CHAPTER 7: THE VISIT
Lily asked to see her father.
I was hesitant at first. But her therapist thought it might be a good idea.
We drove to the prison on a Saturday morning. The building was gray and cold, and Lily held my hand the entire way.
Mark was seated behind a glass partition. He looked thinner, older, more tired than I remembered.
"Hi, Dad," Lily said.
His face crumpled.
"Lily, I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry for everything."
"It's okay."
"It's not okay. I should have been a better father."
Lily was quiet for a moment.
"Will you get out of here someday?"
"Yes."
"Are you going to come back to us?"
Mark looked at me.
"I don't think your mother would want that."
Lily looked at me too.
"Mom?"
I took a deep breath.
"Mark, I don't know. We'll see."
He nodded.
"That's fair."
Lily talked to him for a few more minutes, then we said goodbye.
On the drive home, she was quiet.
"Are you okay?" I asked.
"I think so."
"Did it help?"
"Yes. I think I needed to see that he's human. That he's not a monster. He's just... broken."
I reached over and squeezed her hand.
"You're so mature."
"Thanks, Mom."
May you like
We drove home in silence.
And I felt a small piece of the weight I'd been carrying start to lift.
