They Chose the Nanny, I Chose to Stop Funding Them

During the holiday, I make a rare trip back to my hometown. After dinner, Dad orders me to wash the dishes.

I pause for a moment and ask, "Do we not have a caretaker at home?"

Mom frowns and says, "Julia works so hard taking care of us every day. Since you are back, you should let her rest. You should be the one doing everything."

I fail to fathom the logic behind her reasoning.

So, I argue, "I am paying her to be a caretaker here. Is this not exactly what she is hired to do? How does it make sense that I pay and still have to do the chores myself?"

My words make the caretaker, Julia Woodard, cry. My parents get angry at me too.

The frown on Mom's face becomes even more pronounced. "What's the point of raising you? We barely see you all year. You are not as thoughtful as Julia! At least she stays by our side every day."

Dad points at me and scolds, "You might as well stop coming back. From now on, Julia is our real daughter! Go do whatever you want!"

I let out a helpless laugh.

I am busy working away from home, but I send a large amount of money back every month and even fork out extra money to hire a caretaker for them. But in the end, they think her as their caring daughter and shower her with affection instead.

If that's the case, I'll stop sending money and see whether Julia will still act like their "daughter" for free.

I went home early, thinking of giving my parents a surprise. However, when I got home, my key wouldn't open the door.

I tried opening it several times, but the key just wouldn't turn. Then, it dawned on me that the locks had probably been changed.

Frustrated, I took my phone out and called Mom. The phone rang several times before she finally answered.

I heard the typical sounds of a shopping mall in the background as she spoke into the receiver.

"Hey, Jen. What's up? Why are you calling all of a sudden?"

"I'm home, Mom. I'm at the door. Did you change the locks? I can't open the door."

A few seconds later, Mom finally answered slowly, "Oh, you're back? Your Dad and I are out shopping with Julia. Just wait by the door for a bit. We'll be home soon."

She didn't wait for my reply before hanging up quickly.

I stood in the hallway with my suitcase behind me and waited for a whole hour.

Finally, I heard footsteps in the hallway. I looked up and saw my parents walking ahead, with the caretaker, Julia Woodard, right between them. Her right arm was affectionately linked with Mom's, and she carried the shopping bags for Dad on her right.

The three of them were laughing and chatting merrily, just like a family.

When they got to the door and saw me standing there, neither of them showed any surprise or delight. Dad just glanced at me indifferently, and Mom simply said, "You're back."

On the other hand, Julia immediately let go of Mom's arm as she beamed at me with a warm smile, hurrying toward me.

"You're back, Ms. Peterson! Why didn't you tell us beforehand? We could have come and picked you up instead."

I forced a smile and nodded, my gaze falling on the door lock. I asked, "When did you change the lock? Why didn't you tell me?"

Julia hurriedly explained, "We just changed it a month ago. The old lock was a bit stiff and not very secure.

"I thought that it might be a problem since Mr. and Mrs. Peterson are getting old, so I got the locksmith to upgrade it for us. I'm sorry we didn't manage to tell you in time, Ms. Peterson."

Before I could get a word in, Dad scoffed coldly and pushed the door open, grumbling with obvious displeasure.

"What difference does it make to you anyway, since you didn't even bother coming home for the Christmas holidays?"

I knew Dad was still upset that I didn't come home for the holidays last year, and he clearly still hadn't let it go. I didn't want to get into a fight with my parents as soon as I got home, so I just didn't say anything in return and followed them into the house.

Once inside, I habitually went to the shoe cabinet to get my indoor slippers, but I saw that my cotton slippers were already on Julia's feet.