Charlie watched Elaine limp into the yard with crutches and a huge shoulder bag on her back, which was obviously stuffed with a lot of things that made the bag look bulky. He instantly knew that his mother-in-law was up to no good.

Claire asked in surprise, “Mom, where have you been? I couldn’t find you anywhere in the house the whole morning.”

Elaine answered with a laugh, “Oh, I went to the wholesale market this morning and bought something!”

Claire chided, “Mom, your legs need some time to