“We need to be careful about how and when,” Miriam said.

“Her world may change in several ways at once.

She deserves truthful information delivered with support, not a dramatic surprise.”

That phrase, *dramatic surprise*, reminded me of the films Eleanor used to complain about.

In them, a secret came out in a crowded room and everyone suddenly knew what to do.

Real families weren’t like that.

Emma still had spelling homework, a bedtime, and a birthday cake to think about.

Her mother being alive would not feel like a clever twist.