Chapter 25 - DELPHINE'S LETTER Eventually, Willa asked about Delphine.
“Is she still mad?”
“I don't know.”
“Does she hate me?”
“I don't think so.”
“Then why slap?”
I searched for the right words.
“Because she was angry and chose to hurt you.”
“Did money make her?”
“Money was part of why she helped Grandma.”
“And the slap?”
“Her choice.”
Willa nodded.
The same rule applied to me.
Choice.
Dr. Chen offered Delphine's letter.
Willa wanted to hear it.
I stayed outside.
Later Willa told me one sentence.
“She says I didn't make.”
“You didn't.”
“Good.”
That was enough.
Delphine didn't ask for a visit.
She respected the boundary.
She sent another restitution payment.
I accepted.
Then she sent me a personal letter.
I will not ask you to make Willa forgive me so you can forgive me.
That was the first thing she had said that didn't ask anything from me.
I didn't answer for a week.
Then:
Understood.
Nothing more.
Maybe our relationship would someday return.
Maybe it wouldn't.
Forgiveness did not have to become reunion.
Meanwhile, Mother had another supervised visit.
A park.
Thirty minutes.
Willa brought chalk.
Mother asked before taking a picture.
Willa said no.
Mother put the phone away.
They drew.
A house.
A tree.
Flowers.
Willa fell while running.
Mother instinctively moved forward.
Then stopped.
She looked at me.
I went first.
Cleaned the scrape.
Willa was fine.
Mother handed me a tissue when I nodded.
That tiny pause told me more than any apology.
Later Willa asked:
“Can Grandma come dinner?”
My body tightened.
“Not yet.”
“Why?”
“Because dinner is a bigger step.”
She accepted it.
That night, my counselor signed my completion report.
I had finished the anger program.
“What changed?” he asked.
“I still get angry.”
“Good.”
I looked at him.
“Good?”
“You were never supposed to stop feeling anger. You were supposed to stop outsourcing responsibility for what you do with it.”
There it was.
My entire lesson.
Mother had weaponized my anger.
But she could only weaponize what I refused to control.
I finished the program.
The diversion case was dismissed.
I took Willa for pancakes.
She asked:
“Why pancakes?”
May you like
“No reason.”
Best answer.
