Cleaning. Then Cleaning Again
January 3, 2026 startd the way many days do lately—with cleaning.
Because this was a planned sleepover day, I did more than the usual. I deep-cleaned the kitchen, organized parts of my room, and tackled Isabella's room as well. Of course, after I cleaned the kitchen really well... it didn't stay that way. My mom managed to completely undo my progress, which meant cleaning it all over again.
Such is life.
I still had more I wanted to get done, but an errand for Eve's mom cut my cleaning short. So I shifted gears. While on this errand, I texted my mom to offer Jaden and Brandon $5 each to finish cleaning my room. They didn't want to. Jaden said he would do it for $100, as if that would actually happen.
Errands, Groceries, and Small Signs of Change
I picked up Eve, then dropped Isabella off to play with the girls while we rand the errand and went grocery shopping for dinner and malt ingredients.
Afterward, we went back to Eve's house and spent a little time there. While we were there, The Sister interacted with me more than she has in a long time—more even than the last visit. It felt like something easing. Warming up, maybe.
She even unblocked me on text.
That alone felt like progress.
When we got back to my house, my mother was cleaning my bedroom, Isabella's bedroom, and my bathroom. She never does that. She wanted the $10 I offered Brandon and Jaden. I gave it to her.
The kids were fairly well-behaved overall. Still messy—always messy—but noticeably less chaotic than usual. I'll take it.
Dinner, Delays, and Malts
Dinner was meatloaf and baked potatoes. Simple. Comforting.
It did end up being later than planned, though. While Tyler was cooking something on the stovetop, he somehow turned off the oven in the process. So dinner stalled unexpectedly.
My kids aren't exactly culinary prodigies.
Love them—but yeah.
Once dinner finally happened, we followed it up with malts. My mom made them, and for once, it actually felt like the house slowed down instead of speeding up.
A Quiet Evening, Together but Separate
The rest of the night was relaxed. We watched a couple movies, lounged around, and just existed in the same space without tension.
At some point, The Sister sent me a bunch of referral links for games she plays—games that can earn real money. I spent a good chunk of the night playing them, partly to help her earn a little, and maybe to make a few dollars myself too.
More than that, though, it felt like rebuilding something familiar. Doing something together that wasn't heavy. Something shared.
Maybe brownie points.
Maybe just connection.
Either way, it felt good.
An Honest Moment
After the girls were asleep, Eve and I finally had some time alone. We talked, relaxed, and ended up staying awake until about 4:30am—again.
At one point, she asked me something that caught me guard.
Would I still treat her well if she didn't give me affection?
The question stung—not because it was cruel, but because it revealed something underneath it. A fear, maybe. An assumption shaped by past experiences.
The answer was simple.
Yes.
I enjoy affection, of course—but my kindness isn't conditional. I don't treat people well because of what I get from them. I try to be kind because that's who I want to be, regardless of the outcome.
Affection is a gift, not a transaction.
Ending the Day
January 3 wasn't dramatic. It didn't fix anything big. But it felt like a day of small shifts—cleaning, effort, conversation, connection, and honesty.
Progress doesn't always announce itself.
Sometimes it just shows up quietly, late at night, in a question that deserves a real answer.