Man tells off former stepmom in public. Wife says, 'you took things too far.' AITA?
When this man is furious with his stepmom, he asks Reddit:
'AITA for telling my former step mother to go F herself?'
Last week I was back in my home town helping a friend take his truck to the dealership. While it was in the shop we went and got lunch at a pretty popular spot and we got sat next to my former step mother and former step brother. My ex step bro and I don't talk but he's close with my younger sibling because for about 8 years they lived together. I was older and really never had a connection with him.
I caught my dad cheating on my mother with my now ex step mom when I was 12. A year later he left us for her, moved a block away into her house, and shit sucked for a while. Life was a big slap in the face for a while, and I worked through HS and college to support my mom and brother because my dad didn't think it was his problem and my former step mother encouraged that.
Later my ex step mom cheated on my dad and left him. All good in my opinion, that relationship needed to end. Anyway, she interrupted our meal and asked me how I was and I looked her in the eye and asked her what the f*** she thought she was doing. She said 'Just saying hi.'
I looked at her, and then at my former step bro. I said 'hey (step bro's name), always a pleasure to see you my friend' (he's a civilian), shook his hand and ignored them. She tapped my arm and said 'what am I, invisible?' and I lost it, tbh. I looked at her and said: 'You can go f*** yourself. Don't speak to me. I don't want to talk to you, who the f*** do you think you are right now? Why on earth would you ever think I'd want to talk to you now that I don't legally have to?'
She said she was just being polite, and I asked her if she was still f***** married guys. My friend asked for the check, we left. He was cool about it, he remembers what my home life was like. But: My brother thinks I was too harsh, my dad thinks I created drama from nothing. My wife thinks it was embarrassing even though she wasn't there. AITA?
Let's find out.
mommerman writes:
NTA, sometimes that explosion is the natural consequence to some FUBAR level behavior…. Kinda reminds me of the time I blew up on my aunt when she kept pestering me to go visit her son, who molested me for basically my entire childhood, which she knew about…. Some people are just too much to be polite with. You did good, for yourself, and I hope you feel better about it now.
dopaminedarling writes:
I'm a bit conflicted. Were you unnecessary blunt ? yes. But she approached you not the other way around. Your first response was to give her the cold shoulder and that's fine too in my book. She does live in reality and knows your history with her. She should have accepted the cold shoulder and leave it at that.
She didn't and by that she gave you the open to tell her what you did. Life gave you that little present and you took it. You didn't have to but I can't fault you by setting that boundary bluntly and enjoy it. Petty? Yes F bomb not necessary but it's a feel good f bomb after she imploded your younger self life and now you have no obligations towards her.
lemlemsx writes:
NTA. you made it very obvious you didn’t want to talk to her but she kept pushing it. Yes you unloaded on her in fairly spectacular fashion but she kept at you until she got a reaction so I’d file it under FAFO myself.