“Can we come back someday?”
I smiled.
“If I invite you.”
She thought about that.
“Okay.”
And somehow, that little word felt like victory.
Not because I had defeated my family.
Because I had finally taught a child the difference between being loved and being entitled.
The cars disappeared down the gravel road.
My mother was the last one to leave.
Before she got into the car, she turned.
“You’ve changed.”
I nodded.
“Yes.”
She looked at the cabin.
“Are you happy?”
I looked at the porch.
At the mountains.
At the creek.
At the quiet.
“Yes.”
She nodded slowly.
Then she got into the car.
For the first time in my life, she didn’t ask me to fix anything.
I watched her drive away.
Marcus came up beside me.
“You okay?”
I laughed softly.
“I don’t know.”
He smiled.
“That’s usually how big changes feel.”
