“Letters do not replace birthdays.”
“I know.”
“And punishing yourself does not give Lily back thirteen years with her father.”
He covered his face briefly.
When he looked up, he seemed smaller somehow.
“What do you want from me?”
“Nothing.”
He blinked.
“Not yet.”
I reached for my coat.
“Lily gets to decide what she wants from you.”
“And you?”
My hand paused on the door.
“I’m still deciding whether the man who walked out thirteen years ago is someone I want to know again.”
Then I left.
Part 7 — The Question Lily Couldn’t Understand
That evening, I placed Carl’s phone number on the kitchen table.
Lily looked at it.
Then at me.
“I met him.”
Her eyes widened.
“You what?”
“I needed answers before giving you his number.”
“Did you get them?”
“Some.”
“And?”
I sat across from her.
“I understand him better than I did yesterday.”
Hope flickered across her face.
Then I continued.
“Understanding someone is not the same thing as excusing them.”
She looked back at the piece of paper.
“What do I do?”
“Whatever you want.”
She didn’t touch the number.
Instead, she stood.
“Come upstairs.”
She led me into the room we still called the spare room.
