On All Fours — The Day My Mother Made An Apology

“I am sorry,” she said. Her voice was raw, scraped clean of its usual armor. “I am sorry for every word that made you feel less than. I am sorry for the silence that followed. I am sorry from the ground up.”

“No,” she said, not lifting her head. “I need to remember what it feels like to kneel. Because for years, I made you kneel with my words. You don't do that to someone you love. You don't make them bow.” The Day My Mother Made An Apology On All Fours

She finally looked up. Her mascara was ruined. Her dignity was intact. “I will try harder,” she said. “I cannot promise perfection. But I can promise I will never make you carry my fears on your back again.” “I am sorry,” she said

My mother—proud, stubborn, a woman who had immigrated to this country with two suitcases and a spine of reinforced steel—was on her hands and knees. I am sorry for the silence that followed