They Locked Me Out While My Father Died

On the day we moved into our new apartment, the technician told us that the smart lock could only register four master fingerprints.

Dad registered his. Mom registered hers. My brother, Brandon, registered his. Even Brandon’s girlfriend of six months, Ashley, got her fingerprint registered.

When it was finally my turn, Mom shut the door in my face.

"You live on campus anyway. You barely come home, so there's no need for you to have access."

On the first day of winter break, I took three different greyhound buses and finally made it back to this "new home" late at night.