PART 19 — MOM CHOOSES
Mom came to see me again.
This time she called first.
I agreed to meet in a public park.
She looked tired.
“Your father shouldn’t have said that.”
“No.”
“He’s under pressure.”
“Stop.”
She blinked.
“Do not explain him to me.”
Her mouth trembled.
“I don’t know how to fix this.”
“You can’t fix the funeral.”
“I know.”
“You can’t fix six months of silence.”
“I know.”
“You can decide what you do next.”
She looked at me for a long time.
Then she said something new.
“I chose Melissa’s birthday because facing the funeral terrified me.”
I said nothing.
“I told myself you had Ethan’s family. I told myself Melissa needed us.
I told myself funerals were for the living and you’d understand
eventually.”
Tears ran down her face.
“All of those were excuses.”
“Yes.”
“I failed you.”
