For the first time in a long while, I felt something inside me begin to loosen.
Not everything was fixed.
But something had changed.
And that was enough for one evening.
The Sunday That Changed Everything
The following Sunday, I heard their footsteps on the stairs before they knocked.
Noah came in first, clutching a drawing against his chest.
“Grandma! This is for you!”
I knelt down to look at it.
He had drawn the sea on a large sheet of paper. The water was bright blue, with enormous waves stretching across the page.
Three figures stood on the sand.
Noah.
His mother.
And me.
But this time, I wasn’t standing on the shore watching everyone else have fun.
I was in the water.
I was wearing a blue shirt.
I covered my mouth with my hand.
“Look,” Noah said seriously. “You’re playing, too!”
I pulled him into my arms.
