The kitchen in my mother’s house still had the same yellowish ceiling light it had when I was seventeen.
It made everything look flatter than it was.
The beige cabinets.
The old counter with a chipped corner by the sink.
The refrigerator covered in grocery coupons, church reminders, and a small American flag magnet Linda had bought after Memorial Day and never taken down.
I stood beside the table with my hands relaxed at my sides, listening to the rain tap the glass over the sink.