At 30,000 Feet, I Watched My Wife Crawl Across the Floor With Both Legs in Casts While My Mother Hid Her Crutches—Then I Noticed What Was Recording Behind Them

Longer pause.

“Yes.”

Then:

“What exactly did the video teach you?”

Painful question.

Not that Mom had changed.

That I could no longer hide behind ambiguity.

PART 26 — CONFLICT AVOIDANCE

I had always considered myself calm.

Good under pressure.