My husband said he needed to work all weekend. Then his boss called and asked why he had never come in. So I picked up his credit card.

The phone rang on Saturday afternoon while I was gathering Legos from the chaos my children proudly referred to as the “living room.”

“Hello?”

“Mrs. Parker? This is Brian Collins, Daniel’s boss.”

“Oh, hi, Brian. Is everything okay?”

“Sorry to bother you, but I need to reach Daniel. He didn’t come in yesterday or today, and he isn’t answering his phone. Is he sick?”

I froze with a Lego piece still caught between my fingers.

Wait. What do you mean he didn’t come in? He left Friday morning saying he had to work the WHOLE weekend.

A terrible silence followed.

“Ma’am… there isn’t any urgent project. Actually, everyone left early on Friday.”

Something inside me went completely still.

I drew in a slow breath.

Then I laughed.

Not a normal laugh. A villain laugh. A prime-time revenge-drama laugh.

“Kids!” I shouted. “Owen! Lily! Come here now!”

My children came thundering down the stairs.

“What happened, Mom?” asked seven-year-old Owen.

“It turns out your father is a liar, and we are going shopping. Aggressive shopping.”

“Seriously?” Nine-year-old Lily could already sense freedom in the air. “Can we go to the toy store?”

“Today, sweetheart, we are going EVERYWHERE.”

I went upstairs, opened my drawer, and took out the credit card. The black one. The one Daniel kept “for emergencies.”

Well, this qualified as an emergency.

An emergency involving my dignity.

I texted him:

“Brian called. Very convenient, this ‘urgent project’ of yours.”

Three dots appeared.

Disappeared.

Appeared again.

Me: “No need to answer. The kids and I went out. Also because of an ‘emergency.’”

“Mom, are you crying?” Owen asked from the back seat.

“No, honey. I’m CALCULATING. Do you know how long it has been since I bought clothes for myself? THREE YEARS. Do you know how much money I saved being ‘responsible’? A LOT.”

First stop: the toy store.

“Pick whatever you want,” I said, arms crossed.

“Anything?” Lily whispered, almost afraid to trust it.

“Anything.”

Owen grabbed the biggest Lego set in the entire store. Lily chose a giant dollhouse, the one I had always answered with, “Maybe for Christmas, baby.”

“Excellent choice,” I said. “And I’ll take that basket of wine.”

The cashier looked at me strangely.

“Is it a gift?”

“Yes. For myself. From the universe.”

Second stop: the department store.

“Mom, why are you trying on so many dresses?” Owen asked, bored outside the fitting room.

“Because for eight years I bought myself cheap clothes, darling. See this dress? It costs about what your father spends on one ‘business lunch.’ I’ll take it in three colors.”

My phone would not stop vibrating.

Eleven missed calls.

Seventeen messages.

Me, while trying on a pair of expensive heels:

“You also work Saturday nights? Such dedication.”

Daniel: “LOVE, PLEASE LET ME EXPLAIN.”

Me: “Of course. Later. Right now I’m busy SPENDING.”

Third stop: the salon.

“I want everything,” I told the stylist. “Cut, color, manicure, pedicure, deep conditioning, facial. Whatever you can do, do it.”

“Celebrating something?” she asked with a smile.