Secrets like ours.
Mom
I stared at the letter long after I’d finished reading it. The words burned in my hands like they’d been branded there with a hot cattle iron. Then I let the letter fall into the water, watching as the waves swallowed it whole.
Daniel’s voice broke the silence. “Is everything okay?”
I turned back to him, walked over, and stopped inches away. His face searched mine, and I lifted a hand to his cheek. “You look exhausted. Let’s get some food and rest.”
He closed his eyes at my touch like he’d been starved for it. A single tear escaped, trailing down his face.
I pulled him into a tight hug. His arms wrapped around me, holding me as if letting go wasn’t an option.
“Emily.” His voice was raw against my neck.
“It’s okay,” I whispered. “I’ll take care of you. I promise. Just like I did back then. Just like you did for me.”
He sobbed into me, the sound broken, almost childlike. “Really?” His voice trembled with disbelief.
“Yes.” I stroked his hair, holding him closer. “I’m so sorry for everything, Daniel. I’m here now. I won’t leave you again. I promise.”
He pulled back, wiping his eyes. “No. I’m the one who’s sorry. I should never have kept secrets—”
I pressed my finger to his lips. “Let’s not talk about that anymore.”
He nodded slowly.
“You hungry?” I asked.
A faint smile returned to his face. “Starving. I haven’t been eating much lately.”
I laced my fingers with his. “Come on. That restaurant off Route 1 should be open. The one with the horrible lobster but amazing fries.”
“God, I’d pay a million bucks for some good fries right now.”
“Me too. And I can’t wait to tell you everything about my grandma. And my cat, Princess. She waited for me all those years to come back to Grandma’s house. I think they’d love to meet you. Maybe we can plan a trip down there soon.”
“You don’t mind me meeting them?” he asked, his face caught somewhere between gratitude and disbelief.
“Of course not. We’re all family. And Mochi will be thrilled to see you again. He says your name every day.”
Daniel looked like a flower that had been starved of sun but was finally seeing the light again.
“First, though, let’s get some food. I’ll tell you everything on the way. We also need to talk about other things. Like hiring Tara again, and what we’ll do with the Breakers between the occasional family vacation. Maybe there’s a better purpose for it. Maybe something non-profit. And I want to go back to school to help people. Become a social worker. I’m sure we can find some good use for the Breakers to help others.”
Daniel nodded, still smiling.
As we started up the stairs, he stopped and looked at me. “What did she say in the letter? Your mom?”
I froze.
Now was the moment. The moment to tell him. The moment to finally live with no more secrets. I’d hated when he’d kept them from me; was I going to do the same?
“She said—”
His warm brown eyes locked on mine. Amber-brown, the same as his mother’s. Even his smile mirrored hers. I knew this now that I’d seen her face in those pictures.
What would he say if he knew? If he learned that his father had chosen to let my mother live, and my mother had chosen to let his mother drown. For the money. To take her place.
