Chapter 28 - The Visit I Never Expected

Sienna came to the foundation.
She had started working with veterans' families.
Not as an executive.
Not because of her last name.
As a volunteer.
I watched her kneel beside a little boy whose father had died overseas.
She listened to him.
Really listened.
When she finished, she looked up and saw me.
Neither of us spoke.
Later, she approached.
“I think Dad would have liked this place.”
I smiled.
“He would.”
She hesitated.
“Do you think he would forgive me?”
I thought carefully.
“I think he would want you to become someone worth forgiving.”
She cried.
I hugged her.
It wasn't forgetting.
It wasn't pretending.
It was simply two sisters deciding that our mother's choices would not become our entire identities.
When we pulled apart, Sienna whispered:
“Thank you.”
I shook my head.
“Don't thank me.”
“For what?”
“For letting you come back.”
I smiled.
May you like
“You came back yourself.”
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