Chapter 24 - The First Visit
Miles was eight when he asked to see Patricia.
Not because Evan pushed.
He didn’t.
Not because Lauren.
Not because me.
He had been doing a family tree project.
“Can Grandma come to lunch?”
I asked:
“Why?”
“I want to see if she’s still mean.”
Blunt.
Dr. Moreno helped.
One therapeutic supervised lunch.
Forty five minutes.
Patricia arrived early.
No flowers.
No giant gift.
She stood when Miles entered, then stopped.
“Can I hug you?”
Miles looked at me.
Then Patricia.
“No.”
Patricia nodded.
“Okay.”
That mattered more than the apology letter.
They sat.
Miles asked:
“Why did you tear Mom’s doctor paper?”
Patricia looked down.
“Because I wanted to be right.”
“About what?”
“That I knew better.”
“Did you?”
“No.”
“Why did you give me food when I said no?”
“Same reason.”
Miles frowned.
“That’s stupid.”
“Yes.”
“Why did you use my money?”
Patricia looked surprised he knew.
We had explained trust in simple terms.
She answered:
“I told myself family expenses counted as yours. The court said I was wrong.”
“Did you pay it back?”
“Yes.”
“Good.”
He drank lemonade.
Then:
“Do you hate Mom?”
Patricia looked at me.
“No.”
That may have been newly true.
“Did you?”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
“Because she stopped letting me decide things.”
Miles nodded like that was obvious.
“She’s my mom.”
“I know.”
The forty five minutes ended.
Patricia did not ask for more.
Miles hugged no one.
In car:
“How was it?”
“She looks older.”
“Anything else?”
“She listened.”
“Do you want again?”
“Maybe Christmas lunch. Not Christmas Day.”
Boundary.
We honored.
That year Patricia joined Evan and Miles for a supervised restaurant lunch on December twenty third.
Not my house.
Not her house.
Not a symbolic reclaiming.
Just lunch.
May you like
No one made Miles finish dessert.
That was enough.
