And then he said something I never expected.
“I think I taught my kids that Aunt Ellie will always fix everything.”
I looked at him.
He looked ashamed.
“I don’t want them growing up like that.”
Neither did I.
The next summer, I invited Madison, Tyler, and June for three days.
Three days.
Not two weeks.
I told them the rules before they arrived.
Everyone helped clean.
Everyone washed their own dishes.
Nobody entered my bedroom.
Nobody used anything without asking.
And nobody assumed they could return without an invitation.
They agreed.
When they arrived, June ran onto the porch.
“Aunt Ellie!”
I opened my arms.
She jumped into them.
Behind her, Kevin carried groceries.
Patrice carried blankets.
And for the first time, nobody expected me to do everything.
We cooked together.
We walked beside the creek.
We made pancakes in the morning.
At night, we sat around the fire.
