Cecilia had heard adults talk about her future as though it were already decided.
I showed Cecilia the confirmation.
The confirmation mattered more than I thought. Cecilia had heard adults talk about her future as though it were already decided, and I wanted her to see that she still had a choice.
“Are you sad?” I asked.
“A little. The coaches were really good.”
“You can explore advanced training again someday, if you want to.”
“Even if Dad gets upset?”
“Especially then.”
Dawson apologized that weekend.
I called Elena and explained the missed practices. She welcomed Cecilia back, and I traded shifts to drive Cecilia to her next few lessons.
Dawson apologized that weekend. First to me for the money and lies. Then he sat with Cecilia at the kitchen table.
“I treated my regrets like they were your dreams. I made you think you had to achieve something to keep my attention. I was wrong.”
