Play Nice

by Rachel Harrison

Men are all the same, Mom once told us, but it’s the ones who try the hardest to convince you that they’re good that you really have to watch out for.

Maybe there are no truths in memory. Maybe, when we look back, we see only what we want to see, what suits us in the present.

What does he want me to say? Does he expect me to apologize? Everyone in my life wants me to behave in a very specific way that’s beneficial to them, and as soon as I deviate from their expectations, it’s an issue. As soon as I act out of whatever role they cast me in in their lives, it’s somehow my fault.

Remembering is not always a light shone into darkness. Sometimes it’s a claw reaching out and dragging you back.