Diapers Never Lie Scene 179

The mundanity of the lawyers’ initial arguments belied the seriousness of whatever the outcome would entail, and I struggled to follow all of what they were saying. My thoughts drifted to the last time I had seen mother lying on the floor of the mobile home. I hadn’t known the extent of her injuries at the time, but I found out afterward that the gun had been loaded with birdshot, and my wayward shot had only hit her in the shoulder. Mother’s inebriated state had been as much to blame for her passing out as her injuries, which, while outwardly messy, had in fact been minor as far as gunshot wounds go. Her immediate recovery had been one of the reasons the judge had been lenient in not considering more serious charges.