My mother tried her best. She never hit me or my brother, but the spackle that covers the wall shows the rage that simmers beneath her soft exterior.

“EVERYTHING I DO IS FOR NOTHING!” she yells as she violently throws her phone towards my little brother. He just received his rejection from Yale and all the hopes my mother had for a better future are filled with holes like these walls.

My brother carries the burden of getting my family out of what we like to call “The Sticks.” The part of town most people wouldn’t drive their car through, let alone move to.

“Mom, I’m sorry. I’ll figure something else out. It’ll all work out. I promise” my brother explains carefully with tears in his eyes. He knows one wrong one word will make her outburst 10 times worse. With my father gone, my mother put the responsibility of the family on my brother.

So while she drinks her days way and works at the local diner at night, my brother spends every waking moment studying. Trying to meet the unrealistic expectations of my alcoholic mother who’s only looking for a free ride to her grave.