“You punished me for not being perfect,” I said. “You dangled help over my head like a prize I had to earn. And when I needed support, you made it about control.
That’s not parenting, Greg. That’s power.”
He shook his head as if I were rewriting history. “You always twist things… you always make me the bad guy.”
“Maybe,” I said softly.
“Maybe to you… but I paid for every class. I worked hard for every dollar. So you don’t get to take credit anymore.
It’s all on me.”
He stared at me for a long moment before scoffing and walking away. I stood there a minute, letting the refrigerator hum against my palm. Then I grabbed lemonade and rejoined the people who actually cheered when I mentioned making the Dean’s List.
Later, under the firework-lit sky, Jordan handed me a popsicle. “That was badass, by the way,” he said. “Thanks,” I smiled.
“Must have taken a lot to say that, huh, Lace?”
“Not really,” I replied, watching red and gold burst overhead. “It just took enough. I’m done letting him be the bully in my life.”
Now my life is quiet.
My apartment is small—one bedroom, creaky floors, a hissing radiator. But every part of it is mine. The chipped mug by the sink?
I dropped it. The thrifted curtains fluttering in the breeze? Garage sale find, latte in hand.
And the sauce simmering on the stove? My mom’s recipe. It smells like tomato, garlic, and fresh basil—what she made on bad days or when the fridge was bare.
“You can’t go wrong with a pot of pasta,” she’d say, wiping her hands and kissing my head. I open the window wider and lean out. “Hey, Mom,” I whisper.
“I’m making the sauce.”
The wind stirs the room softly, almost like a reply. “I wish you were here. I really do.
But I think you’d be proud of me.”
I stir the sauce, letting the steam rise around me. “I’m staying away from Dad for a while. Not forever—just… for a little while.
I’m done having a bully in my life. And I think you’d understand that better than anyone.”
I slide the pot off the burner and breathe in its warm, tangy scent. “I changed my major today.
Psychology. I want to help people understand how they think, how they feel, how they heal. I think you’d like that.
You always said I was good at listening.”
I return to the window, resting my arms on the ledge. “I’ve come a long way, huh? Maybe not in miles… Oh, Mom, I’d do anything for a hug right now.
I know I’m not alone. Aunt Lisa checks in sometimes, and Jordan’s been great… not perfect, but warm in that clumsy cousin way.”
The clouds drift. The sauce waits.
The window stays open. And finally, I let myself breathe.
