Greg asked, “Did you refuse to drive Emma?”
“It’s not that simple.”
I looked at Vanessa.
“Did you refuse to drive Emma?”
“You left my ten-year-old in the rain because you didn’t want her wet shoes in your car.”
Vanessa looked away.
Then Sophie spoke. “Am I not riding with you anymore? Is Emma mad at me?”
Emma grabbed her hand. “No.”
I crouched in front of Sophie. “You didn’t do anything wrong, sweetheart. If you ever really need a ride, I’ll help you, but the daily rides need to stop.”
Sophie looked sad. Vanessa looked furious.
“Is Emma mad at me?”
“Sarah, I have Pilates at seven. Tuesdays I go straight to work, and Thursdays I have a client call. I can’t just change my mornings.”
“You’ll figure something out,” I said.
“Fine. What about Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays?”
For half a second, my brain did what it always did. I started rearranging my week for her. Monday might work. Maybe Friday.
Then I caught myself.
“You’ll figure something out,”
“That’s exactly the problem. For two years, I did you a favor. Somewhere along the way, you stopped seeing it as one.”
Vanessa’s mouth tightened. “So now you’re punishing Sophie because you’re angry at me?”
“No. Sophie isn’t being punished. You’re being asked to drive your own daughter. The daily rides are over.”
For once, Vanessa had nothing to say.
“You’re punishing Sophie because you’re angry at me?”
Greg glanced at my dead Honda. “What happened to it?”
“Battery. Maybe the alternator too.”
Before I could say anything else, Rachel was offering to cover the battery and Greg was calling a mechanic he trusted.
“I can’t let you do that,” I said.
“Yes, you can,” Rachel replied. “You helped us all for free, and now we’re just returning the favor.”
“What happened to it?”
A few other parents chipped in before I could stop them.
Emma’s question from earlier came back to me.
Doesn’t someone help you?
***
Two days later, my Honda was back in my driveway with a new battery and a repaired alternator.
It was running again because at least some of the people I’d helped didn’t take me for granted.
“We’re just returning the favor.
