Chapter 14 - Rebecca Finally Met Ethan Again
Rebecca came to Virginia the following spring.
Ethan had not seen her since early childhood, though he barely
remembered those meetings.
Caleb met her at the airport.
Their relationship remained complicated.
Love.
Anger.
History.
Relapse.
Recovery.
Lost years.
No simple reunion could erase any of it.
Rebecca visited Ethan’s home.
She stood in the former office, now covered with children’s paintings.
“William would hate this.”
Ethan laughed.
“Then we definitely made the right choice.”
Rebecca smiled.
Then she cried.
“I’m sorry.”
“For what?”
“For letting him separate the boys.”
Ethan shook his head.
“You were fighting addiction and trying to survive.”
“I also missed visits.”
“Yes.”
“I lied to Caleb.”
“Yes.”
She looked surprised by his directness.
Ethan continued.
“And Dad manipulated both of you.”
Rebecca nodded.
Again, two truths.
Nobody needed to become innocent of every mistake before acknowledging
what William had done.
Rebecca brought a box of photographs.
One showed Caleb at five days old beside Ethan at three days.
The same nursery.
But another photograph showed Sarah holding both babies.
On the back, Sarah had written:
MY TWO BOYS FOR TODAY.
Caleb stared at it.
Ethan laughed softly.
“She really did collect people.”
Rebecca smiled.
“She loved you both.”
Lily entered.
She looked at the photograph.
“Which one is Dad?”
Rebecca pointed.
Lily frowned.
“They look the same.”
Caleb said:
“Exactly. Your dad has always copied me.”
Ethan threw a napkin at him.
Lily laughed.
It was the first time she laughed with Caleb.
May you like
Everyone noticed.
Nobody announced it.
