EPILOGUE: IN THE FRAME
A few weeks later, Mom displayed three photographs at a small community-center exhibition.
Her collection was titled IN THE FRAME.
The first showed me alone at graduation.
The second showed Mom’s hand reaching into a photograph as the camera timer went off.
The third showed us laughing together on the backyard bench.
A woman stopped beside us.
“I’m always taking the family pictures,” she told Mom.
Mom smiled.
“You should get into one sometime.”
***
That evening, we returned home to change before dinner.
Morgan was waiting downstairs.
I found Mom standing at her bedroom mirror, applying lipstick.
Her scars were visible above her collar.
“Do you ever miss how you looked before?” I asked.
She considered the question.
“Sometimes.”
She put the lipstick away.
“But I don’t miss the woman who thought she had to hide.”
I stood beside her.
Mom picked up her purse.
“Ready?”
I smiled.
“Ready.”
Note: This story is a work of fiction inspired by real events. Names, characters, and details have been altered. Any resemblance is coincidental. The author and publisher disclaim accuracy, liability, and responsibility for interpretations or reliance. All images are for illustration purposes only.
