At 3 A.M., My Brother Dragged Me Out of My Bedroom While Dad Laughed—He Had No Idea What the Smoke Detector Had Recorded
My Buick waited in the driveway.
Its passenger-side mirror had a long crack.
I’d been putting off replacing it because money was tight.
Now I looked at the damaged mirror and wondered how many practical repairs I’d postponed while trying to survive the family situation.
Rent would cost money.
A deposit.
Utilities.
Groceries.