“Your mom’s got something to tell you boys.” My brother appears on the screen and smiles. We all smile. It’s a bit fake, though. Since Mom got diagnosed, nobody has felt particularly smiley. The golf ball tumor has been removed from her frontal lobe but she’s not looking well. There’s a shoe we’ve all been waiting to hear drop. That’s what she tells us: She’s going to die. Russell talks for a second and then hangs up. Aunt Kathy sits next to us, crying. Mom and I are laughing hysterically, for some reason. We laugh together and it feels completely all right.
Sean Monett is a self-taught illustrator from Knoxville, Tennessee. He is the author of the book A Snail's Path. Instagram: @nonsensepoetrycomics