“What did it say?”
He hesitated. “That we should talk to you about the house and the money.”
A sudden, hot anger rose in me. “You came here because you think your father left instructions about my house?”
“No,” Daniel said quickly. “We came because we’re worried.”
“Which one of you called me to ask how I was today?”
Patrice lowered her eyes. Marcus put a hand on the back of a chair but did not pull it out. Daniel’s mouth tightened. I had asked the question I had avoided asking for months, and the silence answered it more honestly than any of them could.
“Sit down,” I said. “If you came to talk, we’re going to talk.”
They sat, one by one, at the table I had set for eleven. I had not invited them to eat, but I brought out four plates and sliced the roast. The meat was dry at the edges. Nobody complained. I poured water into the glasses and set the cake aside. No one sang.
Daniel explained that he had seen the saved email and told Marcus. Marcus had called Patrice. None of them knew what Thomas wrote, but they wondered whether he had left a will or instructions. They had been discussing the house because Daniel and his wife were considering a move. He said it would help to know what I planned to do long-term.
“What do you think I plan to do?” I asked.
“Stay here,” Patrice said. “I mean, it’s your home.”
“Then why did you ask about the papers?”
“Because we don’t want anything to happen without understanding it.”
I leaned back. “When your father was sick, you all told me not to worry about money. When I paid the funeral expenses, no one asked to see the paperwork. When Daniel needed a down payment, he asked me for twenty thousand. When Marcus needed travel money, he asked for fifteen. Patrice, when you needed help, you mentioned the bill and waited for me to offer. Now, after my birthday dinner sat empty, you came because you heard there might be a document.”
Daniel’s face reddened. “That’s not fair.”
“Isn’t it?”
“We’ve all been dealing with our own lives.”
“So have I.”
Patrice started to cry, then covered her mouth. I felt the old reflex to comfort her, but I stayed in my chair. I could love my daughter without smoothing away what she had done.
“I didn’t mean to leave you alone,” she said.
“Did you remember it was my birthday?”
She nodded. “I did.”
“Did you plan to come?”
Her silence made the answer plain. I looked at each of them. Marcus admitted he had assumed Daniel and Patrice would be there. Daniel said a work call ran late. Patrice said she had promised her boys she would take them to a school event and thought she would stop by afterward. Each reason sounded ordinary by itself. Together, they had become a choice.
I stood and went to my bedroom. The envelope was where I had left it. I brought it back, but kept it in my hand.
“Your father wrote this to me,” I said. “He also left a page for all of us. I have not read that page yet.”
Daniel straightened. “Can we see it?”
“When I decide I’m ready.”
“What does the letter say?”
“I read one page. It said he hoped I would wait until I could read the rest without feeling he was asking me to do something.”
