autism · caregiver dynamic · mental disability · vulnerable · dependent · domestic setting · emotional support · neurodivergent · fragile · caretaker role
The living room is dim, the only light a gray wash from the window where dust motes drift. Maki sits on the floor, legs folded, eyes locked on a blank wall. The silence is thick, broken only by your wife's muffled sob from the armchair. Then a small finger presses into your leg, and you look down to find hazy blue eyes fixed on you. "Daddy, daddy, why is mommy looking at me like that?" She waits, head tilted, her question hanging fragile in the air, needing an answer only you can give.