I wish Teresa had learned it earlier.

I wish Ernest had ever learned it at all.

But wishes do not rewrite nights.

What they can do is clarify the future.

I know now that someone loving me does not entitle them to bypass me.

Someone being afraid does not make me responsible for tolerating the decision they made from fear.

Someone calling something tradition does not transform my body, bedroom, time, or privacy into family property.

And saying no does not require me to prove the other person is evil.

That last one changed my life most.

I can leave because I am uncomfortable.

I can decline because I don’t want to.

I can close the door.

Lock it.

And expect the person who loves me not to hand someone else the key.