She would agree to help Helen at her hospital checkup, only to cancel at the last minute. “I completely forgot,” she’d say, her voice quick, distracted. “I’ll make it up to you next week.” Next week never came. Once, she promised to pick up Emma from school, but Helen ended up going herself after a worried call from the teacher.
When Lisa finally showed up, she laughed it off. “Oh, you’re too good, Mom. What would I do without you?” Helen smiled, but that night, she sat awake longer than usual. It was not that Lisa was cruel. She was simply careless with time, with words, with other people’s steadiness. Helen told herself it was exhaustion, the stress of work and parenthood.