Chapter 21 - Grayson Faces TabithaThe meeting took place in a supervised family-visitation room.
Grayson was ten.
Tabitha looked older.
Gray had begun appearing near her temples.
When she entered, she stopped.
Grayson stopped too.
Neither moved.
Then Tabitha said:
“Hi.”
“Hi.”
Thaddeus sat several feet away.
A counselor remained present.
Grayson had prepared questions.
He forgot the paper.
Or perhaps chose not to use it.
“Why did you call me that word?”
Tabitha’s face tightened.
“What word?”
“You know.”
She did.
“Bastard.”
Tabitha looked down.
“Because I wanted to hurt you.”
Grayson’s eyes filled.
Thaddeus’s body tensed.
He stayed seated.
Grayson asked:
“Why?”
“Because I was angry at your mom.”
“But she was dead.”
“Yes.”
“So why me?”
Tabitha began crying.
“Because you reminded me of her.”
Grayson frowned.
“I look like Dad.”
Tabitha laughed through tears.
“You do.”
“Then?”
“You said things she used to say.”
“Like what?”
“‘You don’t own us.’”
Grayson nodded.
“She was right.”
Tabitha closed her eyes.
“Yes.”
Silence.
Then Grayson asked:
“Did you love me?”
“Yes.”
Instant.
He looked angry.
“Then why?”
Tabitha inhaled.
“I thought loving people meant I had a right to control what happened in the family.”
“That makes no sense.”
“I know.”
“Now?”
“I know.”
Grayson looked at Thaddeus.
Then back.
“Did you steal my money?”
Tabitha swallowed.
“Yes.”
“Why?”
“I told myself I was borrowing it.”
“Did you ask me?”
“No.”
“Dad?”
“No.”
“Then that’s stealing.”
Tabitha nodded.
“Yes.”
Grayson seemed satisfied by the clean answer.
Then:
“Did you sign Mom’s name?”
“Yes.”
“Dad’s?”
“Yes.”
“Were you scared?”
Tabitha blinked.
“What?”
“When you did it.”
She thought.
“Yes.”
“Then why keep doing it?”
The question hit harder than anything the prosecutor asked.
Tabitha whispered:
“Because every time I stopped, I would have had to admit what I had already done.”
Grayson considered.
“So you made it worse.”
“Yes.”
“That’s dumb.”
Thaddeus nearly laughed.
Tabitha did.
“Yes.”
Very dumb.
Then Grayson asked the question Thaddeus feared.
“Do you want to come home?”
Tabitha’s eyes filled.
“Yes.”
Grayson looked down.
“I don’t want you there.”
Tabitha closed her eyes.
Thaddeus held his breath.
Then she said:
“Okay.”
No plea.
No guilt.
No but family.
Grayson looked surprised.
“You’re not mad?”
“I’m sad.”
“Same?”
“No.”
Tabitha swallowed.
“Being sad doesn’t mean you have to change your answer.”
Thaddeus felt something loosen inside his chest.
There.
A lesson learned late.
Then Grayson said:
“I don’t forgive you.”
Tabitha nodded.
“Okay.”
“Maybe later.”
“Okay.”
“Maybe never.”
Tabitha’s voice broke.
“Okay.”
The counselor ended the meeting after twenty-seven minutes.
Outside, Grayson asked:
“Did I hurt her?”
Thaddeus crouched.
“She’s sad.”
“That’s not what I asked.”
Thaddeus smiled sadly.
“Your answer hurt.”
Grayson looked guilty.
Then Thaddeus continued:
“That doesn’t mean your boundary was wrong.”
Grayson nodded.
Another distinction.
Later, Tabitha wrote to Thaddeus:
He said no and I survived it.
Thaddeus read the line several times.
Caroline’s voice returned.
May you like
You survive.
Tabitha finally had.
Related Stories
