Chapter 10 - Emily Did Not Need the Family Tree Corrected Overnight
Emily’s school assignment eventually returned.
Family tree.
The same kind of simple project that becomes complicated in real families.
She asked Rachel:
“Do I put David?”
Rachel said:
“Only if you want.”
“Do I put Grandpa Richard?”
“Yes.”
“Both?”
“If that makes sense to you.”
Emily frowned.
“Can a person have two grandpas on one side?”
Rachel smiled.
“Families survive worse crimes against poster board.”
Emily put:
Grandpa Richard
in the main branch.
Beside Michael’s name, she added a small dotted line to:
David Mercer — biological grandfather
No photograph.
Then Lucas.
What was Lucas to Emily?
Biological great? Lucas is Michael's half-brother, so Lily's half-uncle. Emily called him:
Uncle Lucas.
Easy.
No one asked a genealogy court for permission.
Then Victoria saw the school project months later during supervised contact.
Her eyes stopped on David’s name.
Emily noticed.
“You don’t like it.”
Victoria answered carefully.
“It makes me sad.”
“Why?”
“Because I spent a long time pretending that part of Dad’s life didn’t exist.”
Emily thought.
Then:
“But it did.”
“Yes.”
Another brutal child truth.
Then Emily asked:
“Did Grandpa Richard know Dad wasn’t his?”
“Yes.”
“And still wanted him?”
Victoria began crying.
“Yes.”
Emily looked confused.
“Then why were you so scared?”
Victoria could not explain Henry Hayes, social shame, paternity, reputation, and forty years of secrecy to an eight-year-old in one sentence.
So she said:
“Because I learned when I was young that people could stop loving you if you disappointed them.”
Emily stared.
“Did they?”
“Some did.”
“Grandpa didn’t.”
“No.”
That was the fact Victoria had spent four decades refusing to trust fully.
Richard stayed.
Michael remained his son.
The secret did not destroy the family when it emerged.
May you like
The secrecy nearly did.
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