My office was a sanctuary of logic. Rows of numbers, predictable outcomes, the clean lines of Excel spreadsheets. But today, the logic failed to soothe me. Even as I audited the Q4 projections, a voice in the back of my mind kept whispering, What is happening in your house?
At lunchtime, I found myself in the cafeteria with Carol, my colleague and confidante. I was stabbing at a sad-looking salad, unable to eat.
“Emma has been acting strange,” I admitted, the words tumbling out before I could stop them. “She used to be incandescent. Loud. Messy. Now… she’s like a little robot. Withdrawn.”
Carol, who had raised three boys and seen it all, nodded sympathetically. “That’s tough, Amanda. Seven is a weird age. Hormones starting early? Bullies at school?”
“I don’t know,” I sighed. “When I ask her, she shuts down. She just says ‘nothing’.”
Carol paused, chewing thoughtfully. She lowered her voice, leaning over the laminate table. “Could it be… the mother-in-law?” … Read More :
