Mom, you have to leave Dad, I said. She stopped doing her toe touches. I can't believe you would say that, she said. I can't believe that you, of all people, would turn on your father. I was Dad's last defender, she continued, the only one who pretended to believe all his excuses and tales, and to have faith in his plans for the future. He loves you so much, Mom said. How can you do this to him? I don't blame Dad, I said. And I didn't. But Dad seemed hell-bent on destroying himself, and I was afraid he was going to pull us all down with him. We've got to get away.
In the excerpt, the narrator confronts her mother about the dangers posed by her father's behavior, urging her to leave him for their family's sake. The mother reacts with disbelief, emphasizing her loyalty to her husband and expressing shock that her child would suggest such a thing. The emotional tension highlights the mother's struggle between love and the harsh reality of their father's self-destructive tendencies.
The narrator feels a sense of resignation about their father's actions, recognizing that his choices are harmful not only to himself but to the entire family. Despite still caring for him, she fears that staying in the same situation will ultimately bring about their downfall. This internal conflict illustrates the complexity of family loyalty and the difficult decisions one must make in toxic environments.
