I asked for shifts I could manage, accepted practical help, and kept revising the schedule.

People gave rides, watched a child for an hour, collected a bag I could not reach before a shop closed.

I raised the girls as their responsible parent.

I did not do it without any human help at all.

What I did not receive was the help they wanted from their mother.

I called Elena.

I left messages asking her to speak to the children.

I sent information through the contact details available to me and updated them when I learned she had moved.