“Son, why are you gripping the steering wheel so tightly? Are you upset about something?”

The gentle concern in his mother’s soothing voice caused his chest to constrict. He intentionally released some of the pressure on the wheel. “No, I was just concentrating on the drive.” He paused then added, “I wish y’all wouldn’t argue so much.”

“You worry too much about your father and me. We’ll be just fine.”

Jerry bit the insides of his cheeks to keep from reminding her of her recent Parkinson’s diagnosis and the fact that she was already having a hard time with his father, whose Alzheimer’s kept her constantly on her toes. He had no choice but to step up and care for them like they’d always done for him.