I had told myself I would one day need it if I ever needed to find out where Goldi went.
I had just never brought myself to do it.
The hate and pain held me back as I wondered what good would come from finding a mother who had abandoned her son.
Now that I knew why she left, I had to find out what happened to her.
Goldi’s mother’s name and contacts were inside the address book.
Goldi and Rachel had been estranged for years.
I had met Rachel only twice, and Goldi rarely spoke about her.
I decided that now was the time to reach out.
I hesitated for nearly an hour before calling.
A woman answered.
“Is this Rachel?”
“Yes. Who is this?”
“My name is Arthur.”
There was a long silence.
Then she whispered, “Goldi’s Arthur?”
My throat tightened.
“Yes.”
Rachel began crying before I asked what had happened.
She then told me that Goldi had died seven months after leaving us.
She had contacted Rachel because she had nowhere else to go.
The cancer had been discovered after doctors spotted an abnormality in her bloodwork late in her pregnancy.
Further scans showed that it had already spread.
All that doctors could give her after she left us was hospice care.
Rachel also cared for her until the end.
