My mother calls me only when she needs money

Dear Delyara, My mother lives abroad. Every time her name appears on my phone, I already know there will be a number inside the conversation. Electricity. Medicine. Rent. A cousin’s emergency. A roof repair. I send what I can. What hurts is that she rarely asks anything else. Last month, I received a promotion. I told her during a call. She said, “That’s good, now maybe you can help your brother more.” I laughed because if I did not, I might have cried while she was still talking. I know she loves me. She raised four children with very little. Money has always meant safety to her, so perhaps asking me for it is a form of trust. Still, sometimes I want my mother to call and ask whether I am sleeping well. Whether my marriage is okay. Whether I still hate mushrooms. Yesterday, I deliberately did not answer her first call. She rang again twenty minutes later. I stared at the phone feeling like a terrible daughter. When I finally answered, she said, “Thank God. I need to ask you something.” I closed my eyes. I already had my banking app open.