Bitterness Trap

When Rayna went into the kitchen, Mom was putting the finishing touches on her birthday cake. "It looks like the ants have decided to come to your party," Mom told her.

"Aunt Joyce and Aunt Linda?" Rayna asked.

Mom laughed. "No, those ants!" she said, pointing to the floor, where several ants were scurrying around. "Why don't you get an ant trap from the closet."

As Rayna crouched down to put the trap on the floor, she began to cry. Mom set the cake aside. "What's wrong, honey?"

"Everything!" Rayna said between sobs. "I hate this old house. Melody has a nice house, and she got more stuff shopping yesterday than I'm going to get for my birthday." Rayna tried to stop her tears. "And she has a dad, and her mom doesn't have to work like you do. It's just not fair! Sometimes I--" She hesitated. "Sometimes I almost hate Melody. I try not to feel that way because I know it's wrong, but I can't help it."

Mom put an arm around Rayna. "It can hurt to see others with something we wish we ha