Two days after my dad's funeral, my mom went on a mission. I never understood it until then--that sometimes a spy doesn't need a cover so much as she needs a shield.

Summary

This quote suggests that the speaker's mother, after the death of her husband, embarked on a mission of some kind. The speaker acknowledges that they struggled to comprehend her actions initially, but then realized that in this vulnerable time, their mother needed not just a disguise like a spy would, but also protection or defense, symbolized by the metaphorical "shield." This implies that the mother's mission may have served as a coping mechanism, guarding her fragile emotions in the aftermath of her partner's passing.

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