After I Refused To Pay Tuition, A Family Dispute Turned Violent—and Went On Record

room, someone laughed at something on TV, unaware that the air had changed. The smell of roasting chicken seemed suddenly too strong. My heartbeat thudded in my ears.

“Can’t,” Patricia murmured again. “Or won’t.”

“I won’t,” I repeated, meeting her eyes.

Her nostrils flared. Under other circumstances, I might have recognized the signs sooner: the way her continue reading …