8
My mom and I squeezed onto a single bed.
On that summer night, every inch of her skin felt unbearably sticky, mixed with the unpleasant smell of sweat.
The cicadas outside kept chirping, and the dorm was stifling hot as my roommates tossed and turned, occasionally mumbling complaints.
Because my mom wouldn't let me turn on the air conditioning or open the window.
She insisted that sleeping with the air conditioning on would give me "air conditioning sickness" and that opening the window could lead to a stroke from the wind blowing on my head.
The bed was cramped, and my mom pressed up close to me.
Her deafening snoring filled the air next to my ear, and I could even feel the slightest movement of her fingers.
When she turned over, her arm landed on my chest.
I tightly shu
