I gently pushed her back onto the couch, took off her apron, and put it on myself.
“Mom, I don’t think you’ve had a chance to try my cooking. Let me show you what I can do.”
Since Dad’s passing, Mom had endured so much.
Even though it was normal for her to handle housework now that she was remarried, seeing her pregnant and looking so frail made it hard for me to let her keep doing everything.
I set the chicken soup to simmer, tidied up the living room, and put all the dirty laundry in the washing machine.
Once everything was taken care of, I headed to the study to rest on the small bed Mom had been using.
If I guessed right, the stern voice on the phone must have belonged to Cody’s sister, Sarah Dalton. She should be arriving soon with her nephew, Luke Dalton.
I knew I needed to stay out of sight to truly understand the reality of Mom’s situation after her remarriage.
Before long, I heard the beep of the electronic lock and the sound of the door opening. An elderly woman stormed in, clearly Cody's sister.
"Mabel, are you trying to drive me insane? Why isn’t dinner ready? Didn’t I call you in advance? You’re home all day and still can’t manage this simple task? What good is Cody marrying you if you can’t even handle this?!”
A moment later, a chubby little boy’s voice chimed in from behind her.
“Auntie, I’m so hungry! Why isn’t dinner ready yet? Is it because my stepmother’s having a baby and is letting me starve?”
Sarah’s temper flared instantly.
“Mabel, don’t think that just because you’re pregnant with Cody’s child, you can slack off. Luke comes first, always. If you let this baby make you neglect him, you need to be sorry for this!”
Mom immediately headed into the kitchen.
“Sarah, Luke, please be patient. Dinner will be ready soon. I was out collecting bottles, and my belly started hurting, so it took a little longer…”
Before she could finish, a child’s piercing voice interrupted.
“Auntie, look! Stepmom is sneaking ribs when we’re not around!”
“And these cherries! She’s even sneaking expensive fruit!”
My heart skipped a beat. The ribs Mom had set aside for me were left on the coffee table, and it seemed Cody’s son had noticed them.
Then came the sound of a plate shattering, followed by Sarah’s angry shouts.
“Mabel, get over here!”
Mom poked her head out from the kitchen, holding a spatula, looking puzzled.
“What’s going on, Sarah?”