“One slice is fine.” „
After he blew out the candles, Leo reached into his pocket and removed a small yellowed envelope.
He slid it across the table toward me.
I laughed.
“Buddy, it’s your birthday. I’m supposed to give you things.”
“I know, Dad.”
Then he glanced at Johnson. „
“She gave it to me yesterday. She told me not to read it. She said today was finally the right day for us to read it.”
I looked at her.
She was not smiling.
Her hands were shaking so badly that tea spilled into her saucer.
The date written across the envelope caught my attention.
It had been written 18 years earlier. „
Before I unfolded it, I recognized the handwriting.
It was Goldi’s.
“What is this?” I asked.
Johnson wiped away a tear.
“Arthur, she didn’t leave because she stopped loving either of you.”
I stared at her. „
“She made me promise that I wouldn’t give you that letter until Leo turned 18.”
My hands shook as I opened it and started reading aloud.
“Arthur,
“If you’re reading this, it means I never got the chance to tell you the truth myself.”
“A few days before our son was born, I was diagnosed with an aggressive form of cancer. My doctors told me my chances were almost nonexistent.”
