Chapter 10
On the girls’ fifth birthday, I put two cakes on the table.
Emma wanted strawberry frosting. Lily wanted chocolate. For weeks, they had argued about which was better until Tessa suggested they each choose their own.
When they saw the cakes, they ran to opposite sides of the table and then met in the middle to inspect each other’s.
“Yours has more flowers,” Emma said.
“Yours has sprinkles,” Lily answered.
Daniel arrived with a board game. Tessa brought balloons. Zoe and several children from school came with their families. The house was noisy in a way it had not been for years.
Vanessa joined us for the afternoon under the plan the girls knew about. Emma ran to her. Lily walked over after a moment and showed her the small bracelet Zoe had made.
I watched without interrupting. Lily was choosing how close to stand.
After the games, the girls wanted the candles lit at the same time. I carried the chocolate cake while Tessa carried the strawberry one.
I thought of their birth, the photograph, and the grave where I had stood believing one of these girls was gone.
“Ready?” I asked.
Emma nodded so hard her curls bounced. Lily took my hand beneath the table.
We sang. They blew out the candles together.
Everyone cheered. Lily looked startled, then delighted.
I cut two thin slices and put both flavors on each girl’s plate. Emma took one bite and admitted the chocolate was good. Lily said the strawberry was good too.
“Can we have two cakes next year?” Emma asked.
“If that’s what you want.”
Lily looked up at me. “We’ll be here next year?”
I set down the knife.
“Yes. We’ll plan your birthday here.”
She had heard that promise before, but now she had lived through mornings when I took her to school and afternoons when I came back. She nodded and returned to her cake.
Later, I found her in her room with the photo album open. She was looking at the hospital picture Daniel had carried through the wall.
“Do you wish we had pictures of the years I missed?” she asked.
“Yes.”
“I have some with Mrs. Price.”
“You do. And we can take new ones too.”
“I want one of all of us today.”
We gathered in the backyard before the guests left. Tessa held the camera. Emma insisted on standing on one side of me and Lily on the other. Vanessa stood where Lily invited her. Daniel and Tessa joined us after someone offered to take the photograph.
In the first picture, Emma blinked. In the second, Lily laughed because Daniel lost his balance. We kept both.
When the last guest had gone, the girls put on pajamas and carried their new board game to the living room. The evening rain began while we played.
Lily glanced toward the window. Then she moved her piece.
“Your turn, Dad.”
I looked at her. “You okay?”
“Yes. The window’s shut.”
The rain grew louder. Emma leaned against Lily, trying to see her cards. Lily told her to stop cheating. I moved my piece and lost the game anyway.
At bedtime, Emma asked if they could sleep in the same room.
“For tonight,” I said. “Each of you can change your mind.”
They chose Lily’s room. I brought Emma’s pillow and read until both girls were drowsy.
As I reached the door, Lily called to me.
“Daddy?”
“I’m here.”
“Do you remember when I first said that?”
“I do.”
“I wasn’t sure you’d answer.”
I sat on the edge of the bed.
“I’m sorry I couldn’t answer you sooner.”
“You answered when you found me.”
Emma’s hand reached from beneath the blanket and found Lily’s.
I looked at my daughters together. Lily’s records were corrected. Patricia could not take her back. The adults in Lily’s life now knew to listen when she said she was afraid or needed space. She had friends, a school, her own bed, and a sister who argued with her over frosting.
“I’ll answer whenever you call,” I told her.
May you like
She smiled and closed her eyes.
I left the bedroom door open a little. Downstairs, the birthday photograph waited on my phone. The rain moved gently over the roof, and both girls were asleep inside our home.
