strangely enough…
our relationships improved.
Not immediately.
Not magically.
But slowly.
Because for the first time, conversations weren’t based on what I could provide.
When Mom called, she wasn’t asking for money.
When Dad texted, he wasn’t asking me to fix something.
When Madison called, sometimes she simply wanted to talk.
That was the relationship I’d wanted all along.
THE LAST THING MY MOTHER SAID
About a year after that night, I visited my parents.
Mom made coffee.
We sat at the kitchen table.
She looked at me for a
