Chapter 66 - The Conversation We Had Never Finished
Leo came home for Christmas.
After dinner, he asked me to stay behind.
“I need to ask you something.”
“What?”
“Did you ever hate Dad?”
I looked at him.
“Yes.”
He nodded.
“Did you ever stop?”
I thought carefully.
“I stopped needing to hate him.”
“That isn't the same thing.”
“No.”
He waited.
“So what happened?”
I looked toward the living room.
Julian was there, washing dishes.
“I realized hatred still gave him space in my life.”
Leo understood.
“And forgiveness?”
“I didn't forgive everything.”
His expression changed.
“Really?”
“I forgave what I could. I accepted what I couldn't.”
“What's the difference?”
“Forgiveness is about releasing your anger. Acceptance is about refusing to lie about what happened.”
He looked down.
“Do you think Dad deserves forgiveness?”
I didn't answer for him.
“That's your decision.”
Leo nodded.
“I think I already forgave him.”
I felt something loosen inside me.
“Why?”
“Because I'm not angry every time I see him anymore.”
“That may be enough.”
He smiled.
Then he asked the question that mattered most.
“Are you okay with that?”
I looked at him.
“Yes.”
“Really?”
“Yes.”
“Even if it means you and Dad are closer than before?”
I smiled sadly.
“We're not going back to what we were.”
“I know.”
“But we can still be human beings who care about each other.”
He nodded.
That night, I realized Leo wasn't asking permission.
He was telling me who he had become.
May you like
And I was finally learning to listen.
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