Chapter 13 - Caroline And Daniel Repair Childhood Damage
Daniel apologized to Caroline for not believing her when they were children.
She accepted the apology.
Then surprised him.
“I was awful to you sometimes too.”
“You were angry.”
“I was still awful.”
They laughed.
Margaret’s manipulation had encouraged competition between them.
Caroline was the difficult daughter.
Daniel was the sensitive son.
Those labels kept both children from comparing experiences.
As adults, they finally did.
Caroline remembered the basement room.
Daniel remembered hospital smells.
Caroline remembered Robert destroying sample jars.
Daniel remembered Margaret crying afterward.
No single memory contained the entire truth.
Together they built a fuller history.
They also disagreed about Margaret.
Caroline wanted no contact.
Daniel still loved his mother.
He did not let love determine access to Noah.
That distinction became essential.
He could grieve her absence.
He could remember good moments.
He could pay for appropriate care if she became ill.
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None of those things required putting his son back in danger.
Love was not the same as permission.
