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 aunts.

My cousins.

Family friends who’d listened to Douglas describe me as difficult.

I wanted them to see my father standing in my room.

Hear him directing Aaron.

Understand I hadn’t invented the situation.

But Ruth asked me a question.

“What result do you want?”