My Parents Went to Aspen for Christmas Without Me—So I Rehomed the Dog and Kept the Paperwork

that always ended with variations of “When are you coming home?” Not once did any letter contain the words “I’m sorry” or “We were wrong.” She genuinely seemed to believe that I was being unreasonable, that I had overreacted to normal family dynamics.

Tyler reached out after several months, asking if we could talk. We met at a neutral coffee shop, and continue reading …