Mom texted separately, paragraphs long, filled with half-apologies disguised as explanations.
“We just wanted the kids to be happy. Felix, you know how Melissa’s kids are used to certain things. We didn’t think Lucas would care about brands. You’ve raised him so well. You should be proud that he’s not materialistic.”
Proud.
That word burned.
I knew what she was really saying.
You should be proud that he’s easier to shortchange.
I didn’t respond.
But then she sent another message.
“We’ll make it up to him next year. Don’t ruin Christmas for everyone.”
Next year.
As if it was some scheduling error. As if this wasn’t a pattern that had repeated for years.
And she wasn’t done.
An hour later, she added, “Your father says you’re overreacting. It was just a small gift. Maybe you should apologize to everyone for the post before this gets worse.”
