The Walkie-Talkie That Exposed Everything I Gave Away

Tears slid down his cheeks.

“I know we messed up. But you’re still my mom. You can’t just cut us off.”

“Cut you off?

Thomas, I gave you my entire life. When you had nightmares at eight, who held you? When you broke your arm at 12, who stayed in the hospital all night?

When you couldn’t afford college, who worked overtime for two years to pay your tuition?”

“Mom, stop…”

“When you married Lila, who paid for the flowers because you ran out of money? When Max was born, who took unpaid leave to help with the baby? When you needed a home, who emptied her retirement fund?”

I swallowed hard.

“I gave you everything. And you treated me like a fool you could exploit.”

Thomas buried his face in his hands. “We never meant for it to go that far.”

“Every month, Thomas.

Every month, you watched me hand over that money. You knew I skipped meals to afford it. You knew I wore the same coat for three winters.”