the first Monday of every month for food.
Even after he found steady work, I continued because stopping felt mean when continuing was easy.
Some habits outlive their reasons.
I also paid for occasional school shoes, birthday parties, summer camp deposits, and enough restaurant meals that Rachel had stopped reaching for her purse when the bill arrived.
None of it bothered me while it felt appreciated.
The problem was gratitude had slowly become expectation.
“Patricia, can you bring dessert?”
“Patricia, can you grab the kids?”
“Patricia, David forgot his wallet.”
