JULIETTE

“Hey pumpkin, what are you drawing?” My mom, in all her beauty and grace, asked as she stepped out of the kitchen in her sunflower apron, and a rag in her hand. She carefully wiped her fingers and plunged into the seat next to me at the dining table.

“Hey, Mom, I am drawing a family portrait of me, you, and Dad. I was going to add Aunt Karla, but she's barely around.” I smiled, my entire teeth on display.

My mom pinched my cheek and stared down at the cardboard paper I ...