STORY 1

My mother left me in foster care at ten and never looked back. I grew up without her and built a life on my own—college, a loving husband, and a son.

Seventeen years later, she called. Sick. Alone. I took her in, cared for her, and two weeks later, she died.Her last words were, “Check my bag.”

Inside was a key to a small apartment covered in photos of me—my whole life. She had watched from afar because she believed I was better off without her.

I wish she hadn’t been so afraid.
I would have accepted her.