There is a great difference, I have learned, between raising children free of bitterness and teaching them that they must swallow disrespect simply because it comes from a parent.

Chapter 20 — A Real Legacy

Some months later, after Arthur Sr. had recovered from his heart surgery, he flew to Boston, and asked to have lunch with us.

We met at a simple seafood place near the harbor — no signet rings, no talk of empires, no grand speeches.

“Forgive me, Mariana,” the old man said, and his eyes were wet.

“For years I told myself that staying neutral was how I kept this family together.