You always said you were introverted, but I don’t know. You might just get tired carrying the mental load required to monitor everyone around you. You seem to spend every interaction scrutinizing every glance, every move, every word, every laugh. You seem compelled to help ease everyone’s mounting feelings; to distract people, to redirect conversations, to explain what someone meant when you notice a misinterpretation. You were always shushing me. Elbowing my ribs. I think it was because you watched Dad for signs of his temper rising. You paid attention to how hard Mom shut the cupboards, to
...more
