My mom refused to let me fix the clogged kitchen sink pipes, and what I eventually found inside left me speechless.

After a year abroad, I came home expecting hugs and Mom’s delicious food. What I didn’t expect was a clogged sink in our kitchen. I offered to fix it but Mom panicked and stopped me.

When I opened those pipes while she was out, I uncovered a chilling truth she’d been hiding for years. The flight from Bangkok felt endless, but nothing compared to the ache in my chest when I saw Mom waiting at Riverside Airport. Twelve months of street food vlogs and temple visits had kept me busy, but they couldn’t fill the hole that missing home had carved out.

“Jeremy!” She threw her arms around me before I’d even cleared the gate. Her shoulders shook against mine, and I caught the familiar scent of her rosemary oil mixed with something I couldn’t place… worry, maybe. “Hey, Mom!” I squeezed her tight, feeling like that scared eight-year-old who used to crawl into her bed during thunderstorms.

“I missed you so much!”Continue reading…