Silence filled the room. Sandra sat with her mouth gaping
open, and Peter was the exact opposite. His jaw was set so
hard it looked like he’d be able to crack a walnut if someone
slipped it between his teeth.
“I really do thank you both for what you’ve done for me.
For everything. You’re my mom and my dad, and I know I
haven’t ever learned how to appreciate you properly. I was a
child living in your house, and I never really saw you as two
people who have been out in the world for far longer than I
have. You’re two individuals with a lifetime of experiences
and I only ever saw you as my mom and my dad and that was
it. I had an extremely limited view of who you really are, and
I’d like to get to know you. As more than my parents.”
Sandra swallowed so loudly that it was like something large
and squishy hitting the floor. Emily saw the tears welling up in
her mom’s eyes, but as usual, she blinked them back. She
believed in composure above all, even now. Peter was
studying Emily steadily, his eyes locked on her when she
turned back to him. She expected a big argument. A long
lecture with at least twenty good bullet points as to why she
couldn’t and wouldn’t do this, so she was shocked when Peter
nodded.
Emily couldn’t catch her breath. Was her dad agreeing with
her? Was her mom giving in, just like that? Maybe they had
just wanted her to be okay all along. Maybe they did want her
to be herself, did want her to find that special person to love.
Maybe they were just waiting for her to grow up and tell them
that she could do those things on her own, really tell them and
really make them understand that she was no longer a child
anymore.