« I was 19. My parents said he’d ruin my life. They made me choose: keep you, or keep him around. They threatened to throw me out, to shame us all. I… I did what they wanted. »
« Why didn’t you ever tell me? »
« So you cut him out? For them? » My heart hammered as I pressed on. « He missed everything. My birthdays, graduations… Did you ever think about what that did to me? Or to him? »
My mother’s shoulder shook. « I thought I was protecting you. I thought if I kept him away, you’d have a better life. A normal life, with my parents’ support. »
« You did it to protect yourself, Mom. You buried the truth, and you let me live right next to it without knowing. »
She wiped her face, mascara smudging. « I’m sorry, honey. I really am. I thought I could make it go away. »
« So you cut him out? For them? »
« You can’t bury someone forever, Mom. Not really. It always comes up again; you taught me that. My father left a letter for you, too. »
I tapped the sealed envelope on the table.
« You can tell the family, Mom, or I’ll read his words at dinner on Saturday. »
She started to cry, but I didn’t move.
For once, I wasn’t the one cleaning up the mess.
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