Chapter 22 - NERIAH MEETS PRISCA
Neriah chose one meeting at twenty-one.
Prisca was seventy-nine.
Mediated office.
I waited elsewhere.
Neriah told me afterward.
First question:
“Why did you sit on me?”
Prisca cried.
“I panicked.”
“That explains your feeling.”
Silence.
“Why did you do it?”
Prisca answered:
“Because I thought if you told your father what you saw, I would lose control of the trust and everything would unravel.”
“Did it unravel?”
“No.”
“Did the company die?”
“No.”
“Did Dad lose job?”
“No.”
“So you hurt me for something that didn’t even happen.”
Prisca looked down.
“Yes.”
Then:
“Did you love me?”
“Yes.”
“More than control?”
Prisca could not answer quickly.
Neriah nodded.
“That’s what I thought.”
She asked about Eliana.
“Did Mom hate you?”
Prisca shook her head.
“No. She frustrated me.”
“Why?”
“She wanted every boundary written.”
Neriah smiled.
“Smart.”
“Yes.”
Then Prisca said:
“I thought families should trust each other.”
Neriah answered:
“You forged Dad’s signature.”
Prisca closed her eyes.
Meeting lasted thirty-one minutes.
No hug.
Prisca asked:
“Can I see you again?”
Neriah said:
“I’ll decide later.”
She never scheduled another.
May you like
She allowed letters.
That was enough.
