My Husband Said the Funeral Van Would Take Me to a Clinic—Then a Loose White Cord Gave Me a Chance to Get Out

She told me briefly that she was keeping her counseling and probation appointments.

I asked her not to give me details about the people in her sessions.

“That belongs there,” I said.

“I know.”

She looked toward the kitchen window, where the rain made the streetlights blur.

“I thought being afraid of my mother meant I couldn’t do anything else.

But I did something else on the road.”

“Yes.”