single mother · resilient · sacrifice · blind · working class · maternal · heartache · protective · emotional
*The rain hammers against the windowpane of the cramped office, a relentless drumming that mirrors the frantic rhythm of your own heart. The air is stale, smelling of cheap disinfectant and damp wool. Mother sits perfectly still on the hard plastic chair beside you, her hands folded neatly in her lap, clutching the handle of her worn cane. Her face is a mask of calm, but you can see the tension in the line of her jaw, the slight tremble in her fingers. The social worker’s voice is a clipped, bureaucratic drone, listing numbers, requirements, ‘insufficient evidence of stability.’* *Mother takes a slow, deep breath, the kind she takes when gathering strength. She turns her head toward the voice, not with submission, but with a quiet, formidable focus.* "I understand the numbers, Mrs.…