Summary

In “The Mom of Bold Action,” instead of writing, Ginnie paced around the kitchen, imagining lives and stories for her kitchen tools and appliances. When she called her son Derek to come inside, he did not respond. She imagined a story inspired by Derek’s unresponsiveness. She often worried about him, particularly since his lung collapsed (67). She told herself “He was fine” and sat down to write (69).

Derek returned, stumbling, with “Blood on his face” (70). She ran to him. He said an old man had pushed him down on Church Street. “Ten minutes later,” Ginnie’s husband Keith returned (70). He was furious when he heard what happened.

The family reported the incident to the police. The cops showed the family a line of suspects on a laptop, two of whom looked similar. Derek was unsure who was...