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.The box seemed to weigh more than such a small thing should.She looked down at the lovely creation.Carefully carved into the lid was a single word.Love.Janet went back inside.She sat in her chair, the box in her lap.Fear clutched her heart.Last chance.The words whispered through her mind, though no one had said any such thing.Her memories of the day she discovered her fears about Alex were true had never faded.She remembered every detail as if it had been yesterday.The only other memory as clear in her mind was the one of the day Jared had come to see her.Neither were stellar moments in her life, but the idea of Alex being gay, of him having sex with a man was so repugnant she hadn't been able to overcome her reaction.She saw Alex occasionally; Frank made no bones about letting her know only Jared's influence kept her son in her life.Still, she had been unable to see past her own prejudice.Gay men were immoral—everyone knew that.In a world of a fifty plus percent divorce rate between 'normal' couples, the idea that two men could build a life together should be laughable.Janet had once believed what everyone said.Her fingers traced the word on the top of the box.Fifteen years.She missed her son.With trembling hands she opened the lid.There wasn't much inside.A few scraps of paper, with childish scrolls and more mature writing.Each one began, 'I am most thankful for…' The twins were thankful for Uncle J's new scroll saw.Janet smiled, imagining their faces.She missed them, too.Once they had truly understood how things were between her and Alex, they had all but faded from her life.In an adult's handwriting one paper read: baby Jens is thankful for doors.Janet wondered momentarily what that meant and set the slip aside feeling bemused.A lot of meanings could be read into a cryptic statement like that.Doors.Open doors.She wondered if perhaps a door she'd assumed to be shut for all these years had actually been open the whole time.The idea made her breath catch and she pondered what she'd do if it were true as she read on.Stevie and Clark were thankful for each other and their kids.The predictable nature of those answers warmed her heart in their simplicity.Kels was thankful for Pokémon, and Jared's mother, Beth, was thankful her son had found love.Janet stared at that one, wondering if it was true.She supposed it might be.Frank certainly had no issues accepting Alex's choice of lifestyle.Frank's note said he was thankful for his family.The two of them had grown apart over the years and she wondered what he meant.Alex and Jared's papers were last.Janet stared at Alex's 'I'm thankful for Jared's love'.Nothing less than she expected, though it didn't tear her apart inside the way it had before, it seemed a person could get used to anything given enough time.The last slip of paper was smaller than the others, but even without a signature Janet had no doubt who it belonged to, it contained a single word.'Alex'.Written in a strong, sure hand she'd never seen before, her son's name as if it was everything, no explanation needed.She felt something tear a little in her chest and her breath hitched.She picked up a picture and looked at it a long time.It was an older image.Alex and Jared, both so young they looked like a couple of kids.Jared's hand on Alex's face, they weren't quite kissing, but it was the expression on Jared's face that made it impossible to put the photo down.Janet wondered how it felt to be adored like that.The other picture was more recent and the faces in it less innocent.Jared's hand rested on Alex's face, as they leaned into another near kiss.So much had changed in the second picture, their hair, the lines on their faces, but one thing remained unaltered.Captivated, despite her negative feelings about them as a couple, Janet stared at the expression on Jared's face.The man loved her son, had loved him with what appeared to be consistent devotion for years.Janet dashed away tears she had barely realized were falling.Under the second photo was a folded note, she picked it up and opened it with shaking fingers.The sight of Alex's familiar left handed scrawl sharpened the ache in her heart.Mom,I know it's been a while since we talked about some important things.Annie says I should try harder, because everyone needs their mom.I think she's right.We're having Thanksgiving Plus: Day Two, tomorrow.We'd like it if you could come—there will be turkey.Love,AlexAnd at the bottom, in neatly printed lettersSome things are hard to forgive, but for Alex, anything.Janet sat crying in silence.Night had fallen and she didn't notice.Alone in the dark, she clutched the notes, finally calming enough to unclench her hands.She smoothed them, laying the recent picture and the shortest note of all on top.'Alex'.And last of all the words she shouldn't have had to be told."For Alex, anything."Fifteen years were too long.Janet no longer cared what everyone said.She missed her son.Drying her tears she picked up her phone and dialed.It rang only once."Mom?" The cautious hope in Alex's voice broke down what remained of the wall around Janet's heart."Hello, Alex." She couldn't stop crying, but it didn't matter [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]