Chapter 13 - THE WOMAN WHO FINALLY WALKED AWAY
My mother was found in Vermont.
She had been living under another name.
Working in a small botanical nursery.
For years, she had believed I was being cared for by relatives and that contacting me would place me in danger.
She had attempted to reach me several times.
My father intercepted the letters.
When Rebecca told me, I couldn't speak.
I sat in silence for nearly an hour.
Then I asked, “Can I see her?”
Rebecca nodded.
“Yes.”
The nursery smelled of lavender.
My mother stood near a row of flowering plants.
Her hair was silver now.
Her face older.
But I recognized her immediately.
The eyes.
The scar above her eyebrow.
The smile.
She turned.
Saw me.
And froze.
“Clare?”
My heart broke.
“M-Mom?”
She covered her mouth.
Then began crying.
I crossed the room.
She opened her arms.
And for the first time in nineteen years, my mother held me.
I cried against her shoulder.
May you like
She whispered my name again and again.
And for the first time in my life, I understood what it felt like to be wanted without having to earn it.
