Like most children, they sometimes forget their socks, leave cups in strange places, or complain when told to brush their teeth. But their messes were never the real problem.
The real problem was Diane, Aaron’s mother.
Diane never called before visiting. She simply appeared at the door carrying an enormous purse, wearing overpowering perfume, and smiling as if allowing her inside were a privilege.
Whenever I looked surprised, she would say, “Relax. I’m family.”
To Diane, being family meant she could inspect my refrigerator, criticize my groceries, rearrange my kitchen, and leave every room worse than she found it.
If she prepared tea, sugar covered the counter and dirty spoons filled the sink. If she made a sandwich, crumbs somehow appeared in the hallway. On rainy days, she walked across freshly cleaned floors in muddy shoes without apologizing.
Whenever I politely asked her to clean up, she laughed.
“This house has a woman to clean it, doesn’t it?” she always said.
