I paid for my whole family to go on a trip, but I forgot to pack kids' toothpaste for my son. My sister happened to bring some for my niece, so I asked to borrow a little bit. My mom rolled her eyes and complained about me: "You know your sister isn't doing well financially, and you still take advantage of her. "A little bit here, a little bit there, are you going to pay her for it?" I opened my mouth in shock: "How much is a pea-sized drop of toothpaste? I paid for your flights and hotel!" My mom waved her hand impatiently: "Who said we even like traveling? We only came to keep you company. "Dragging us all the way out here and making us exhausted, are you going to pay us for our time and labor?" I was trembling with anger. Fine. Fine. I don't need your company. That very night, I changed their return flights and canceled the remaining six days of their hotel stay. If you don't like traveling, then go home. 1 It's true that I was the one who proposed the trip. But the one who instigated it was my sister, Amy. She was whining and crying to my mom and me. "I'm really not a good mother. Riley is already eight, and I've never even had the money to take her to the beach." She looked up with tearful eyes and grabbed my hand. "Chloe, I'm so jealous of you. You get to take Tyler every year." My mom glared at me as if I had committed some heinous crime. I smiled and patted Amy's hand. "Don't cry. I was planning to take Tyler anyway. I'll bring you and Riley along this time." Amy stretched her neck out excitedly. "Really? Then let's bring Mom too. It's too exhausting for me to look after a kid all by myself." A smile finally appeared on my mom's face. "Yeah, I raised you all these years, and you've never taken me on a trip. "It'll be perfect, just the three of us girls and the two kids. How fun!" I felt a little uneasy, but as long as it made my mom smile at me, I was satisfied. I nodded and quickly booked the flights and the hotel. That night, I vented my discomfort to my husband, Mark. He gave a knowing, sarcastic smile. "Your mom helps your sister with her kid all the time, but she never lifts a finger for you. Has that never made you mad?" My temper flared up instantly. "Can you stop trying to drive a wedge between my mom and me? "I've explained this to you clearly before. My sister doesn't have her in-laws to help, so it's really hard for her doing it alone." "Family needs to look out for each other. My mother-in-law helps me, so of course my mom needs to help her more." Mark smirked, his tone dripping with sarcasm. "Oh, sure, sure. You have my mom, she has nobody. Your mom and your sister are just so exhausted." I was just about to reach out and smack him when he looked at me seriously. "You watch. You guys going on this trip together, it's going to end badly." If this had been the past, I would have definitely gotten into a huge fight with him. But this time, for some reason, I felt incredibly anxious, as if something I had maintained for years was about to slip away. Amy's comment, "It's too exhausting for me to look after a kid all by myself," was like a thorn, constantly pricking the bottom of my heart. After all, I had raised a kid by myself too. And my mom had never helped me, not even for a single day. 2 My husband, Mark, overestimated me. We hadn't even reached our destination before I started to feel like I couldn't take it anymore. While we were waiting to board at the airport, my stomach suddenly cramped up, and I needed to use the restroom. I said to my mom, "Mom, can you keep an eye on Tyler for a second? I need to..." My mom's eyebrows immediately scrunched together, and she refused impatiently. "Can't you see I'm right in the middle of reading a story to Riley? Can't you just hold it for a minute?" I put on an apologetic smile. "Tyler can just stand on the side and listen. He's very good, he won't cause trouble..." "Good? What's good about him?! There's no such thing as an obedient boy. Are you trying to work me to death? "Whenever I take Riley to the park, it's always the boys who are mischievous and causing trouble. They're so annoying!" "Can't you just take him to the restroom with you? Are you disgusted by your own son?" I was sweating from the stomach pain. "Mom, Tyler is eight years old already. He can't go into the women's restroom." "You're just being dramatic! So many boys go in with their moms. Why is your son so special?" At that moment, Amy was standing right there playing on her phone. She barely lifted an eyelid. After glancing at me, she showed absolutely no intention of helping. She felt that our mother was her mother alone, and it was only right that she cared for her and not me. Then who exactly was I? What was my place in their hearts? I frantically found an airport staff member to help. My mom, however, didn't even look up and continued reading the story to Riley. A smug smile flashed across the corner of her mouth, as if she was highly satisfied with the way things turned out. By the time I came out of the restroom, my mom and sister had already boarded with Riley. Tyler was standing pitifully alone next to the staff member, looking like an abandoned child. I grabbed his hand. "Why didn't you go with Grandma and Auntie?" Tyler almost cried. "Grandma said she's not my guardian and she can't take responsibility, so she told me to stay here and wait for you. "Mom, does Grandma not like me? Is that why she left me all alone?" I choked up, unable to speak. Seeing my son suffer was worse than killing me. My own biological mother, how could she be so heartless? I forced a smile and took Tyler's hand. "No, Tyler. Grandma is right. You can't trust anyone else. You can only trust Mom and Dad. "Grandma was just trying to teach you about safety. It's not that she doesn't like you. You're her grandson, she loves you the most." But Tyler muttered quietly behind me, "I don't think so. She only likes Auntie. She only likes Riley." 3 My mom took Amy and Riley and claimed the window seats. Actually, those were the seats I had specifically chosen for Tyler and Riley. I had thought the two kids could sit together and look at the scenery outside. But I didn't realize that while I had Riley in my heart, my mom and Amy didn't have Tyler in theirs at all. Tyler tugged on my hand and said, "Mom, I want to sit by the window too..." Before he could even finish, my mom, across the aisle, immediately turned her head and scolded Tyler. "You're the older brother, why can't you let Riley have it? You fly out for vacations all the time. "This is Riley's very first time. Would it kill you to miss out on the view just this once?" "So petty, and you call yourself a boy. I can already tell you're going to grow up to be a nobody!" My mom's words were like knives, stabbing deeply into me. Tears welled up in Tyler's eyes, but he didn't let a single one fall. I looked at my mom. "Mom, you're going too far. The two kids could easily sit together and look at the view. "Why are you only letting Riley look? Tyler isn't much older than Riley, he's only eight." "Riley is a little kid, and Tyler is too. Why do you have to scold Tyler like that?" My mom rolled her eyes, turned her head away, and ignored me. "I can't reason with you. Just sit down and stop making a fuss." Tyler, acting like a big kid, looked up at me. Then he grabbed my hand and said, "Mom, you have me and Dad." I pulled my hoodie over my face, saying I wanted to sleep. But Tyler knew I was crying. He stayed pressed against me, warm and comforting. In my ear, I could hear Riley's excited screams: "Mom! Grandma! Look! It's so pretty!" It was so grating, so humiliating. The hotel I booked was a 1000-square-foot family suite. It had two rooms separated by a door. One room was a bit bigger, with a King bed. The other was a bit smaller, with a Queen bed. My mom naturally took Amy and Riley and claimed the King bed. I figured she normally helps Amy with the kid anyway, and the three of them would be more comfortable in the bigger bed. I had originally planned for them to stay in that room anyway. But that night, I completely broke down. All because of a pea-sized drop of kids' toothpaste. I finally saw my mom and Amy's true colors. 4 Right after we checked into the hotel, the kids started clamoring to go play at the beach. So we grabbed a quick bite and hurried down to the shore. I booked a surfing lesson for Tyler. He took his board and had a blast. But Riley, who was originally digging in the sand nearby, saw Tyler surfing and started demanding to play too. My mom poked me in the ribs. "You only booked it for Tyler? That's not fair! "Since we all came out to play together, whatever Tyler has, Riley should have too." Oh, really? Then why could Riley look out the window, but Tyler couldn't? I suppressed my anger, put on a smile, and explained, "Tyler has been taking surfing lessons for a while, so I booked it for him. "Riley has never done it before, and it can be a bit dangerous. She doesn't have a board or a rash guard. "One wrong move and she could get sunburned or scraped up. Will she be able to handle it?" My mom was furious. "How do you know if she can handle it if you don't let her try?" I sighed. "Fine. You guys go buy some clothes and rent the gear for Riley, and I'll hire an instructor for her." But a short while later, Amy came back looking dark. "This stuff is so expensive! Renting gear costs hundreds of dollars. For just two hours, I have to spend that much? Do you think I'm a sucker?" My mom got angry again. She glared at me sideways, her words dripping with blame. "Look how ugly you made this situation! Making Riley suffer like this. "Of all the things to play, why did it have to be surfing? Who are you trying to show off to?" Hearing that she couldn't surf, eight-year-old Riley started kicking her legs and throwing a tantrum. "I want to surf too! I want to surf! Why can my brother do it and I can't?! "It's not fair! It's not fair! Waaaah!" My mom quickly squatted down to comfort her. "Oh, Riley, don't cry. It's all your aunt's fault. "Making you suffer like this. Good girl, later your aunt will give you the money she spent on the instructor." "Let your mom take you to get a big coconut water, okay? We can't let my sweet Riley suffer!" After saying that, she turned to look at me. Staring at me as if issuing a command. Amy spending money to rent gear for two hours makes her a sucker. Then what about me? It wasn't even my own kid, yet I was being forced to fork over 100 bucks to make her happy. So Amy couldn't take a loss, but I was different. I had to take the loss. My mom grew impatient. "What are you still standing there for? Looking after kids is exhausting enough, are you trying to kill me? "You made the kid cry, and you expect me to coax her? Hurry up and transfer the money to your sister, or Riley won't be happy!" I frantically pulled out my phone and transferred 100 dollars to my sister. Exactly enough for one hour of coaching. My sister took the money, took Riley to buy three coconut waters, and came back. I stared blankly as they sat under the beach umbrella I had rented, enjoying themselves. There wasn't a single inch of space there for me. And there was no coconut water for me, either. The scorching beach suddenly felt freezing cold. But little did I know, enduring all this was my limit. It was nowhere near my mom's limit. Her heart was even more ruthless. 5 That night, we dragged ourselves back to the hotel, completely exhausted. It was only when we were getting ready for bed that I realized I forgot to pack Tyler's kids' toothpaste. The two kids were clamoring to brush their teeth together, standing side-by-side in front of the mirror. I looked at Amy. "Oh, Amy, I forgot to bring Tyler's toothpaste. Can you squeeze a little bit of Riley's for him?" My mom immediately stormed into the bathroom. "You're taking advantage again! You're taking advantage again! Haven't you had enough? "Don't you know your sister's financial situation? A little bit here, a little bit there, are you paying for it?" I was completely stunned. I looked at her in surprise. "How much is a pea-sized drop of toothpaste? I paid for your flights and hotel!" My mom snatched the toothpaste and tightened the cap. With a wave of her hand, she snapped at me, "We never said we wanted to come out and play. We only came to keep you company. "You need to reflect on yourself. How many times did you make Riley cry today? Looking after kids back home was never this exhausting." "You've worn your sister and me out so much we can barely walk. Riley isn't happy either. And it was all to keep you company." "Dragging us all the way out here, who are we supposed to ask for compensation?" "If it wasn't for you, I would turn around and go home right now. This is torture!" I was so angry that tears sprang to my eyes. I picked up my own toothpaste and handed it to Tyler. "Use Mom's for now. Tomorrow I'll go look around and see if they sell kids' toothpaste here." Tyler put the toothbrush in his mouth and sniffled. "Spicy! Spicy! Mom, your toothpaste is so spicy!" His eyes instantly welled up with tears. Riley kept clapping her hands and cheering next to him. "Haha! My brother is crying because it's spicy! He's a crybaby!" My mom rolled her eyes, shoved the toothpaste into her pocket, and turned to leave. She muttered under her breath, "And he calls himself a boy. A little toothpaste is enough to make him cry. The apple really doesn't fall far from the tree." I was shaking uncontrollably. Tyler, with red eyes, grabbed my wrist. "Mom, I can handle it. It's okay." And from beginning to end, Amy didn't say a single word, acting like an outsider waiting to pick up the scraps. After brushing their teeth, they went back to their room. I carefully listened to my mom whispering to Amy: "Make her pay. Why should she use it for free? Charge her a couple of bucks every time. "Forget the toothpaste. Every time Riley cries, I want to ask her for a hundred dollars!" Amy just half-heartedly tried to calm her down: "Mom, don't be like that. It doesn't look good." I let out a soft cough, and the two of them finally shut up. Yeah, I was the one who was out of line. I don't need anyone's company. You want to turn around and go home? I'll grant your wish. I pulled out my phone, changed their return flights, and canceled the remaining six days of their hotel stay. Tomorrow afternoon, they're heading home! 6 Just as I finished taking care of everything, my mom tiptoed over and closed the adjoining door. She barged right into my room. Without asking me or Tyler, she immediately turned off all the lights in the room. Then she crawled into bed. "It's so dark, Mom. I was still reading." I walked over quickly and turned all the lights back on. My mom sat up and yelled at me: "What are you doing?! Can't you see I'm trying to sleep?" I couldn't take it anymore. I walked right over and yanked the covers off. "What are you doing sleeping over here? Don't you normally help my sister with her kid? Go sleep with her!" My mom furiously yanked the covers back. "I've never squeezed into the same bed with her when I help her with the kid! "How are Riley and your sister supposed to sleep comfortably? They're already exhausted enough from today." I had no intention of tolerating her any longer. I threw the covers directly onto the floor. "She's tired, and I'm not? She and Riley think it's too cramped, but Tyler and I don't?" My mom pointed a finger. "Isn't there a sofa right there? Let your son sleep on the sofa, and we can share the bed. What's the problem?" I walked over to the adjoining door and kicked it open. "Isn't there a sofa in there too? Can't Riley sleep on the sofa? That bed is much bigger than this one! "Why can't you guys just sleep together? Are you both 300-pound giants? Why are you so delicate?" "You don't have any money, you can't afford to travel, and when someone invites you out, you complain it's too cramped?" My sister and Riley were woken up by the noise. The two of them grumbled unhappily. "What is Auntie doing? She's ruining my sleep. So annoying. No wonder Grandma doesn't like you." "Chloe! What time is it? Riley finally fell asleep! Mom had to read two stories just to get her to sleep!" I was already trembling with rage. But my mom showed no sign of backing down. She jumped up like a madwoman, standing tall on the bed and looking down at me. "You think you're so great just because you have a little money, huh? You're even willing to abuse your own mother! "I saw you complaining these past two days that I wasn't helping you with the kid, so I thought I'd be nice and help you for one night." "And look at you, what kind of attitude is this? If people heard about this, they'd laugh at you!" "What kind of animal treats their own mother like this? Huh?" "Do you want me to go back and tell your in-laws and your neighbors all about this?" "I guess you won't be satisfied until people are pointing fingers at you!" I clenched my fists so tightly that my ten fingernails dug into my flesh, yet I didn't feel any pain. I swallowed hard, looked up, and stared at her. "Coming on this trip... do you guys really feel like it's exhausting and miserable?" My mom put her hands on her hips and yelled at me without a second thought, "What do you think?! We can't wait to get on a plane and go home right now!" Fine. That's exactly what I wanted to hear! 7 That night, my mom absolutely refused to leave. She insisted she was helping me look after the kid and squeezed into bed with us. I asked the hotel staff for another set of bedding and made a pallet on the floor. Tyler slept on the floor with me. He held my hand and comforted me: "Wherever Mom is, that's where I am." My tears soaked the hotel pillow. It stuck to my face, sticky and uncomfortable. But I didn't feel as sad anymore. It felt as if a pair of large, invisible hands had completely uprooted the little thorns that had been buried deep in my heart for years. After the devastation, all that was left was anger. My mom mumbled smugly from the bed: "What a weird pair, a mother and son. There's a perfectly good bed, but they insist on sleeping on the floor. "Don't go saying I bullied you two! There's plenty of space, stop putting on an act!" Saying that, she pulled out her phone and snapped a few pictures. The harsh flash stopped my tears. After tomorrow, everyone can go their separate ways! Early the next morning, my mom sneaked out of bed. She whispered to wake up Amy and Riley: "Hurry! Get up and let's go beachcombing! It's 4 AM, if we don't get up now, we'll be late." Riley whined, "Are brother and Auntie still asleep? I don't want to get up either, I'm so sleepy." My mom snickered, "Don't wake them! Let them sleep. It'd be great if they slept like the dead. We'll go beachcombing, and when we get back, you can use the seashells to make your brother jealous. Okay?" Riley giggled and sat up. "Okay, okay, okay! I want to collect a whole bunch of big, pretty seashells, and I won't give a single one to my brother! That'll make him so mad." Amy complained, "I'm too sleepy. Mom, you take Riley. I want to sleep a little longer." My mom patted her affectionately. "Alright, you get some good sleep. I'll take Riley myself." They tiptoed out and closed all the doors. I opened my eyes and saw that Tyler was awake too. I stroked his little face and whispered to him, "Son, let's go home this afternoon, rest for a couple of days, and then Mom will take you to the Maldives. Okay?" My son gave a bright smile and nodded. "Okay. Mom, I love you." We closed our eyes. I whispered, "I love you too..." Tyler and I were woken up by the sound of Amy's music a little after 8 AM. She heard us talking and pushed the door open and walked right in. "Hey, Chloe, you're awake? What's the plan for today? I saw cruise ships and speedboats at the beach yesterday. "You don't know how much Riley loves those! She asked me to ask Auntie if she could take her for a ride!" I told Tyler to pack his things, then turned to Amy and said coldly: "The plan for today is to go home. The flight is at 3 PM, check-out is at noon. You guys should start packing." 8 Amy was completely dumbfounded. She trembled in disbelief: "Chloe... are... are you joking..." I was serious. "I'm not joking. You can ask the front desk. I've already canceled the rooms for the next few days. "The flights are changed. Check the app and pick seats for yourself and Riley quickly." Amy panicked. "What? You canceled them? You really canceled everything?" Just then, my mom came back with Riley, who had just finished breakfast. Riley ran over to Tyler, waving her arms and showing off: "Brother! I found big seashells! You don't have any, and I won't give you any! Blehh!" Tyler replied without even looking up: "I come to the beach every year. I collected enough seashells a long time ago. I don't even care!" My mom was so angry she lunged at Tyler, grabbed his arm, and yelled at him. "You little brat, watch how you talk! What are you showing off for..." But Amy burst into tears. She covered her mouth and buried her face in my mom's shoulder. "Mom... talk to Chloe... hurry up and talk to her..." My mom let go of Tyler and comfortingly stroked Amy's hair. "Take your time. What's wrong? Did she bully you?" Amy looked up, looking as if she had suffered the ultimate injustice. "She... she canceled the hotel, changed the flights, and this afternoon... this afternoon she's telling us to get the hell out!" My mom was stunned for a moment, then furiously yelled at me: "Are you rebelling against me?! Who told you to cancel them? Buy them back right now! We are not leaving!" Then, she turned her glare back to Tyler. "You ungrateful little brat, apologize to your sister right now! Or I'll beat you to death!" Tyler stiffened his neck. "If you dare touch me, as soon as we get back, my dad and my grandma will fight you to the death!" My mom's raised hand hung in mid-air. It turned out she was afraid of things too. So the only ones she dared to bully were me and Tyler. Unfortunately, she wouldn't have the chance to do so anymore. She turned to look at me. "Did you hear me? I'm telling you to change the flights back right now!" I waved my phone. "Can't change them. You can only change them once." My mom finally started to panic. She stamped her feet in anxiety. "Who told you to change them? Who told you to change them?!" I smiled. "Isn't that what you said last night? That traveling with me is too exhausting, and you wished you could get on a plane and go home right now. "Mom, I'm just being considerate. How could I bear to make you guys suffer just to keep Tyler and me company? "Let's go home. Looking after kids at home isn't this exhausting, and we won't have to squeeze into one bed together. "Everyone goes back to their own home, and there won't be anyone to make Riley cry a hundred times a day. It's all my fault, taking it upon myself to invite you guys to travel with me." "I apologize. This was the first time, and it will absolutely be the last. I'm taking Tyler to the Maldives in a few days, so I won't bother you then." My mom turned green with anger. It was the first time I had ever seen her so flustered and enraged. Like a monster possessed, she lunged forward, frantically trying to grab my phone. "Give me the phone, I'll change it! Buy the hotel back for us! Buy it back! "We're not leaving, we're not leaving! Riley hasn't played enough yet! It's Riley's first time at the beach." "Why should we leave?! We are not leaving!" Riley burst into tears. "Waaaah! I haven't played enough, I haven't played enough! Mom! Grandma! I don't want to leave!"
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