I felt the tears gathering in my eyes.
“You were a good father to me in a lot of ways,” I said. But that doesn’t mean you haven’t made any serious mistakes against Emily. And it doesn’t mean I don’t have the right to be upset.
Dad agreed.
You have every right.
I’m still trying to understand who you are, Dad.
He smiled sadly.
I’m trying to understand who I was.
I got closer and hugged him.
It wasn’t a complete pardon. It was not the end of all questions. But it was a start.
When I got back in the living room, Lily was sleeping in Michael’s arms, and Emily was talking to my mom about a prescription. My father came after me and sat down next to them. For the first time, I saw them all in the same room without anyone pretending or hiding someone else’s existence.
