“You okay in there, Annaliese?” And just like that. BOOM. “Leave me alone!” The words tore through my throat, leaving it raw in their wake. I could almost see them as they pierced the door and hit their target on the other side. And the mom so defenseless, her arms constantly held open. As I toweled off, I heard nothing else. I imagined the mom knocked over by my words. Eventually, she would gather herself enough to crawl away, lick her wounds in private. I didn’t give the mom enough credit. This was the same woman who’d attacked Rice Sixteen, with her hands curled into claws. I remembered this as I opened the door to find her standing ready and waiting for me. There were no red and teary eyes, or trembling lips. She wasn’t angry or prepared with a how-dare-you-speak-to-me-that-way lecture either. What I got instead was more of the steadfast love and concern that flowed from a seemingly bottomless well. “I’m sorry, sweetie, I shouldn’t have left a note. But you were sleeping, and I didn’t want to wake you.
