Forever means continual, eternal, endless. Means always. “Together forever,” I say to my son, slumber descending on us. Three months in—sweat-sticky from skin-to-skin, hair like shore-washed kelp, milk stains crusted down my front—forever is the thirty minutes until his mouth goes slack and his fists unfurl. The app dings—you have new test results!—he stirs. “Together forever,” I whisper him to heavy lids. It’s the Big Lie. Another ding. Must be Big News. But I have the universe draped over me. My hair threaded through his tiny fingers. I want five minutes more.
Preeti Talwai writes from California, where she's also a research leader in human-centered technology. preetitalwai.com Instagram @couleur.espace