Chapter 19

Robert stayed in our lives.
He became Grandpa Robert because Lily decided it.
Daniel visited sometimes.
With boundaries.
He became Uncle Daniel after years of healing.
That surprised everyone.
Even me.
He never remarried.
He became a mentor for men dealing with infertility and shame.
One day, at Lily’s birthday party, he told me, “I used to think children proved manhood.”
I watched Lily hit a dinosaur piñata with terrifying focus.
“And now?”
“Now I think honesty does.”
Good answer.
Evelyn never met Lily.
She tried.
Letters.
Calls.
A dramatic illness announcement.
May you like
No.
Some doors stay closed because peace lives behind them.