Page 93 of Not Safe for Work
‘Why? Is there someone else?’
Neil’s fingers tightened around the edge of the table. He could no longer pretend like any of this was normal. ‘Why do you suddenly care so much, mom?’
To anyone else, his words might’ve seemed unnecessarily harsh. But they both knew how much she had let him down.
It took her a few seconds to meet his gaze. When she did, her eyes were swimming with tears. ‘I know I haven’t been there for you these last few years, Neil. I’ve tried blaming everyone and everything … but the simple truth is, I was unhappy. So deeply unhappy that I couldn’t see anything beyond myself. Not even my own son.’ A single tear rolled down her cheek.
‘Mom,’ Neil began, giving into the overwhelming urge to reach for her hand. ‘What happened?’
She sniffled, waving his hand away. ‘We’ll talk about my dumb mid-life crisis later. First tell me … is there someone else?’
He exhaled sharply through his nose. ‘Yes and no.’
‘What is that supposed to mean?’
‘It’s a long story.’
‘Okay,’ she said, pushing her chair back to stand up. ‘Then I’m going to make us some tea.’
Internship Update
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01/07/25 3:00pm
to Neil, Kavya
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