“Sarah, Luke, please be patient. Dinner will be ready soon. I was out collecting bottles, and my belly started hurting, so it took a little longer…”
Before she could finish, a child’s piercing voice interrupted.
“Auntie, look! Stepmom is sneaking ribs when we’re not around!”
“And these cherries! She’s even sneaking expensive fruit!”
My heart skipped a beat. The ribs Mom had set aside for me were left on the coffee table, and it seemed Cody’s son had noticed them.
Then came the sound of a plate shattering, followed by Sarah’s angry shouts.
“Mabel, get over here!”
Mom poked her head out from the kitchen, holding a spatula, looking puzzled.
“What’s going on, Sarah?”
From the crack in the door, I saw Sarah pointing at the broken plate and the rib bones in the trash, demanding, “What’s all this? No wonder you were dodging my calls—you were sneaking food! At your age, you still have to steal from kids. Do you have no shame?”
Mom tried to deny it, “Sarah, it’s not what it looks like. I…”
Before she could finish, Sarah slapped her.
My blood boiled, and I couldn’t stay put. I rushed out of the study.
I saw Cody's young son poking Mom's belly repeatedly with a stick.