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

of my back after a thirty-hour shift.

But none of those injuries had come from family.

The sutures came next. Local anesthetic dulled the sharpest edges of the pain, but I could still feel the tug of each stitch, the gentle but firm pull of skin being coaxed back together. I focused on the numbers, on counting each one as the thread passed through.

Twelve continue reading …