aftercare
Aftercare is the ceremonial bond of purported healing offered atop fresh wounds and awkward silences. Often, the checklist of consoling platitudes and scheduled follow-ups arrives before the recipient’s first sigh of relief. The louder the promises, the thinner the actual support, reduced to a sticker of goodwill. Rather than soothe, it serves as a loophole of perpetual indifference masked by professional courtesy. In the end, one is left to hope that a hollow “we care about you” absolves all obligation.