The conversation that followed was a jumbled mess of apologies, justifications, and, eventually, a begrudging understanding. It turned out that my mom and I had been growing apart for a while, and Jamal... well, he had been there. The weeks that followed were tough. My relationship with my mom was strained, to say the least. Jamal and I took a break from each other, not knowing how to navigate the new reality. But as time passed, we began to talk again, piecing together what had happened and how to move forward.
Jamal sighed, setting his cup down. "Your mom and I... we've been talking for a while now. I know it was wrong, but... I care about her." Jamal Banged My Mom! [v0.67a]
The version 0.67a in the title might suggest this was a draft or early version of a much larger and more complex story. Life, much like software, is in constant development, always iterating towards a better, or at least different, version. The conversation that followed was a jumbled mess