They had no idea that in the six months I'd been here, I hadn't taken a single penny from them. In fact, I'd spent nearly thirty thousand dollars of my own money subsidizing their household.
Then that nephew of mine, the one who'd always had a bone to pick with our side of the family, chimed in with his usual snide tone: "If you ask me, Natalie's just too soft-hearted."
"She should've hired a real nanny. But no, she had to ask her own mother. Well, look how that turned out. Easy to invite someone in, hard to get them to leave."
"Pocketing a dollar here and there might not seem like much, but it shows bad character. And that's just what we can see. Who knows how much she's skimmed when no one's looking."
"Exactly." The distant cousin-in-law from before jumped right in. "Look at how she's rushing to leave. Maybe we hit a nerve? If she had nothing to hide, why would she run?"
Natalie typed in the group chat: "Mom, everyone's saying the same thing. Just stop being so stubborn."
"Harvey can't be without you right now. I'll talk to Hal and get him to give you a two-hundred-dollar raise."
I found the group chat settings and left the conversation.
The world was finally quiet.
Half an hour later, Natalie came out pretending she needed a glass of water. She shuffled over to the couch and sat down, her eyes finding me on the balcony.
"Mom, let's talk."
I said nothing and kept packing.
She stood up and walked over, her face arranged into something apologetic. She was a completely different person from before.
"Mom, I was out of line earlier." She placed her hand over mine, stopping me from packing. "Hal and his mother are too blunt. They didn't consider your feelings."
"They know they were wrong. They sent me as their representative to apologize."
I looked up at her. "Is that so?"
"Really." She nodded. "Hal's been dealing with some issues at work lately. Something about embezzlement came up, so he's extra sensitive about money and numbers right now. He wasn't targeting you specifically. Please don't take it to heart."
I didn't respond. I placed my water bottle into the mesh pocket and zipped the travel bag shut.
Natalie sighed, and her voice suddenly thickened with emotion.
"Mom, ever since Harvey was born, things have been really hard for me."
"Every morning I open my eyes and it's the baby, work, groceries, cooking three meals a day..."
"It's so hard. Why does everything get so hard for a woman after she gets married?"
"Another kid means another mouth to feed. Hal got passed over for promotion again. We lie awake every night stressing about the mortgage and the car payments."
She wiped the corners of her damp eyes. She looked exhausted. "I was out of the workforce for three years. Companies that used to hire me on the spot won't even look at me now. They say I've fallen behind, that my skills are outdated. But really, it all comes down to the same thing: they're afraid I'll need time off for my kid and won't be fully committed."
"So I settled for a company I never would've considered before, and my paycheck is three thousand a month. What can you even do with that? Two cans of imported formula for Harvey and it's gone."
She looked at me with tears brimming in her eyes, helpless and pitiful. "Mom, Dad died young. You're the only person I have left who can help me."
I looked at her, so lost and vulnerable, and the wall I'd built around my heart crumbled.
She was my baby girl. I'd raised her like a princess, spoiled her from the day she was born.
When she was little, a bruised knee was enough to make my own eyes sting with tears.
Now she was a new mother in the hardest stretch of a young family's life. How could I really just wash my hands of her?
"Mom." Seeing that I hadn't spoken, she tried again. "Just stay. I'll talk to Hal again and make sure he watches how he speaks to you from now on."
"And your pay. I'll add another five hundred."
I set the travel bag down and let out a long breath. "You don't need to give me a raise. I didn't come here for your money."
A smile broke across Natalie's face. "Thank you, Mom! I knew you loved me the most!"
She stood up, her expression eager to please. "Get some rest. You still have to get up early tomorrow to go grocery shopping."
I nodded.
She turned and left, pulling the door gently shut behind her.
The night deepened. I lay in bed, wide awake.
