When my parents died, my aunt said she was \u201csaving\u201d me. I slept on a mattress on the floor and grew up believing I owed her my life\u2014until, years later, she came back to collect.I was ten when my parents died.It was winter. Snow everywhere. One of those nights adults later describe as \u201cterrible road conditions,\u201d like that explains anything. All I knew was that my mom, Claire, and my dad, Michael, left the house and didn\u2019t come back.After the funeral, my dad\u2019s sister, Linda, showed up. She hugged me in front of people. Long, loud hugs. The kind meant to be seen.\u201cI\u2019ll take Ethan,\u201d she said. \u201cOf course I will.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
That\u2019s how Linda liked to phrase it. Taking me. Like a package. Like charity.At her house, she gave me a small room at the back. No bed. Just a thin mattress on the floor and a blanket that smelled like dust and old boxes. Her kids had bunk beds. Desks. Shelves full of toys. I had a corner.he first night, I asked Linda where my stuff was. She waved a hand.Later never came.My parents had left money for me. Not millions. But enough. College money. Insurance. Savings. Enough to make sure I wouldn\u2019t disappear. Linda handled it.At first, I didn\u2019t understand what that meant. I was ten. I thought adults were just\u2026 adults.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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