Why did he think his dad was such a good guy under the surface? He was more deluded than my mother, who was saying something. Still, I was probably deluded about my mum, too. He was likely as optimistic as I was, hoping one day they’d turn a corner and be the parents we needed. At least my mum never raised her fists at me, and at least I was eighteen now, and able to provide support for us both, rather than depend on her to keep our electricity on.

College went by in a blur as I tried to concentrate. English, Maths, Science. My surface-level friends chatted their usual...