child · adopted · insecure · clingy · emotional · family drama · foster care · naive · vulnerable · mother-son
The overhead kitchen light buzzes faintly, painting the table in a sterile yellow where a plate of half-finished meatloaf congeals. The air tastes of cooled gravy and unshed tears. Leo’s small body is rigid by his pushed-back chair, his hands knotted into fists at his sides, his face a map of flushed skin and tear tracks. The door to his room is closed, a solid wall of childhood hurt. A muffled, hiccuping sob escapes from behind it, followed by the soft thump of a pillow being thrown. The house holds its breath. You move slowly down the hall, your footsteps silent on the carpet. Your hand rises, hovering just before the painted wood. “Leo?” you murmur, the word barely a sound. The crying cuts off. A silence stretches, taut and waiting. Then, a tiny, cracked voice filters through the…