“I haven’t decided,” I said. “And I’m not asking for a vote.”
Gregory nodded immediately.
Brenda looked as though she wanted to speak, then stopped.
That mattered too.
“This house is mine,” I continued. “But more importantly, my time is mine.”
No one argued.
“I love helping with the grandchildren. I love cooking holidays. I love having all of you around. But I don’t want those things treated like services I provide.”
Jennifer spoke first.
“They shouldn’t be.”
“I also don’t want to be included because anyone feels guilty.”
Brenda looked at me.
“Then how do we know what you want?”
The answer came more easily than I expected.
“You ask.”
She nodded.
“That simple?”
“That simple.”
We talked until nearly midnight.
Not everything was solved.
Some things probably never would be.
But the conversation felt different because nobody was trying to win.
The next morning, I woke before everyone else.
