“But I don’t want to do your laundry!!!!” Jayden whines, throwing a temper tantrum that is the mother of all temper tantrums.

“Too bad,” I sigh, pulling the remote out of my pocket. He visibly flinches at the sight of it. I laugh. “Tough break, kid.”

I press the button and he suddenly smiles although there’s pain in his eyes.

“Do my laundry,” I command whimsically, chortling at this marvelous little remote.

A single tear rolls down Jayden’s cheek, but he never stops smiling. “Gladly.” He says through clenched teeth. He almost robotically makes his way towards the laundry room, taking hold of my basket. He starts to fold the clothes in solid motions with sad eyes.

I chuckle, and shove the remote back into my pocket. I turn to walk away but then remember one more thing.

I walk back over to Jayden and hand him the chore chart Mom and Dad gave me earlier. “If you’re not too busy,” I say with a smile.

Jayden whimpers but is still smiling. His face muscles must hurt. “Of course I would love to do those for you.” His monotone voice is colorless, and suddenly he starts to turn gray.