Chapter 13
I changed the memorial room.
Not because Verena demanded it.
Because Milo and I no longer needed it the same way.
Evelyn’s portrait stayed.
Urn stayed.
But the room stopped being frozen.
We added books.
A chair Milo liked.
One shelf for his drawings.
Why?
Because he kept bringing them in when talking to his mother.
The room became used.
Not shrine.
Not museum.
I noticed my visits changed too.
Before, I entered alone.
Closed the door.
Sat in silence.
Sometimes for an hour.
Verena had seen that as competition.
Maybe sometimes it was retreat.
Not from her specifically.
From present life.
Grief had become an excuse to enter a room where nobody demanded anything.
That was useful.
Also dangerous if overused.
I started walking instead.
Talking to friends.
Letting Milo interrupt.
May you like
Living grief instead of visiting it.
Evelyn did not need a private appointment schedule to remain loved.
