“Daddy’s Bug,
“If you’re reading this, then I ran out of time, Simone.
Your mother contacted me six months after she left. She said she wasn’t ready to come home, but she wanted to finish school. I thought that if she had a degree and a stable life, she might return ready to be your mother.
She didn’t.”
I stopped.
My throat closed.
Mr. Lewis slid a glass of water toward me.
“Years later, I asked whether she wanted you during school breaks. She declined. I asked about regular visits. She said her life was too unsettled.
When she remarried, she agreed to a court order giving me sole custody.”
“She sent cards sometimes, but she never asked to speak to you.
I told myself I was protecting your heart. Maybe I was protecting mine too. I couldn’t stand the thought of watching you beg someone to choose you.
You had a right to know when you were old enough.
