First came the school disaster. I walked into the meeting with Jaya strapped to my chest in a baby sling, a half-eaten granola bar in one hand, and my hoodie inside-out. There were at least thirty other parents. All of them looked...fresh. Composed. Lipstick-ed. There was one dad with a man bun and a tailored blazer that made me feel like a war refugee.
Aliya’s teacher started with a presentation. Maya’s teacher passed around feedback forms. Jaya started chewing on my hair. Meanwhile, I tried to look like I wasn’t about to faint from the smell of someone’s lavender-scented cardigan beside me.
Then I heard it.
“Mommy! Mommy, Maya says you were an assassin!”
Aliya’s voice echoed across the room. Heads turned. The woman next to me blinked. Her child gasped.
I smiled like an escaped convi
