“Neither did Thomas.”
She looked at me.
“Miriam and I met once before the wedding. She was kind to me. Kinder than she had any obligation to be.”
“Why would she come?”
“Because Thomas asked.”
“That seems strange.”
“It was.”
Mother smiled faintly.
“Your father could be very determined once he decided something represented integrity.”
I knew that.
“He wanted no ghosts in our marriage,” she continued. “He thought if Miriam and I met, I would understand that his past was truly past.”
“Was it?”
“Yes.”
She answered without hesitation.
“In the romantic sense, yes.”
Clara looked at the photograph.
“Then why was my mother at the hospital when Bennett was born?”
Mother’s smile turned sad.
“Because by then she and I had become friends.”
Neither Clara nor I responded.
Mother gave a small laugh.
“I know. It sounds unlikely.”
“Yes,” I said.
“It was unlikely.”
She adjusted the blanket.
