“Dad and Lisa are having an affair.”

But every time I looked at her, I lost my courage.

Some mornings it took her several minutes just to walk from the bedroom to the bathroom.

Medicine bottles lined the nightstand.

She apologized whenever I helped wash her hair because she hated depending on anyone.

One afternoon she caught me staring at her.

“What is it, honey?”

“Nothing.”

She gave me a tired smile.

“You’ve always been terrible at pretending nothing is wrong.”

For one second, the truth almost came out.

Instead, I pulled the blanket higher over her feet.

“How are you feeling?”

Mom raised an eyebrow.

“That was an impressive subject change.”

I laughed because she did.

Then she asked me about an upcoming exam.

Even while she was fighting to finish half a sandwich, she was worried about my grades and whether I was spending enough time at school.