The benefits barely covered rent and groceries. Childcare was impossible. When my car started making ominous grinding noises, I lay awake all night doing mental math I already knew wouldn’t work.
“You can’t do this alone forever,” my mom kept saying during our late-night calls. “Come stay with me for a while.”
I resisted. Pride, maybe. Or stubbornness. But when Ethan’s teething turned nights into endless crying—for both of us—I finally agreed.
I bought the cheapest economy ticket I could find and packed one small suitcase. As we boarded, I whispered to Ethan, “Just a few hours, sweetheart. Then Grandma.”
From the moment we sat down, I knew it was going to be rough. The cabin pressure hurt his ears. His gums were swollen. He squirmed and fussed like he could sense how trapped we were.
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