Champaign
On the way home, the western sky burnished with gold. Halfway between home and Mom. I’m going to have some dinner, my first real meal in days, and try to get a good nights sleep.

I saw her this morning, sat on a couch next to her and hugged her for the first time in months. The first few moments were just hugging and crying. Then one of the nurses announced she was going on break.
“Good,” Mom said to me, “I don’t like that one.”
Ah, there’s my mother.