“I hated you because it was easier than admitting I still loved you.”
Rachel reached for my hand.
Goldi had not abandoned us because she was heartless.
She had loved us.
She had also made a terrible choice.
Both things could be true.
Today, Rachel has become part of our lives.
She comes to Sunday dinners, attended Leo’s graduation, and filled our home with stories about the mother he had never known.
Johnson remained family too.
Forgiving her and Rachel took time.
Understanding Goldi took even longer.
I no longer think of her only as the woman who walked away from her newborn son.
I think of her as a frightened young mother who believed becoming a villain was the last gift she could give us.
She was wrong.
