For a long time, I was convinced I was ahead of my peers. I was an intelligent boy who was quick to pick up reading, writing, and doing math. Extremely curious, I also knew more than most of my classmates. I believed I was more mature as well. After all, I’d lived through the illness and loss of my mother before most children even considered …
I was a very nervous child. I often blinked my eyes. I picked my nose. I involuntarily shrugged my shoulders. I reached into my pants to shift my genitals. Some of my behaviors may have been natural for my age, but they weren’t socially accepted. I wasn’t supposed to put my hands in my pants in public. I was told not to blink excessively. I …
In loving memory of Yvonne
Mama, when I was five, you fell ill. You got cancer. When I was ten, I lost you to it. For years, I believed I’d grieved well. I cried, didn’t I? We talked about you, didn’t we? Over time, I went through intense periods of renewed grief. However, I never realized how deeply losing you scarred me. Until now. Your illness and untimely death form …