficult, help me get up and to the bathroom door, I could handle it from there. But I'm a clean freak, I can go more than 2 days without a full shower. I wanted my wife to assist, because she just got naked and got in with me, but between feeding kids, helping them with lessons, making and correcting test for her students, the was exhausted by days end.
I needed some kind of shower, so MIL told me when you get hurt and have medical problems, you dignity goes out the window, so I'm going to undress you, cover your brace with plastic and scrub you down. I was ready. So that's what she did, got me naked, covered my brace and put me in the shower chair. What surprised me was MIL stripping down and joining me. She said don't worry about it, your FIL and I go in saunas and hot tubs nude with friends and strangers all the time. I think it was the latent hippie genes the shared.
I miss her, she was beautiful, she wanted me to teach her to be a better cook, I really just taught her my Creole basic from my fathers side, and Sicilian from my mothers.
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