“Robert, you’re on speakerphone. I’m with Mom, and she just told me she’s not going to be here for Christmas, that she’s going on a trip. Tell her this is absurd.”
I heard Robert’s voice on the other end.
“What? Mom, is that true?”
“Yes, Robert, it’s true.”
“But why? Did something happen?”
“Many things happened for many years, and I finally decided that I deserve better than to be treated like your employee.”
“No one treats you like an employee. You’re our mother.”
“When was my last birthday, Robert?”
Silence.
“I’ll tell you. It was August 15th, four months ago. You didn’t call. You didn’t write. You didn’t come. Nothing.”
“Mom, I was… I was busy with—”
“You’re always busy. Everyone is always busy. Except when you need me for something. Then you find the time.”
“This isn’t fair,” Amanda chimed in. “You’re punishing us for something we didn’t even know bothered you.”
“It bothered me because you never stopped to ask me. You never cared how I felt. You only cared about what I could do for you.”
Robert spoke again.
“Mom, we can talk about this after Christmas. But right now, we need you to… to be available.”
“That’s the word you’re looking for,” I finished for him. “You need me to be available. Well, guess what? I’m not anymore.”
“Then what are we going to do?” Robert’s voice sounded more irritated than worried.
“You’re going to do what all parents do. Take care of your own children. Cancel your trips, or take the kids with you, or hire someone. I don’t know. It’s not my problem to solve.”
Amanda closed her eyes as if she were making an effort to stay calm.
“Mom, be reasonable. We’ve already paid thousands of dollars for these trips. We can’t just—”
