Cutting Room Floor

There was a point in our relationship when my mom chose to play Smith for me, just as there was a point when she decided that I was going to be her daughter.

Toni Morrison exposed, often violently and unabashedly, the invisible stories inked into the fabric of America when such an act was unheard of and unwelcomed — especially when a Black woman was behind it.

“They dared me to kiss you because you’re so depressed,” he asserted matter-of-factly, before scurrying back to his friends.

I remind myself of the eulogy “This Is Us” helped me to write for my grandfather’s memorial service. Except that it wasn’t a eulogy. It was a celebration.

When I thought of “The Room,” I didn’t think of Johnny’s diatribes and anguish-filled acting, but of the less-funny parts where his world was crumbling.

If my internal store of energy wasn’t sucked dry by an afternoon of "Kangaroo Jack" viewing, then I would have likely chased him around.

I didn’t need a big part in every show, or even in most shows — but I think the parts you gave me were a symptom of our incompatibility.