As we were gathered around opening Christmas presents, my five-year-old suddenly shouted with joy,….

“Yes! The other mom kept her promise!”

The room went dead silent.

The Sentence That Didn’t Belong

At first, I thought I’d misheard him.

“The… other mom?” I repeated, forcing a smile that felt glued onto my face.

Simon nodded enthusiastically, hugging the gift to his chest. “Yeah! She said if I was really good, she’d make sure I got it for Christmas.”