“It’s possible,” she said.

“It’s also possible to care about someone and decide you can’t have them close to you.”

“Does that mean I’m cruel?”

“No.

It means you’re paying attention to what happens when you do let them close.”

I thought about Dad.

He had taught me to ride a bike, held the ladder when I painted my bedroom, and once drove through a thunderstorm to retrieve my forgotten science project.

Those memories were real.