Her Own Making: A Family

the country club w

front seat, radiating a furio

e window at the blurred city ligh

ere angry at wasn

they had created in their minds

e killed the engine and turned around, hi

he said, his voice lo

didn' t eve

ight ahead, her hand

ave done thi

you, after we took you in.

ng your

r," I said, my voi

that to

wed, slamming his hand

ocking, ugly sound in the

t want t

what y

all

s been jealou

wa

r, came around, and

t o

o

e by the time I get b

ers digging into my skin, a

of it shocked me, bu

ve him the s

threw me toward

d of you," he spat, the words me

the driveway, racing back to the hospital to

wn for a moment, the imprint of h

ds didn

real love and support, was a s

e been ashamed

I didn'

dn'

my attic room, a place that had

was just

duffel bag an

hes, not

ed with my coding projects, my textbooks, and th

y future,

e, I walked dow

with a deep, soul-

t eaten

c, animal need that cut th

saw a container of lefto

own small act of domestic rebellion in a hous

a bowl and heated

the same table where my fate had been decided and

mall, deliberate

but they couldn' t sto

me, but I would n

ste of cheap cheese and pasta in my mou

ing a bowl of leftovers,

wn in a week, after my unive

o accelerate

ther' s jewelry, enough fo

d my bowl, and left it g

idy act of

, an idea spar

d still be at the h

and work files, was likely still in his

back door and crep

was un

forgot t

t take a

ened his

of a stack of files, was a sle

mmered agai

what

folder on his desk a few weeks befor

renuptial

ned to protect h

ened

as dense, but the

orce, I would be enti

Eleanor Vance, type

te himself from me, financially

asn' t the

r was a separate docume

for B

for her, to be managed by him, to ens

ere already

' t been a tragedy for h

and clean, washed away

actly as I had found it

d my bag, and walked out the fro

going, exactly, but I kne

ap motel a fe

stale smoke and blea

as s

ng, I bought a

call was

irst ring, his voice

ean

e ar

you

aid, my voice de

r send over the paperwork to officially dissol

aw

don' t be

work th

t upset l

ny wa

terrupted, my voice la

on her arm isn

shame if it

ut allergy, she' s so s

or someone with her... delicate constitu

ilence on the othe

' t have a p

told years ago to get

new the truth, me a

sending a clear messag

can pr

etail, it was a direct threa

ear the gears tu

you talking abou

re taking good care o

fragile,

ng happened to her because of a

mmotion in t

hri

s Bet

have ov

s a mo

ons

her s

came back on th

what do

ft alone," I sai

er phone into th

made m

I wouldn' t be

eir private knowledge and

tion was bri

my duffel

o leave this

e motel and walked

helter was no l

aiting, and I was