I TOOK CARE OF MY ELDERLY NEIGHBOR FOR

ready to run.

What began as a desperate bargain with an irritable old woman slowly unraveled that armor.

Between grocery lists, bad meatloaf, and late-night game shows, I was seen in a way the foster system never managed: not as a case file, but as a person worth staying for.

Losing her and then being seemingly cut out of her will felt like proof that continue reading …