A few days later, I visited Michelle without mentioning Dale’s letter. Todd was discussing household expenses when he casually brought up the basement arrangement again. He explained that having me downstairs would save them thousands in childcare costs. Michelle nodded and said the children would benefit from spending more time with their grandmother.
I asked whether the $800 included utilities, groceries, and access to the laundry room. Todd looked surprised. Then I asked whether the four days of childcare were paid separately. He laughed and said I was family, so there was no reason to calculate everything. That answer told me more than he realized. They had carefully calculated what they wanted from me, but apparently my time had no value.
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