My mother and I sat at patio furniture in our
backyard, the heat of the summer had let up and we wore jackets over our scant
summer clothing. We drank wine and talked until we began to feel the distance
waver and spin before us. We shifted uncomfortably while we swatted thickets of
mosquitoes from our legs. The pale skin on my thighs had pushed its way through
the metal mesh of my lawn chair, reminding me of how exposed and large the warm
months can make me feel.
