I wish people wouldn’t ask me if I’m going to my mom’s house for Mother’s Day. That leaves me in an awkward spot. I can either lie and say, “Yep.” But I don’t care for lying. I can tell the truth, “Nope,” and leave it hanging unexplained, making me look like an asshole. Or I can tell the whole truth, “She’s dead.” People usually flinch at that. “She passed on.” “She’s no longer with us.” They take that better, but no matter how I say it, they always apologize. “Oh, I’m so sorry.” What am I supposed to say then? “Don’t worry about it, it was a long time ago?” Well, it was, but that doesn’t mean it doesn’t still hurt. Especially this weekend. I guess, “Thanks,” is the right response, but what I’d really mean by that is, “Thanks for bringing it up, I wasn’t thinking about it at all before you asked. So, thanks. Thanks for that. I appreciate it.”