“Because you changed your number to avoid us,” I said.
For a moment, the mask dropped.
Then he forced a weeping smile again.
“I came to fix things. I even brought gifts.
“Stay them,” Noah said.
Then his voice changed.
Easy.
Cold.
I have something for you.
Lily’s eyes shone before she could hide it.
“For me?”
Noah walked up to the hallway closet and returned with a shoebox wrapped in faded blue paper.
He handed it to her.
“What is this?” she asked with a nervous laugh.
“Open it.
Lily carefully removed the gift paper.
Then he opened the box.
The smile disappeared from his face.
There was an old diaper bag inside.
Worn.
Discolored.
Instantly recognizable.
The same bag I had left on my porch fifteen years ago.
His hands started to shake.
What is this?
“The only thing you brought in when you abandoned your children,” Noah replied.
The room was silent.
Phoebe crossed her arms.
Kelly looked down.
And I watched the memories finally hit Lily.
“Noah…
“No.
He denied with his head.
You wanted to celebrate my birthday. Let’s talk about my life.
He pulled a folded sheet of paper out of the box.
The old note.
The note I had kept all those years.
The lyrics remained the same.
Hurried.
Cold.
Indifferent.
Noah started reading it out loud.
“I can’t do this anymore. Pete doesn’t want kids. I hope you can take care of them. I’m sorry.”—
Lily closed her eyes.
“Please…
“That was it,” Noah continued. No address. No number. No explanation.
“He was young.
You said that.
I made mistakes.
We all make mistakes.
His voice was still calm.
That was the hardest thing to hear.
“One mistake is to forget a birthday. One mistake is being late for a meeting. You abandoned three kids.
The tears started running down Lily’s cheeks.
I thought I would come back for you.
Phoebe let out a bitter laugh.
After fifteen years?
No one answered.
Because there was no answer.
Finally Lily looked at me.
Did you speak ill of me all these years?
The question infuriated me.
“No.
I took a step forward.
I told them the truth when they were old enough to understand it.
You made me the villain.
I didn’t need to. You did that alone.
Lily looked down.
For the first time since I had arrived, it looked really small.
Not elegant.
Not safe.
Just little one.
Noah put the note back inside the box.
“I didn’t give you this to humiliate you.
She looked up.
“Then why?
Because I wanted to give you back something that belonged to us.
What?
“The abandonment.
The word fell like a stone.
“For years we carried it.
We wonder what we did wrong.
We wondered why we were not enough.
We wonder why our mother didn’t love us.
The tears filled Phoebe’s eyes.
Kelly took her hand.
“But it’s not our weight anymore,” Noah continued. It’s yours.
No one spoke.
Finally Lily left the box on the table.
“I’m sorry.
Noah nodded slowly.
I know.
She blinked in surprise.
“You know that?”
“Yes.
