It was not forgiveness in a single afternoon, nor did Lorraine deserve that expectation.

It was a first step, made smaller and therefore more honest than the grand Christmas I had once staged.

PART 16

The Letter I Almost Burned

In the days following our first Christmas meeting, I opened the locked filing cabinet in my office and removed a manila folder that had followed me through three moves.

I had almost destroyed it more than once.

Each time I could hear Terrence telling me I was inventing our future, I wanted to strike a match and stop being the woman who kept records of rejection.