In The Hospital, My Parents Called My Daughter’s Surgery “Nothing Serious”

Don’t be human in a way that requires work.

Lily, with her big feelings and anxious spirals and honest questions, was everything they didn’t know how to pretend to accept.

My mom answered on the third ring.

“Mom. It’s me. Lily’s in the hospital. Emergency surgery—her appendix ruptured.”

A pause. “Is she alive?”

“Yes. She’s alive.”

“Then it’s fine,” my mom continue reading …