I’m Mariko, a remote-working corporate employee in my 40s. I live with my husband, Takayoshi, also in his 40s, and our daughter, Sari, a eighth-grader. Both of our parents live nearby, but since my mother-in-law, Sanae (in her 70s), and I haven’t gotten along since day one of our marriage, my husband has always taken our daughter to his parents’ house by himself since she was little. Now that she’s hitting her rebellious phase, her attitude has gone downhill, and she’s been taking it out on me. To make matters worse, even though she knows damn well I’m terrified of dogs, she started nagging me to get one just to spite me.
When my daughter brought up wanting a dog, I shut it down immediately because I can’t stand them. I got bit by a dog when I was a kid, and to this day, they still scare the life out of me. But out of nowhere, my husband sided with her and seemed all for the idea. I told them, “No way in hell!” but then my mother-in-law—who I absolutely detest—called me up and chewed me out, telling me to just deal with it. Then came the weekend. When my husband walked through the door after being out, what do you think was nestled right there in his arms? A freaking dog!