Part 1: The Invitation
When Theo mentioned that his mother had offered to babysit, I should have known something was off. It had always been the same with Denise — my mother-in-law. She’d never wanted to help before, claiming her dog had “separation anxiety” and that she couldn’t possibly be without it. But today, she was suddenly offering to watch our daughter, Theresa, for the day. Why the change? I couldn’t quite put my finger on it, but I felt a knot form in my stomach.
I glanced at Theo, who seemed too absorbed in his phone to notice my hesitation. “Your mom offered?” I repeated, not sure if I was hearing him correctly.
“Yeah,” he said, not looking up. “She called while I was in the shower. She asked if we needed help, and I said yes. It’s just one day, Hilary.”
I stared at him, my mind racing. Denise had never once volunteered to babysit before. Was this really about helping us out? Or was there something more to it?
Theresa had been sick the night before, running a fever and complaining of a sore tummy. She was eight years old, and while I hated to leave her in that state, I had no choice. I had to go to work. My phone had already gone off earlier this week with complaints from my boss about taking too many sick days.
Leave a Comment