my mother-in law is coming (the guest room)

The Guest Room

The books are arranged on the shelves. I put them all up today. They are categorized, but not alphabetized: modern and contemporary fiction, classic fiction, ancient classics, literature anthologies, reference, general nonfiction, autobiographies, biographies, memoirs, gardening, drama, poetry, how-to, hiking/camping, field guides, ornithology, astrology, health, kids and miscellaneous. It has taken almost three years to do this; and it’s not because we have tons and tons of books. It’s because the books were in “that room.” You know the room, the one that no one uses, the one that no one is brave enough to walk into for fear of a foot or head injury. It’s the catch-all room, spare room, extra room, the guest bedroom for people who never have guests; that was us, the last one. But now we are getting a guest, two of them actually. My husband’s mom and sister will be here soon, tomorrow soon. It has created panic.
You would think the Queen of England was coming to stay. It’s mostly me; I always panic when it comes to company. I feel like the house needs to be perfect no matter who is coming, well, almost no matter. This is an unfortunate trait that I have inherited from my mother. It is a trait that drives husbands to the brink of insanity. By the time my in-laws leave, he will probably be close to death. Nevertheless, I must be tolerated in my time of high anxiety. My insistence that the house be practically remodeled is not excessive in the least. This is just something that women do. Not, of course, all women, but a lot of women. It is especially true pending a visit from Mother-in-law.
My husband does not understand. “It’s just my mom,” he says, just his mom. Now, if my own mother was coming to stay, I’d probably only clean the bathroom and kitchen, and push everything out of the way in the guest room to clear a walking trail. Maybe it’s because I know that my mom loves me no matter what. But my mother-in-law did not give birth to me. I have to knock her socks off. I have to show her how well I am taking care of her son and granddaughter. So, the house will look spectacular. The guest room (which is also our study/office) will look like the reading room of the Carnegie Library with a bed in it. I will make my best, from-scratch lasagna, and I will not sleep in late – not once! My house will be a bed and breakfast with a cute little baby for entertainment. At the end of their stay, I will be emotionally and physically exhausted. I will probably need my mommy.
But the guest room will be finished. I will have very clean floors. I will get to look at all the updated, framed pictures that I replaced the old ones with. The grout between the bathroom tiles will be white once again. All of the little tasks that my husband has been putting off until later will have been accomplished (if not all of them in their entirety), and I can relax a little and maybe get some writing done. It’s not such a bad thing, after all. Maybe I could get my mother-in-law to visit twice a year. Nah, on second thought, once a year is enough.