The things that follow us | Part II

On Now: Why do we seek after the things that destroy us?

“It wasn’t supposed to go like this,” I said. “I was trying to protect you.”

After the cops charged Mom with two misdemeanors — one for driving under the influence of oxycodone, the other for possession of an illegal substance — I drove her to the hospital. I dodged dips in the road and crawled over speed bumps with a slowness that tested my patience. Mom winced, but she didn’t make a sound.