car. i could feel the subtle shift in the car’s carriage as she sat down on the rear bumper and smoked a cigarette. when she came back her eyes were red and puffy. she had been crying.
but the odd thing was, she was back. as suddenly as that. she was once more the mother that i knew, and i, by default, i was myself as well.
not long after that my aunt died. again, no words as to why until years later, when both my mother and i were different people. 