I Have Not Mourned My Father

Even though all I ever wanted was to save his life

Photo by Ebadur Rehman Kaium on Unsplash

My autistic adult son is my truth-teller. And today’s truth makes me wonder, in my solar plexus, whether I am a monster.

I am explaining to him the origins of Halloween, a holiday he hates because of its preoccupation with horror. “Traditionally,” I say, in my best teacher-voice, “‘All Hallows’ was a time…