better than i thought

My mother made the three-hour drive in record time, bringing heirloom pansies and frosted brownies. Both were slightly too sweet for my taste, but I told her thank you and meant it. She planted gladiolus bulbs, while warning me that they were unlikely to take root and picked up takeout from the Thai restaurant on the next block.

In the morning, my brother and his wife stopped by to show off Mattea’s first haircut. Stomping through the kitchen in her tiny pink-striped sneakers, Mattea recited the alphabet up to "g" and tried to tip over the button jar. When we sat her at the table, she demanded fish. Everyone kept saying that my heart seemed lighter. And perhaps it was.