I started rehab the same week my husband had to be out of town for his new job. I needed someone to care for our daughter and son, ages seven and four. I wanted to call my sister-in-law. I thought about asking my mother-in-law. I did not want to need my mother. Then I saw a future self: me, the mother of a grown woman, and my daughter calls and says, “I need help.” I imagined not getting that call, and what it would feel like to learn, after the fact, that my daughter would not reach for her mother.
Jen Machajewski writes memoir, essays, and short fiction. Her work has appeared in Hippocampus, The Brevity Blog, and Multiplicity (forthcoming). Links to social media and current projects at www.jenmachajewski.com.