That night, I complained to Zion while he scrolled through his phone on the couch.
“Your mom asks for a free cake at least once a week,” I said. “I can’t keep absorbing it.”
“But she watches Mina three mornings a week,” he said, without looking up. “Think what that would cost us. You can give her a few cakes back. Be grateful.”
I had been grateful.
I packed Mina’s lunch, thanked Giselle at every handover, and made her favorite coconut cake for her birthday.
None of that seemed to count when I wanted to say no.
But the solution was obvious now: if I wanted to refuse Giselle’s demands, I needed to arrange childcare for Mina.
The next day, Dana messaged to ask whether I could make a cake for her sister’s anniversary.
The order would pay enough to cover a week of morning childcare at the preschool near us.
I wanted to say no. I checked my calendar twice before replying. I could do it if I kept the following Thursday clear.
