Chapter 21 - Rosie meets her mother
Rosie knew before the meeting.
We told her together with her therapist.
“Your mother is alive.”
Rosie stared at me.
Then:
“Did you know?”
“Not until recently.”
“Did she leave me?”
Vivienne was not present for that first conversation.
I said:
“She was badly hurt. Later, people made her believe contacting us could put you in danger.”
Rosie asked:
“Did she believe them?”
“Yes.”
“Did she want me?”
“Yes.”
That mattered most.
The meeting happened three weeks later.
Vivienne sat in a quiet family room.
Rosie entered.
Stopped.
Neither moved.
Then Rosie said:
“You look older.”
Vivienne laughed through tears.
“So do you.”
Rosie’s face crumpled.
She ran into her mother’s arms.
May you like
I left the room.
Some reunions do not need fathers standing in the doorway watching themselves be relevant.
