May reddened. “It’s not a big deal. I’m family.”
“Family doesn’t steal,” Doris retorted. “And family doesn’t make you feel invisible.”
“Randy said you wouldn’t mind!” May protested. “He gave me a key—”
“A key?” Doris cut her off. “So this has been happening regularly while I’m at work?”
May tried to explain, but Doris wasn’t listening. She grabbed her phone and started filming.
When Randy finally came downstairs, Doris played him the video.
“Why?” she demanded. “Why would you let her do this?”
“She needed help,” Randy mumbled. “It’s just food, Doris. Why are you making such a big deal out of it?”
“Just food?” Doris’s anger flared. “I spend hours preparing these meals, and you’ve been giving them away like they’re nothing!”
“You’re overreacting,” Randy shot back. “She’s my sister. What was I supposed to do? Tell her no?”
“Yes!” Doris yelled. “That’s exactly what you should have done!”
Randy fell silent.
The realization hit Doris hard: Randy didn’t value her efforts. To him, her cooking was just an endless resource to be taken for granted.
“I’m done,” she said quietly, her voice steady. “You can fend for yourself from now on.”
For the next few days, Randy tried to make it right, ordering takeout and pretending it was homemade. Doris wasn’t fooled. By the third day, she knew the truth: she wasn’t his wife; she was his maid, his cook, his convenience.
The following week, Doris packed her bags. Randy’s pleas—“It’s just food!” and “What about everything we’ve built?”—fell on deaf ears. When her children questioned her decision, Doris explained that it wasn’t about the food; it was about respect. Slowly, they understood.
Months later, Doris received a message from May:
“Randy asked me to help with meals, but I can’t handle it. He’s impossible. I’m sorry for everything.”
Doris laughed. Of course, Randy had turned to May. And of course, May had hit her limit too.
Now, Doris keeps the video of May and her pink tote bag as a reminder. It’s not about the food—it never was. It’s about valuing yourself enough to walk away when the people around you don’t. And every time doubt creeps in, she replays the video and remembers: she deserves better.