They Let a Child Humiliate Me at the Birthday Table—By Morning, the Car Was Gone and Someone Was Knocking

was my mother, clutching her purse with both hands, wearing her pale blue church blouse. She gazed into the store, her eyes moving from the shelves to the displays to the sign behind the counter: HART & LILY, in simple black letters.

Lily had been my daughter’s name.

After a few minutes, she turned and walked away. She didn’t come in. She didn’t continue reading …