I did try to get her to talk about anything that was bothering her. She'd talk about everyday stuff, mostly. Sometimes, when she let herself be open, she'd mention "just feeling down" or "in a blah mood". Eventually I figured out that was her code for feeling much worse than a normal bad mood. I wondered if something was going on between Dad and her, and that worried me a lot. Even if I did want to fuck her, that didn't mean I wanted to replace Dad, as if that makes any sense.

So time passed. I was constantly debating telling someone about my attraction to Mom. I'd decided that...