I used to hope, quietly, for that version, for Leo’s sake.

It has not come, and I no longer expect it, and I have stopped leaving the door open for a change that the man has shown no sign of making.

But I have also made sure that Leo understands the door is his to open or close, not mine.

When he is older, if his father ever does find the courage to show up small, Leo will decide what to do with it, and I will support whatever he decides.

I will not stand in the way of a reconciliation, if one is ever offered and Leo ever wants it.