Minea was in one of her grumpy moods again. She sat in the corner of the porch, arms folded, glaring at the small cup of jelly Mom had lovingly prepared. The sweet red treat jiggled gently in the bowl, but Minea turned her head with an exaggerated huff.
“I don’t want it!” she screeched, kicking the floor with her tiny foot.
Mom sighed. “Okay, sweetheart,” she said gently. “If you don’t want it, maybe Yuri can have it.”
The moment those words were spoken, Minea’s eyes lit with fire. She sprang up and dashed across the floor, throwing herself between Mom and Yuri like a tiny bodyguard. Her arms spread wide, and she let out a dramatic shriek that echoed through the room.
“No! Mine!” she snapped, not even glancing at the jelly she just rejected.
Yuri stood there frozen, confused and slightly hurt. He looked up at Mom as if to ask, “What did I do?”
“Minea, you don’t even want the jelly,” Mom said, trying not to laugh. “You just said so.”
But Minea was having none of it. She grabbed the cup and hugged it to her chest like treasure, pouting furiously. Jelly smeared on her chin even though she wasn’t eating it.
Little Yuri turned away slowly, tears pooling in his eyes. Mom reached down and scooped him up, giving him kisses to cheer him up. “Don’t worry, sweetheart. We’ll get you a fresh one.”
As Yuri smiled through sniffles, Minea peeked over, watching quietly, suddenly looking guilty. She waddled over, placed the cup of jelly near Yuri, then quickly ran back without a word.
She didn’t say sorry—but that was Minea’s way of showing it.
And just like that, peace returned… for now.
