Twenty
“I was twelve, almost thirteen,” I tell her. “One of my friends had a birthday party at the park. Mom had been okay for a little while. She had episodes sometimes, but at least they all happened when she was at home. No one knew about them. Anyway, the party was going well. I was happy, Mom was interacting with people.
“Then Dash showed up out of nowhere. I’d never met him before. Didn’t know who he was. And suddenly he started running toward us for no reason, launched himself right over the table, and crashed directly into Mom. I was standing near her, and he managed to knock us both down at the same time. I got up and started yelling at him. That’s when Mom lost it.” I wrap my arms around myself and focus on the river as we walk alongside it. “I realize now that she couldn’t see
