Oh, I forgot to finish that comment. I wrote the "either" but not the "or."
Either M's sister comes through with something like "Merry Christmas, dear sister, here's a large check. Tell your husband to stop worrying so much about money, and remind the children their godmother loves them even though I can't visit again just now."
OR she tells M her husband is a scoundrel/liar/criminal, and she turns up Christmas morning to whisk her sister and niblings away.
Could the husband have been hoping for the first scenario? Given the timing? Maybe. The total fantasy scenario ("Here's a house, and health insurance, and a hypoallergenic pony!" is not going to happen.) But a few hundred dollars to fix the car can be life-changing for a lot of families.
Re: *
Either M's sister comes through with something like "Merry Christmas, dear sister, here's a large check. Tell your husband to stop worrying so much about money, and remind the children their godmother loves them even though I can't visit again just now."
OR she tells M her husband is a scoundrel/liar/criminal, and she turns up Christmas morning to whisk her sister and niblings away.
Could the husband have been hoping for the first scenario? Given the timing? Maybe. The total fantasy scenario ("Here's a house, and health insurance, and a hypoallergenic pony!" is not going to happen.) But a few hundred dollars to fix the car can be life-changing for a lot of families.