My Mother Said I Only Care About Myself Until I Canceled Everything I Was Paying

against a charge that nobody had filed yet.

My mother’s voice from Sunday: You just know how to count.

Yes, I thought. I do know how to count.

I have been counting since I was thirteen years old, sitting in a kitchen on Cedar Street while the chair at the head of the table was empty and I said okay because someone had to. I have been counting because continue reading …