Road to Review - Mrs. Wiggins by Mary Monroe

ICYMI (In Case You Missed It)

Hello! Welcome back to another Road to Review Post for Mrs. Wiggins by Mary Monroe. Today’s post will cover Chapters 22-25.

OK. SO BOOM!

Maggie’s depressive mood continues as she mourns Claude’s departure from their family home. She attempts to contact Claude, but to her dismay, she’s unable to speak to him over the phone because Daisy intercepts Maggie’s phone calls. This further deepens the wedge between Claude and his family.

Eventually, enough is enough, and Maggie tires from not being able to contact Claude. She and Hubert travel to Daisy’s for a pop-up visit. The visit upsets and unsettles Daisy when Maggie casually mentions she will go to Claude’s workplace. Daisy’s temperament changes from cheeky to placid once she reveals that Maggie’s appearance at Claude’s workplace would cause him additional problems to his existing ones there. She’s also afraid that if he loses his job, he won’t be able to keep his promise of relieving her of her debt.

Before their conversation can go any further, Claude shows up from work. He’s unaware that his parents have been trying to contact him. He seems to have missed them, but when he extends an invitation for them to come inside, Daisy immediately shuts it down and refuses to allow them to pass the door.

Several days pass before Maggie receives communication from Claude. He calls and suggests that Maggie take Daisy out for lunch and attempt to learn more about her. Before Maggie has an opportunity to contact Daisy, Daisy calls her and hustles Maggie out of cash instead of having a sit-down lunch at a restaurant. She claims she needs cash for her electricity bill and the money for lunch would go to better use there.

Anxious to get the cash from Maggie, Daisy shows up at the Wiggins house, sooner than expected. It’s here that Maggie gets a concentrated dose of what kind of woman her son has gotten entangled with. It’s difficult to decide if Claude’s relationship with Daisy is good for him, as Daisy shows that she is aggressive, rude, pushy, and lacks respect for people. In no time, she’s taken money, food, and drink from Maggie and has left without so much as a thank you or an act of gratitude that’s worthy of missing.

In true Jessie fashion, Maggie’s best friend carries rumors back to her about what’s been said regarding Maggie and Daisy’s lunch. Word on the street is that Maggie paid off Daisy to have lunch with her. There are also rumors that Daisy is using Claude so that she can move up North to be with her children’s father. This pains Maggie to hear from Jessie and puts her in a panic to save her son from Daisy’s grasp.

Jessie is usually fast when she shares the town’s rumor mill with Maggie, but this time she wasn’t fast enough. Immediately after leaving Jessie’s, Maggie returns home, only to be greeted with more bad news. The news is Claude and Daisy are getting married. So much for trying to save him. *shrug*

The news of Claude and Daisy’s engagement causes an argument between him and his parents. All of the emotions in the room overheat and bubble up, resulting in Claude leaving in anger and an inconsolable Maggie.

As if Maggie’s plate of worry wasn’t full enough, her employer, Mrs. Dowler, informs her that her younger brother, Oswald, will be coming to live with her soon. Maggie expected him at a later time in the year, but there’s been a change in plans. Due to his marital troubles, he’s been forced out of his home and will be moving in with Mrs. Dowler sooner than anticipated. He’s not as friendly or progressive as Mrs. Dowler, so Maggie is apprehensive about his visit turned stay.

Mrs. Dowler notices Maggie’s sad and downtrodden demeanor and prompts Maggie to update her about Claude and Daisy. Maggie discloses something she hasn’t told anyone, and that is she gave Daisy money. Mrs. Dowler immediately warns her not to make that a habit, or it will become an expectation of her from Daisy. She also suggests that she should work on creating a relationship with Daisy that will allow her to successfully convince Daisy to postpone the wedding long enough for Claude to call off the wedding. Maggie’s only hope is that Claude sees Daisy for the juke joint jezebel she is. Either that or she’ll have to have to find some other way to remove Daisy from her and her family’s picture-perfect life.

As if she hadn’t been through enough already, Maggie continues to not catch a break. On her next workday, she arrives at Mrs. Dowler’s and is greeted by a hushed and hasty Mrs. Dowler. Why? Because Oswald has arrived. He’s a tricky man. Seems like a wolf in sheep’s clothing, as his initial demeanor causes Maggie to put down her defenses. That was before he opens his mouth and reminds her who and where she is in his eyes. Just like that, Maggie’s bad days are foreseen to become worse.

Phew. These chapters were something else y’all.

Daisy is continuously dragging the Wiggins family name through the mud. In no time she’s been able to swindle money from Maggie and completely alienate Claude from his family. If that ain’t a trip, I don’t know what is.

Do you think Maggie will be able to win over Daisy and convince her to hold off on the wedding long enough for Claude to see that she’s not the best choice for him? Why or why not?

Then there’s Oswald. He’s made his first on-page appearance and leaves us on a cliffhanger about what to expect between his interactions with Maggie.

What does his presence mean for Maggie’s treatment and position in the Dowler household?

Talk to me, people.

Until the next Road to Review, I’ll see you in my rearview mirror!

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