Chapter 15 - My Own Address
“Yes,” I told Max. “Send me the date.”
“You’ll really come?”
“I will.”
He breathed out so loudly I could hear it through the phone.
I drove to Asheville the next morning. Paul had offered to drive, but I wanted those miles to myself. The road climbed into the mountains under a pale winter sky. In the passenger seat, Robert’s letter rested inside my handbag.
My apartment was small enough to clean in an hour. It had a balcony, a yellow front door, and a kitchen window facing a line of trees. I bought groceries, made tea, and slept until sunlight reached the bed.
The first weeks were strange. I missed the old house at odd moments: the sound of its front step, the view from Robert’s study, the pantry marks showing how tall Stuart had grown. I was glad the Hendersons loved it. I grieved leaving it all the same.
Helen sent word that Dr. Campbell’s office had corrected my record. The disputed consent and false incident list were preserved. Stuart and Jennifer returned the silver and all the documents from the box. With Helen’s help, I finished changing my contacts and estate papers so the decisions belonged to me. Helen continued handling the forged paperwork.
Stuart sent one letter. He wrote about the things he had done, without blaming Jennifer for them. He said he had apologized to Lily and Max. I put the letter in a drawer. I wasn’t ready to answer.
I did return for Max’s concert.
Lily saved me a seat. When Max spotted me from the stage, he lifted one hand before remembering he was supposed to hold his trumpet.
Stuart sat two rows behind us. We spoke in the lobby afterward, with people walking around us and Max waiting to show me the program.
“How’s Asheville?” Stuart asked.
“Good.”
“I’m glad.”
It was a small conversation. It was enough for that day.
Back at my apartment, I finally hung Stuart’s childhood photograph on a shelf. I could love the boy in it and still hold the man accountable. I could leave a door open without handing him the key.
That night, I read Robert’s letter again. His last words still made me smile.
Make a life that still belongs to you, Ines.
May you like
I set the letter beside my bed. In the morning, I had a class to teach at the community center, dinner planned with Denise when she came to visit, and a call scheduled with Lily.
For the first time in a long while, I was looking forward to all three.
