Yvonne dropped onto the couch, watching me like I was a shoplifter, as if I might pocket something on my way out.
"Mom, you saw for yourself at lunch. Yvonne and I don't cook. You and Dad should really just eat out."
Cary snatched up my phone and practically shoved me toward the door, like I was carrying the plague.
Yvonne put on her gracious smile. "Cary, if Mom likes coming over to eat, just bring her by. I'll have to think about how to host her next time."
If I hadn't heard what she said moments ago, I would have believed she was a devoted daughter-in-law.
But now I knew the truth.
I had no idea what she was scheming for "next time."
The moment I stepped outside, my son turned to me with undisguised impatience.
"Mom, we agreed when I got married. Yvonne likes her privacy. Just the two of us."
"Can you please stop showing up unannounced?"
The elevator numbers climbed, floor by floor. His face was tight with irritation.
When he got married, his father and I had bought them their own apartment without being asked. We knew they'd want their space.
In three years, I had never once visited. Never eaten a single meal in their home.
This time, his father needed to be hospitalized in the city.