"If he thinks I'm such a terrible mother, then he doesn't get to spend another cent of my hard-earned money. He wants to call it financial abuse? Fine. Now it's real."

I hung up.

Strong independent woman. Then act like one. Stop bleeding me dry.

I had just finished changing the litter for my cat when the phone on the couch started buzzing like it had lost its mind.

I glanced at the caller ID and hit decline.

The ringing started right back up. Again. And again.

I answered, my voice flat. Dylan's voice poured through the speaker.

"Mom, Muriel and I are at the electronics store. She found this amazing TV—over three thousand bucks. It's incredible. You should come check it out."

I let out a cold laugh. "Come check it out? You mean come pay for it?"

"Dylan Lawson, let me make this crystal clear. I don't have the money, and even if I did, I wouldn't spend a dime."

Muriel's shrill voice cut in immediately.

"Who are you threatening? Dylan, are you just going to stand there while your mother tries to intimidate me?!"

Dylan's tone turned frantic.

"Mom! Stop making a scene. Just come buy the TV—it'll smooth things over between you two."

I scoffed. "I'm in my fifties, and you want me to grovel with my wallet?"

He must have been terrified I'd hang up, because his voice went stiff and serious.

"Muriel's trying to fix things between you two. She even wants to take you shopping for clothes at the mall. So quit being difficult and stop stirring up trouble."

That caught me off guard.

But then I thought about it. He was still my son. Maybe this was just his clumsy, roundabout way of making peace without losing face.

I could live with that.

I grabbed my coat and headed for the mall.

When I got there, Muriel was holding a cup of coffee that probably cost five bucks. She didn't greet me, didn't even glance my way. She just turned on her heel and walked into a women's clothing store.

I took a few deep breaths and followed her inside.

She drifted through the racks without interest, then looked me up and down.

"Where's your clearance section?" she asked the sales associate. "The cheapest stuff you've got."

I blinked, not quite processing it. Before I could say a word, Muriel turned to me with a saccharine smile.

"Don't overthink it. I just feel like someone your age shouldn't be wearing anything too nice."

"Especially given your... situation."

She pressed her hand over her mouth in mock concern.