At a family gathering, Diane snatched a plate of roasted chicken away just as four-year-old Evan reached for food.
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Chapter 8 / 17
Chapter 8
Emily eventually admitted why she laughed that day.
I had wondered.
She was standing near Diane when Evan fell.
Everyone laughed.
Emily too.
Then her smile disappeared when I started leaving.
“Why?”
She stared at her coffee.
“Because when we were kids, you laughed before Mom looked at you.”
I understood.
Reflex.
Survival translated into adulthood.
“Still wrong.”
“I know.”
Good.
No excuse.
She had also secretly fed Evan several times.
Crackers.
Fruit.
Half a sandwich in the laundry room.
Then lied to me because Diane threatened to ban her from visits.
She told herself hidden food was protection.
It wasn’t enough.
“I should have told you.”
“Yes.”
She cried.
I did not comfort her immediately.
Then:
“But you can do better now.”
May you like
Not absolution.
Direction.
