I do not know how long I sat without speaking.<\/p>\n
The waitress came over with a towel for the spilled coffee.<\/p>\n
Anna told her we were fine.<\/p>\n
We were not fine.<\/p>\n
Nothing in my life felt stable enough to deserve that word.<\/p>\n
I stared through the diner window at a pickup parked across the street.<\/p>\n
Its hazard lights blinked.<\/p>\n
On.<\/p>\n
Off.<\/p>\n
On.<\/p>\n
Off.<\/p>\n
Rebecca was my biological daughter.<\/p>\n
The sentence repeated in my mind without finding anywhere to settle.<\/p>\n
I pictured the first time I held her.<\/p>\n
She had been six weeks old, wrapped in a yellow blanket. Carol had cried before I did.<\/p>\n
Rebecca opened her eyes.<\/p>\n
Green.<\/p>\n
I had joked that we matched.<\/p>\n
Carol laughed.<\/p>\n
Now the memory made me sick.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe knew,\u201d I said.<\/p>\n
Anna wiped her face.<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cFrom the beginning.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAll of it?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
I looked at her.<\/p>\n
\u201cTell me.\u201d<\/p>\n
Anna hesitated.<\/p>\n
\u201cEverything.\u201d<\/p>\n
She nodded.<\/p>\n
\u201cAfter Ruth came to see me, I panicked.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy didn\u2019t you call me?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cShe told me if I did, she would make sure my father was charged.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cCould she actually do that?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI didn\u2019t know.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou believed her?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI was twenty.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat doesn\u2019t answer\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI was twenty, pregnant, terrified, and my father was already drinking himself sick from shame.\u201d<\/p>\n
Her voice sharpened.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy mother barely slept. My sister was planning a wedding. Ruth came into our house and told me one choice could destroy all of them.\u201d<\/p>\n
I looked away.<\/p>\n
Anna continued more quietly.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe also said you were leaving in three weeks.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI would have stayed.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI know that now.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou should have known then.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI wanted to believe it.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThen why didn\u2019t you?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause Ruth knew you.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSo did you.\u201d<\/p>\n
Anna\u2019s expression changed.<\/p>\n
Pain.<\/p>\n
Not anger.<\/p>\n
\u201cI thought loving you meant not ruining your life.\u201d<\/p>\n
I laughed bitterly.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat sounds like something my mother would say.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was.\u201d<\/p>\n
I closed my eyes.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhere does Carol come into this?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThe next day.\u201d<\/p>\n
Anna looked down at the table.<\/p>\n
\u201cCarol came to the apartment.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cShe said Ruth told her there was a situation.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSituation.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cShe didn\u2019t know everything at first.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBut she knew you were pregnant?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
Anna shook her head.<\/p>\n
\u201cNot until I told her.\u201d<\/p>\n
I remembered Carol as she had been in those years.<\/p>\n
Twenty-four.<\/p>\n
Practical.<\/p>\n
Dark hair cut short.<\/p>\n
Always volunteering at church.<\/p>\n
Always around the edges of my mother\u2019s world.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat did she say?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cShe was furious.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAt you?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAt Ruth.\u201d<\/p>\n
That stopped me.<\/p>\n
\u201cCarol fought with my mother?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI never saw them fight.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThey did it privately.\u201d<\/p>\n
I tried to imagine the two women confronting each other.<\/p>\n
I couldn\u2019t.<\/p>\n
Anna continued. \u201cCarol told me Ruth had no right to interfere.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThen why did you still leave?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause by then Ruth had already frightened me.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cCarol could have told me.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cShe wanted to.\u201d<\/p>\n
I stared at Anna.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cShe said she would.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy didn\u2019t she?\u201d<\/p>\n
Anna swallowed.<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause I begged her not to.\u201d<\/p>\n
Anger returned.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause I believed Ruth.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou believed my mother more than the woman trying to help you?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI believed what Ruth could do.\u201d<\/p>\n
I pushed both hands through my hair.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is insane.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat happened next?\u201d<\/p>\n
Anna breathed slowly.<\/p>\n
\u201cI left Millfield.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhere?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMy aunt\u2019s house outside Cleveland.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s where you had Rebecca?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo. I came back.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNear the end.\u201d<\/p>\n
My head snapped up.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMy father\u2019s situation had settled. The company dropped the investigation after another employee confessed.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSo Ruth\u2019s leverage was gone.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThen why didn\u2019t you call me?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou were gone.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou had my number.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI called once.\u201d<\/p>\n
My body went still.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cJanuary.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI never got a call.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cRuth answered.\u201d<\/p>\n
I stared.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou called my mother?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI called the number you gave me for your new apartment.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat line wasn\u2019t connected until February.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI know.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSo what number?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYour parents\u2019 house. I thought she might tell me how to reach you.\u201d<\/p>\n
I felt ill.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat did she say?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat you were engaged.\u201d<\/p>\n
I shook my head.<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cShe said you\u2019d moved on.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI hadn\u2019t.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI know.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI didn\u2019t even date anyone seriously.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI know.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cCarol and I didn\u2019t\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI know.\u201d<\/p>\n
The repetition made me furious.<\/p>\n
\u201cHow do you know?\u201d<\/p>\n
Anna met my eyes.<\/p>\n
\u201cCarol told me later.\u201d<\/p>\n
I leaned back.<\/p>\n
\u201cHow much later?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAfter Rebecca was born.\u201d<\/p>\n
The waitress approached again.<\/p>\n
Anna quietly asked for the check.<\/p>\n
I waited until she walked away.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat happened after you came back?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cCarol found me.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHow?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDiane told her.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDiane knew?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cShe knew most of it.\u201d<\/p>\n
I rubbed my forehead.<\/p>\n
The circle widened.<\/p>\n
Everyone knew.<\/p>\n
Everyone except me.<\/p>\n
\u201cCarol came to the boarding house where I was staying.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy were you in a boarding house?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI couldn\u2019t go home.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYour parents?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMy father knew I was pregnant. My mother did too. But Ruth had convinced them staying away from you was best.\u201d<\/p>\n
I stared at the table.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat did Carol want?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cTo help.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWith what?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThe baby.\u201d<\/p>\n
My chest tightened.<\/p>\n
\u201cRebecca.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
I forced myself to use her name.<\/p>\n
\u201cRebecca.\u201d<\/p>\n
Anna looked grateful.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe knew you were miserable.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHow?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou talked to her.\u201d<\/p>\n
A memory surfaced.<\/p>\n
Carol bringing groceries.<\/p>\n
Carol sitting at my kitchen table.<\/p>\n
Carol listening while I complained about Anna.<\/p>\n
I closed my eyes.<\/p>\n
\u201cI told Carol everything.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd she knew.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cEvery time I said you had abandoned me\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n
Anna flinched.<\/p>\n
\u201cCarol knew.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
My voice dropped.<\/p>\n
\u201cHow could she listen?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cShe was trying to protect the promise she made me.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat promise?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat she wouldn\u2019t tell you until I agreed.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd you never agreed.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
I pushed away from the table.<\/p>\n
Anna quickly said, \u201cThere\u2019s more.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m sure there is.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cPlease sit.\u201d<\/p>\n
I almost left.<\/p>\n
Then Carol\u2019s final request returned.<\/p>\n
Find her.<\/p>\n
I sat.<\/p>\n
Anna folded her hands.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen I was eight months pregnant, I told Carol I was considering adoption.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI had no money. I was working temporary jobs. My parents\u2019 marriage was collapsing. Your mother had convinced me I could never return to Millfield without destroying things.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou could have called me.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI know.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou keep saying that like it fixes something.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIt doesn\u2019t.\u201d<\/p>\n
Her eyes reddened.<\/p>\n
\u201cI was wrong.\u201d<\/p>\n
The directness took some anger out of me.<\/p>\n
I looked away.<\/p>\n
Anna continued.<\/p>\n
\u201cCarol told me about her infertility.\u201d<\/p>\n
I remembered.<\/p>\n
Carol\u2019s diagnosis.<\/p>\n
The quiet evening when she told me.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe already knew she couldn\u2019t have children.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cShe asked whether I would consider letting her adopt the baby.\u201d<\/p>\n
I stared at Anna.<\/p>\n
The words felt obscene.<\/p>\n
\u201cCarol asked you for my child?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cOur child.\u201d<\/p>\n
I stood.<\/p>\n
\u201cDon\u2019t.\u201d<\/p>\n
Anna\u2019s voice shook.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt matters.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNot right now.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIt does.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
People looked toward us again.<\/p>\n
Daniel rose from the counter but Anna gestured for him to stay.<\/p>\n
I sat slowly.<\/p>\n
Anna wiped tears from her cheek.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe did not plan it.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHow do you know?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause I was there.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cShe knew I wanted children.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cShe knew I had lost you.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cShe knew the baby was mine.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThen she asked to adopt her.\u201d<\/p>\n
Anna shook her head.<\/p>\n
\u201cNot at first.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat does that mean?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cShe offered to help me keep her.\u201d<\/p>\n
I stopped.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cShe found a doctor. She brought groceries. She offered money. She said she would help me contact you if I wanted.\u201d<\/p>\n
I stared.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat doesn\u2019t sound like\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause it wasn\u2019t.\u201d<\/p>\n
Anna leaned forward.<\/p>\n
\u201cWalter, Carol made terrible choices later. But do not rewrite the beginning.\u201d<\/p>\n
The statement stunned me.<\/p>\n
She continued, \u201cI asked her about adoption.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy her?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause I knew if Carol raised my baby, she would be loved.\u201d<\/p>\n
I swallowed.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd you knew I would be around.\u201d<\/p>\n
Anna\u2019s eyes filled again.<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
The answer broke something in me.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo you gave Rebecca to Carol because you knew Carol would marry me?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThen what?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI hoped you would someday know.\u201d<\/p>\n
I shook my head.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut Carol said no at first.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cShe refused?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cShe said it would be cruel.\u201d<\/p>\n
A hollow laugh escaped me.<\/p>\n
\u201cAt least she understood that.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cShe said you deserved to know.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYet I didn\u2019t.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause Ruth came back into it.\u201d<\/p>\n
My jaw tightened.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat did she do?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cShe found out.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHow?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t know.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThen?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cShe told Carol that if the truth came out, you would hate all of us.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cShe was right about at least one thing.\u201d<\/p>\n
Anna closed her eyes.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m sorry.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cContinue.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cRuth proposed the private adoption.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat note.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cContact arranged through R.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cRuth.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cShe found the lawyer?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cFranklin Dale.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDid he know I was the father?\u201d<\/p>\n
Anna looked away.<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
I nearly laughed from disbelief.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe attorney knew?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWas what they did legal?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t know.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDid you sign papers?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDid they list the father?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cRuth said it would complicate everything.\u201d<\/p>\n
I could feel my hands shaking again.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd Carol agreed?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cEventually.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause she loved you.\u201d<\/p>\n
I looked at her.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat doesn\u2019t excuse it.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDon\u2019t use love to excuse something like this.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m not.\u201d<\/p>\n
Anna leaned back.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m telling you why she did it, not saying she had the right.\u201d<\/p>\n
That distinction mattered.<\/p>\n
I hated that it mattered.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo Carol adopted Rebecca.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd then?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cShe waited.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cFor what?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cFor me to change my mind.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHow long?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSix weeks.\u201d<\/p>\n
The yellow blanket.<\/p>\n
Six weeks old.<\/p>\n
I closed my eyes.<\/p>\n
Carol had brought Rebecca home and placed my own daughter in my arms.<\/p>\n
\u201cDid you see me?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDid you see Rebecca after the adoption?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cOnce.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThe day before Carol took her home.\u201d<\/p>\n
Anna\u2019s voice broke.<\/p>\n
\u201cI held her for three hours.\u201d<\/p>\n
I looked down.<\/p>\n
For the first time since arriving, I saw Anna not as the keeper of a secret but as the woman who had surrendered a newborn child.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat did you name her?\u201d<\/p>\n
Anna smiled through tears.<\/p>\n
\u201cRebecca.\u201d<\/p>\n
My breath caught.<\/p>\n
\u201cCarol told me she chose that name.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cShe kept the one I gave her.\u201d<\/p>\n
I looked toward the window.<\/p>\n
Another piece of Carol rearranged itself.<\/p>\n
Not innocence.<\/p>\n
Not cruelty.<\/p>\n
Something harder.<\/p>\n
A woman trying to preserve one thing after helping destroy another.<\/p>\n
Anna continued.<\/p>\n
\u201cCarol promised me Rebecca would know someday.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBut she didn\u2019t.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cShe became afraid.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cOf me?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cOf losing you.\u201d<\/p>\n
I sat silently.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe married you two years later,\u201d Anna said.<\/p>\n
\u201cOne year and eight months.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou remember.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cOf course I remember.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBy then Rebecca called her Mama.\u201d<\/p>\n
I pressed two fingers against my lips.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen did Carol contact you again?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cRebecca\u2019s third birthday.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat did she say?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat she still hadn\u2019t told you.\u201d<\/p>\n
I laughed bitterly.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd you let that continue.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause by then I had built another life.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWith Daniel\u2019s father?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cLater.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd you decided silence was easier.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
At least she did not dress it up.<\/p>\n
I looked at her.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat did Carol say the last time you spoke?\u201d<\/p>\n
Anna\u2019s expression changed.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat was years ago.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHow many?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAbout twelve.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat did she say?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat she was afraid she had waited too long.\u201d<\/p>\n
I stared at her.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat did you tell her?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat every year she waited made the truth heavier.\u201d<\/p>\n
A painful smile touched Anna\u2019s mouth.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe said she knew.\u201d<\/p>\n
I looked at Carol\u2019s name on the receipt the waitress had left.<\/p>\n
No.<\/p>\n
Not Carol\u2019s name.<\/p>\n
Just the word CASHIER.<\/p>\n
My mind was reaching for her everywhere.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy did she ask me to find you now?\u201d<\/p>\n
Anna answered gently.<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause she knew she was dying.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s obvious.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
Anna shook her head.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe knew she wouldn\u2019t be there to stop what came after.\u201d<\/p>\n
I frowned.<\/p>\n
\u201cStop what?\u201d<\/p>\n
Anna looked toward Daniel.<\/p>\n
He was watching us from across the diner.<\/p>\n
Then she returned her eyes to mine.<\/p>\n
\u201cRebecca started looking for her biological mother three months ago.\u201d<\/p>\n
The room became still again.<\/p>\n
I stared.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cShe contacted me.\u201d<\/p>\n
My heart dropped.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThree months ago.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cRebecca knows you?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDoes she know I\u2019m her father?\u201d<\/p>\n
Anna\u2019s face told me before the words did.<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
Then she added the part that mattered even more.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut she knows Carol lied.\u201d<\/p>\n
I do not know how long I sat without speaking. The waitress came over with a towel for the spilled coffee. Anna told her we were fine. We were not … <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":21959,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-21967","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-insightdrama"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21967","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=21967"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21967\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":22013,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21967\/revisions\/22013"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/21959"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=21967"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=21967"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=21967"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}