I Thought She Did “Nothing” All Day — Then a Single Box Proved Me Wrong

Not because it was funny. Because it felt unnecessary.

“Why?” I asked.

She paused. “Why what?”

“Why go?” I leaned back in my chair. “So you can tell everyone you stay home and wipe noses all day?”

The air shifted immediately.

“What?”

I shrugged, irritation surfacing from somewhere I didn’t bother to examine. “Come on, Anna. Your classmates are probably surgeons, lawyers, executives. What are you going to say? That you’re just a stay-at-home mom?”

That word.

Just.

It landed heavier than I expected.

Her shoulders stiffened. Her lips pressed into a thin line.

“Oh,” she said quietly. “Okay.”