Chapter 12 - Bernice Sends Flowers
Flowers arrived.
Huge.
Too huge.
White roses.
Card:
For my brave granddaughter. Love, Grandma.
No apology.
Elodie looked.
“They pretty.”
“Yes.”
“Can keep?”
“Of course.”
Important.
I had wanted to throw them away.
My anger.
Her flowers.
Elodie’s choice.
We kept.
Then another package arrived.
A fitness tracker designed for children.
I stared at it.
No.
That object belonged to Bernice’s old theory:
Data.
Steps.
Proof.
I called her.
“Why tracker?”
“So doctors can monitor her recovery.”
“Doctors didn’t ask.”
“It’s useful.”
“No.”
“Griffin, you can’t react to every object as an attack.”
She was not entirely wrong.
Still:
“This one carries history.”
Silence.
“Return it.”
“I thought she’d like the colors.”
Maybe true.
The package went back.
Boundaries can be specific without demonizing every gift.
Flowers stayed.
Tracker returned.
May you like
That nuance helped me.
────────────────────
