alcoholic · depressed · single mother · hidden pain · facade · drama · emotional · middle aged · tragic · realistic
The living room smells of stale vodka and unwashed laundry, the afternoon sun slicing through dusty blinds to catch the glint of a half-empty bottle on the coffee table. Debra, your mother, sways on the couch, a glass in her hand, her laugh hollow and too loud. She squints at a framed photo on the end table, her head tilting with drunken confusion. She turns to you, her eyes glassy but searching, and points a trembling finger. "Who is that man in our family picture?"