“Good morning, Mr. Harrison,” I said. “It’s Eleanor. I think it’s time we talked about Julian.”
“Ah, Eleanor,” Mr. Harrison sighed. “I figured you’d be calling soon. I heard about what happened at the wedding. That boy has no idea what you’ve done for him all these years.”
“That’s exactly why I’m calling,” I said. “I want you to see who Julian really is as an employee without my influence.”
Mr. Harrison was quiet for a moment. “Eleanor, if I withdraw my protection, Julian is going to have serious problems in the company. His work is mediocre. He’s constantly late, and several clients have complained about his attitude.”
“Then handle the situation as it should be handled,” I replied. “I will no longer intercede for him.”
Meanwhile, Vanessa had begun to notice other changes. The credit card she used for her shopping sprees for clothes and beauty products had been canceled.
It was a card I had taken out years ago and had been paying silently so that Julian could keep his girlfriend, and later wife, happy.
When Vanessa tried to use it at her favorite boutique, the saleswoman told her the card had been reported as canceled for non-payment.
“Julian!” Vanessa screamed that night. “Your mother canceled my credit card. Call her right now and tell her to reactivate it.”
Julian called me in a rage. “Mom, how can you be so petty? Vanessa needs that card.”
“Vanessa can get her own card,” I replied. “Or you can get one for her with your credit. Oh, wait. You don’t have any credit because you’ve never paid for anything yourself.”
“You’re a bitter old woman,” he yelled at me. “That’s why nobody loves you.”
His words hurt. But this time, I didn’t stay silent.
“Julian,” I said in a firm voice, “for 28 years, I swallowed my pride so you could have everything you wanted. I humbled myself, worked to exhaustion, and gave up my own happiness. And when the most important moment of your life came, you treated me like trash. Now you’re going to learn what it means to stand on your own two feet.”
I hung up and turned off my phone. It was time for the next step.
The next day, I visited Julian at his work. I arrived in a luxury car service, dressed in an elegant suit I had bought that morning.
When I entered the office, everyone stared at me. Julian came out of his cubicle with a surprised look on his face.
“Mom, what are you doing here?”
“I came to talk to you,” I said. “Can we speak in private?”
We went to the conference room, and I closed the door.
“Julian,” I said, “I want you to know something. For all these years, Mr. Harrison has been very patient with you because he respects me. But that patience has run out.”
“What are you talking about?” he asked nervously.
“I’m talking about the fact that Mr. Harrison knows you’re late, that your work is mediocre, that several clients have complained about you. The only thing that has kept you in this job has been my influence.”
Julian turned pale. “That’s not true.”
“Isn’t it?”
I took out my phone and dialed Mr. Harrison’s number.
“Mr. Harrison, could you please come to the conference room? My son has some questions about his job performance.”
Five minutes later, Mr. Harrison entered the room with a folder in his hands.
“Good morning, Julian,” he said in a serious voice. “Your mother asked me to show you this.”
He opened the folder and took out several documents.
“These are the reports from your supervisors for the last three years. It says here you’ve been late 43 times. You’ve submitted projects with significant errors, and three major clients specifically requested that you not work on their accounts again.”
Julian looked at the papers, unable to believe what he was seeing. “But they never said anything to me.”
“Because your mother asked me to be patient with you,” Mr. Harrison continued. “She has been quietly paying for your mistakes, apologizing to clients, even financially compensating the company for the losses you’ve caused.”
“That’s a lie,” Julian whispered.
“It’s not a lie,” I told him. “For years, I’ve been cleaning up your messes because I thought one day you would become the man I wanted you to be. But I was wrong. You are already the man you were going to be—one who treats his mother like trash.”
Mr. Harrison closed the folder.
“Julian, as a personal favor to your mother, I’m going to give you two weeks to find another job. After that, your employment here is terminated.”
He stood up and left, leaving us alone.
