you. I wonder if you will want to know me. I wonder
if we will ever have a conversation.
If we did, I would tell you that when you were
born, I thought it was glorious and I was filled with
such love for you, I feared my heart would burst. I
would tell you I spent night after night crying when I
thought about you. I would tell you I was sorry. Of course, you might hate your father and
resent your stepmother, so I have to think hard before
I tell you these things. It might be that for your sake I
never do, because your happiness is far more
important to me than my own.
I just want you to know I love you, and even
though I didn't want it to happen, you became a part
of me and always will be.
Love,
Your mother Gabriel
&n
bsp; .
I kissed the paper and folded it tightly. Then I
stuck it in my top drawer with my most precious
momentos. It felt good to write it even though I knew
Paul would never read it.
The moon poked its face between two clouds
and sent a shaft of yellow light over the swamp. It
looked magical for a moment, and I could swear I
heard the cry of a baby. It echoed over the water and
drifted into the darkness. I curled up in my bed and
pretended I had baby Paul in my arms, his tiny face
pressed up against my breast, my heartbeat giving him
comfort.