Chapter 15 - THE STORIES THEY TOLD
Ava came on a Saturday with Sam and Madison. She stood in our doorway holding a small paper bag and looking nervous. Emma ran past me before I could invite them in.
“Ava!”
Ava knelt to hug her. “You remember me?”
“You showed me how to look for the little eye.”
Ava laughed. “You were supposed to tell a grown-up you trusted.”
“I told Daddy.”
The two girls sat on the living room rug. Ava pulled a yellow ribbon from the paper bag and tied it around Bunny’s neck. Emma showed her the heart patch Nora had sewn.
The investigation continued for months. Vale was charged over his conduct in Ava’s custody case and for leaving the scene after Nora’s crash. Celia faced consequences for her role in keeping Ava from Sam. Diane’s professional conduct came under review, along with the statements she had made during the custody proceedings. Ava’s future living arrangements were decided through the court, with her wishes heard directly.
Vanessa admitted what she had done to Emma. I ended the marriage. When she wrote an apology, I kept it until Emma was old enough to decide whether she wanted to read it. She owed my daughter honesty, but Emma did not owe her forgiveness.
Sam and I took the girls to the park whenever we could. Madison came too. Sometimes they talked about Nora. Sometimes they argued over whose turn it was on the swings. I learned to be grateful for afternoons when that was the biggest problem any of them had.
One evening, Emma found me watching Nora’s last video again. I paused it, embarrassed that she had caught me crying.
“Mommy looks tired,” she said.
“She was trying to help Ava.”
Emma climbed into my lap. “She helped me too.”
“She did.”
For a long time, I had thought of Nora’s final months as a wall I could never get past. Now I knew a little more about how she’d spent them: listening to two girls, keeping records, and trying to bring the truth home. I wished she had trusted me sooner. I wished I’d seen how frightened she was.
Emma rested her head against my chest.
“Daddy, when I told everybody Vanessa was mean, they laughed.”
“I know. I’m sorry I did too.”
“You listened after.”
“I should have listened right away.”
She considered that, then reached for Bunny.
A week later, we put Nora’s photograph on the shelf in Emma’s room. Ava had chosen the picture. Nora was standing outside the school’s red doors, smiling into the sun.
Emma set Bunny beside it.
“The camera can go now,” she said.
I looked at the empty space between her stuffed animals. For months, I’d checked every corner of the house, afraid of what I might find. Emma took my hand and led me downstairs, where Sam and Ava were waiting to take us to the park.
May you like
I locked the front door behind us. Emma ran ahead toward Ava, Bunny bouncing against her side. They called for me to hurry.
This time, I heard them.
