Some background: despite numerous requests from both myself and my DH, MIL refuses to ring his mobile to talk to him. She has his number, and he always answers if possible. If he can't answer (eg - driving), then he will ring back as soon as he can. But MIL insists on ringing me. She doesn't want to talk to me, btw. Actually she doesn't even say hello. Just asks if DH is there.
Now, given that DH and I are separate people who don't spend every second together, the answer to this is frequently no! Whereupon MIL quizzes me on where he is, what he is doing today, etc. And I remind her that she needs to ask him, as I don't know the details of his schedule. MIL will then announce that she needs him to do X for her, at X time today. And usually I end up texting DH to let him know.
Until yesterday that is. MIL rang me, I answered. The following exchange then took place:
Me: Hello DMIL! How are you?
MIL: Is DH there?
Me: No, he's out.
MIL: Where is he?
Me: Er...I think he went to get a refill of his prescription from the doctor...
MIL: The doctor doesn't open for another half an hour!
Me: That's erm...nice? Is something wrong?
MIL: No. Is he coming round today?
Me: Not today, sorry.
MIL: Well is he collecting DN from school today?
Me: No, he is having a lot of trouble with his back. He will be taking his painkillers when he gets home and he can't drive with them in his system.
MIL: I HAVE A BAD BACK! I HAVE A FRACTURED SPINE!
Me: Well, then I'm sure you understand what it's like and how sleepy the painkillers make you?
MIL: I PAID HIM THE PETROL TO PICK DN UP!
Me: News to me, I thought he usually did it for free...
MIL: NO! I PAID HIM AND HE HASN'T BOTHERED IN TWO WEEKS! IT'S ONE DAY A WEEK AND HE HASN'T BOTHERED!
Me: Well talk to him then! All I know is that DH has been unable to pick DN up from school because he is in too much pain without the pills, and too sleepy with the pills to do so safely. I'm sure DBIL and DSIL can make other arrangements with a friend. They haven't told us that they can't.
MIL: Well, they can't - it isn't convenient. AND I HAVE A WORSE BACK THAN HE DOES! I AM IN CONSTANT PAIN; NONE OF YOU REALISE THE PAIN I'M IN!
Me: Oh fuck off DMIL!
I fear I may have snapped at the end, but I am at the end of my tether! She does this all the time, btw. If anyone disagrees with her, she just starts shouting them down. If anyone is ill, she must be more ill, and so forth. And she is prejudiced/bigoted against so many people and things that it actually forms a sort of negative equality towards the entire world.
So, I have told DH that I'm not having anything else to do with MIL. He hasn't said much, aside from an initial query of what happened. According to him, she hadn't given him petrol money, and DBIL knew that he couldn't collect DN at the moment.
Clearly, their stories don't add up, so one or both of them is not being entirely honest, but it's not my problem anymore!
I feel so liberated that it surely must be wrong...AIBU?