At 4:30 p.m., the kids finally arrived, hungry enough to behave as though they’d been surviving on air all day.
I knew I didn’t have the strength to stand over a stove, so I opened a food delivery app.
I ordered pasta for the kids, steak and potatoes for Nathan, and chicken soup for myself.
It wasn’t complicated. It wasn’t extravagant. It was dinner.
Then I sent Nathan a message.
Your dinner costs more than my medicine.
His reply came almost immediately.
Worth it. Stay upstairs, Yoli. ❤️
I smiled at my phone and put it aside.
For the first time all day, I felt relieved. The food would arrive, the kids would eat, and I could rest without worrying about preparing a meal.