Three days before the Recognition Ceremony, Mother caught me off guard by asking me to meet her for afternoon tea at the lakeside lodge.“Just you and me,” she said. “I thought we could talk about what you want to do after Recognition.”I knew better than to make too much of it.Still, something small and hopeful stirred inside me.Maybe this time, she actually wanted to know what I wanted.I booked a table by the windows for two the next afternoon.I made sure to get the table with the best view of Blackthorn Lake. Mother loved watching the mountains reflected on the water, and I wanted everything to be just the way she liked it.I arrived half an hour early.I ordered the wild-berry scones Mother always liked and asked them to bring out her favorite tea when she arrived.Then I waited.Half an hour after our reservation, I texted her.An hour later, I called.Two hours later, a server came by and quietly replaced the pot of tea that had gone cold.By the fourth hour, almost every ta
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