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I was twelve years old when our mother passed away, an age when the world still feels solid and permanent, until suddenly it doesn’t. I remember the hospital corridor clearly. The sharp smell of antiseptic. The buzzing lights overhead. The way adults spoke in hushed voices, as if silence itself could soften grief.
She stood beside me at the funeral, back straight, shoulders squared, eyes dry. She was nineteen, barely more than a teenager herself, yet something in her changed that day. While everyone else fell apart, she became still. Strong. Unmovable.
In a single moment, she became my parent, my protector, and my entire safety net.
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