Chapter 16 - I Saw Daniel Again
I chose a public park.
Dad hated the idea.
Michael didn't.
“You sure?”
“Yes.”
“Want me nearby?”
“No.”
“Okay.”
Daniel arrived early.
He looked different.
Thinner.
Older.
He saw me and stopped several feet away.
“Hi, Claire.”
“Hi.”
He didn't approach.
That mattered.
We sat on opposite ends of a bench.
For several minutes, neither spoke.
Finally he said, “I heard you're getting married.”
“Yes.”
“I'm glad.”
I believed him.
That surprised me.
“I wanted to see you once,” I said. “Not because I owe you anything.”
“I know.”
“I wanted to know whether seeing you still made me afraid.”
Daniel looked down.
“And?”
I considered it.
“No.”
His eyes filled with tears.
“Good.”
That was all.
No reconciliation.
No dramatic embrace.
No promise of friendship.
He told me he worked at a warehouse.
He attended counseling twice a week.
He lived in a small apartment.
For the first time in his adult life, his mother didn't manage his world.
“Do you hate me?” he asked.
“No.”
That seemed to hurt more than yes.
“I don't need to hate you anymore.”
He nodded.
“I’m sorry.”
“I know.”
“I know that doesn't fix it.”
“No.”
He wiped his eyes.
Then I stood.
“Goodbye, Daniel.”
“Goodbye, Claire.”
I walked away.
He didn't follow.
That was the final gift he could give me.
Distance.
When I reached my car, Michael wasn't waiting.
Nobody was.
I had asked for that.
I drove myself home.
That night, Dad called.
“How was it?”
“I’m free.”
He was silent.
Then he said, “You were always stronger than I knew.”
I smiled.
“No, Dad.”
I looked at my reflection.
“I became stronger than I knew.”
The wedding was scheduled for October.
Small.
Family.
Friends.
No society photographers.
But on the morning of the ceremony, a package arrived.
No return address.
Inside was the grandmother’s diamond ring Vanessa had once worn.
And beneath it was a note from Evelyn.
This should never have been used as a reward for giving our family an heir. Do whatever you want with it.
May you like
I knew exactly what I wanted to do.
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