Chapter 24 - Claire meets the girls
Claire did not become Grandma Claire immediately.
Megan was five.
Olivia four.
They already had grandparents.
Relationships should not be assigned like titles.
Michael asked whether Claire wanted to meet them.
She said:
“If Emily agrees.”
Good.
I did.
Public garden.
No Hayes ballroom.
Claire brought no expensive gifts.
She brought a children’s book about horses.
Olivia asked:
“Are you Daddy’s mommy?”
Claire looked at me.
I nodded.
She answered:
“I’m the woman who gave birth to your daddy.”
Megan frowned.
“Grandma Jessica mommy.”
“Jessica raised him.”
Two facts.
Children can handle them if adults stop making complexity sound dangerous.
Olivia asked:
“You have horse?”
Claire laughed.
“Several.”
Relationship established.
They cared about horses.
Not genealogy.
Months later Megan started calling her:
“Claire Grandma.”
Nobody corrected.
May you like
Titles belong partly to children too.
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