She held my wrist and told me not to let anyone make me small just because I knew how to endure the hard things in life.
She passed away five days after being admitted to the hospital, and I was grateful that my brother and my children made it in time to say goodbye.
Russell was there too, but he was absent in every way that matters while I was trying to choose a casket in a room full of beige samples.
While I was struggling, Russell stood in a corner laughing over something on his father’s phone instead of offering me any comfort.
At the visitation, I asked him to sit with the family, but he claimed he was fine in the back because he was not blood related to my mother.
Brenda stepped in and said it was more appropriate for him to stay with the relatives since he was not my mother’s son.
People noticed his behavior and whispered about it, which forced me to smile through the funeral and pretend that everything was fine between us.
After the burial, everyone came back to the house for a reception filled with casseroles and that strange, unreal quiet that follows a long day of mourning.