I could feel the burn of hot tears lingering in my eyes, waiting to spill out onto my cheeks. Waiting to flow as soon as the gates were opened and they were free from where they’ve been trapped for months, waiting for the time to fall.

My husband had just gone to the ER again, this time while I was in another state. It was the third time in 45 days. I’d just worked nonstop for several days, doing a job that I didn’t even know I’d taken.