Chapter 26 - TREVOR COMES HOME
Trevor completed custody and supervision years before Judith died.
He lived modestly.
No Foster executive role.
No fiduciary authority.
He worked for a regional property-maintenance company.
Operations.
Not finance.
He saw Emma occasionally.
They built something limited.
Not father-daughter restoration.
A relationship.
Coffee.
Birthday texts.
Once-a-year cemetery visit if Emma wanted.
He apologized to me in person only once.
We were both fifty-five.
Public park.
Rebecca knew.
Emma nearby but not listening.
Trevor said:
“I knew enough.”
I waited.
“That’s what I have spent twenty years trying not to soften.”
“Yes.”
“I didn’t know Mom would kill them.”
“She didn’t intend to.”
“I know.”
He corrected.
“I didn’t know what she did would kill them.”
“Yes.”
“But I knew it was dangerous enough to tell you.”
“Yes.”
“And I didn’t.”
There.
No speech.
Then:
“I’m sorry I held you at the funeral.”
My throat tightened.
“I thought you meant the bottles.”
“I’m sorry for all of it. But that moment…”
He looked away.
“You were standing between their coffins and my mother was hurting you, and I restrained you.”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
“You tell me.”
“Because I was still trying to keep Mom from making a bigger scene.”
I almost laughed.
“She was pulling my hair into our son’s coffin.”
“I know.”
“That was already the scene.”
“I know.”
He cried.
I did not comfort him.
I also did not hate him anymore.
That surprised me.
Hate had simply become too expensive to maintain.
We left separately.
May you like
No hug.
Enough.
