quiet.
“And I believed him because believing him was easier than building something myself.”
It wasn’t exactly an apology.
But it was close enough that I kept talking to her.
My relationship with Mom eventually became cautious but functional.
She called on birthdays.
Occasionally, we had lunch together.
She never asked me for money again.
Dad and I remained distant.
The following Christmas, I went to their house for about two hours.
There was no emotional reunion.
No dramatic speech.
When I arrived, Dad opened the door.
We stared at
