Nova had chosen the place with reluctance, her mind tugging her between bitterness and hope as she walked through the quiet park. The vast green space was dotted with benches, tall trees providing generous patches of shade. She wasn’t even sure why she’d suggested the park—perhaps because it was because she felt safer here. There was no way her mother would act funny in public, and besides it wasn't that bad.
And also, the park reminded her of some of the fun things she used to do as a kid. She remembered how the air would whip her braided ponytail when she rode her bicycle. She and her mother had come here many times years ago when things between them weren’t so fractured, when life was simpler.
As she approached one of the benches under an old oak tree, she spotted her mother sitting t
