The children love you, but don’t let loving them become the reason you never live without permission.”
I covered my mouth.
Arthur looked away to give me some privacy.
I covered my mouth.
Then I read the last paragraph.
“I asked Arthur to keep this because Australia always felt like the place where my life became mine for the first time. Maybe it’ll do the same for you. And if Arthur is still around, make him buy the coffee. He still owes me $12.”
I laughed through my tears.
“Maybe it’ll do the same for you.”
Arthur looked at me.
“I wondered whether he mentioned that. Interest seems unreasonable after all these years.”
That made me laugh harder.
I cried after that.
Not the way I’d cried at Robert’s funeral.
This was different.
It felt like grief and relief sharing the same room.
I cried after that.
For over a
