The Town Car pulls up to the front of the Victorian mansion in Upstate New York where I grew up.
Getting out, I grab my bag and head up the steps. Before I can even reach the last one, the door swings wide open. My mom shrieks, placing her hands over her mouth before running to me.
“Ryat,” she screams a little too loud in my ear as she hugs me tightly.
I drop my bag to hug her back. “Hey, Mom.”
“Oh my God, I’m so glad you’re home.” She pulls away and cups my face with both of her hands. “You’re such a grown man.” I see the tears start to build in her soft blue eyes.
I never come home. It’s not because of her or because of my dad. I just choose to be somewhere else. “I’m only here for the weekend,” I remind her.
She smiles at me. “I know. But soon, you’ll be living here again.”
I don
