CNU-My daughter-in-law said Christmas would be easier if I stayed away, and my son did not even raise his eyes to defend me. So I stayed home, alone, exactly as requested. …

funeral. Long enough for the casseroles to come and the sympathy cards to yellow on the mantel. Not long enough for me to learn how to answer casual cruelty without feeling it all the way down in my ribs.

I told myself Linda was one of those young professionals who confuse curiosity with intimacy. I wanted to be fair. Vincent was thirty-three then, continue reading …