Martha wishes more than anything that she’d been overreacting — that her worry was simply stress getting the better of her.
She wasn’t imagining things. She wasn’t mistaken. She would trade anything to have been.

Martha has a four-year-old daughter, Beverly.
Her husband, Jason, and Martha both work full-time, so Beverly typically attends daycare during the week.

It is not ideal, and Martha always carries guilt about it, but Beverly was happy, making friends, thriving.
“She’s fine, Martha,” Jason told her one morning as they packed Beverly’s lunch.

“I know, but I don’t want her to feel like we’re pushing her away,” Martha admitted.

A month ago, Martha’s mother-in-law, Cheryl, extended an offer that seemed almost too good to be true.
“Why don’t I watch Beverly on Wednesdays?” she suggested over dinner.

“She can get a break from daycare, and we can have some quality grandma time. It’ll be good for her.”
Martha hesitated, partly because Cheryl and Martha had never shared the warmest relationship.

There was always a subtle critique in Cheryl’s tone, even if unstated.
Still, she appeared sincere — and it meant Beverly could remain close to family while saving them some daycare expens