My Mom Blocked Me to Save My Dog—and It Saved Me Too

word had thorns in it, “have you… been online today?”

A pause.

“I made the mistake of checking,” she said quietly.

My chest hurt.

“I’m so sorry,” I blurted.

“For what?”

“For… for them. For this. For dragging you into it.”

Another pause.

Then she exhaled, slow.

“Honey,” she said, and she hadn’t called me that in months, “you didn’t drag me. People did. People continue reading …