Chapter 13 - EMILY LEARNS ABOUT DIANE
We told Emily gradually.
Not the trust.
Not fraud.
Diane.
Her birth mother wanted contact.
Emily asked:
“Does she want me back?”
Claire answered first.
“No one is taking you anywhere.”
“Can she?”
“No.”
Legal adoption final.
Stable.
Important.
“Does she love me?”
Diane said she did.
I told Emily that.
She asked:
“Can you love somebody you don’t know?”
I thought.
“Yes.”
“But different?”
“Yes.”
She nodded.
Then:
“Can I see a picture?”
We showed one.
Diane at twenty-six.
Emily stared.
“We have the same eyes.”
“Yes.”
“Is that weird for Mom?”
Claire inhaled.
“A little.”
Emily looked at her.
“You’re still Mom.”
Claire started crying.
May you like
Emily groaned.
“Now everybody cries.”
