Chapter 16
Mom came to see me before I left for college.
She arrived alone.
No Richard.
No Stephen.
She looked tired.
Smaller.
I met her at a coffee shop, not home.
Neutral ground.
She cried before she sat down.
“I made mistakes.”
I said nothing.
She wiped her face.
“I was scared. Richard was in trouble. Your father was stronger than me.”
“That’s why you let him fall?”
She flinched.
“I told myself you needed stability.”
“I needed truth.”
“I know.”
“Do you?”
She looked down.
“I think I’m starting to.”
I wanted to forgive her.
I also wanted to scream.
Both feelings sat inside me, fighting.
She asked, “Can we fix this?”
I answered honestly.
“Not today.”
Her face crumpled.
But she nodded.
That was the first time my mother accepted a boundary without punishing me for it.
May you like
A small beginning.
Very small.
