“You know I’m proud of you, right?” My brother said that to me once. We were standing in the driveway after a family dinner, both of us about to get into our separate cars and drive back to our separate lives. He said it quickly, almost as an afterthought. Like he had been carrying it … Read more
The average person has fifty-two birthdays with their mother. Fifty-two. That is the number you get if your mother lives to a typical age and you were born when she was in her twenties. Some people get more. Some people get far fewer. Some people are reading this with a mother who is unwell and … Read more
I spent twenty minutes choosing the perfect birthday photo to send my sister. Found a beautiful one — warm lighting, cake with candles, exactly the aesthetic she loves. Downloaded it. Opened WhatsApp. Stared at the blank caption field for another ten minutes. The image was perfect. I had absolutely nothing to say with it. That … Read more