CHAPTER 38
CHAPTER 38: THE LETTER TO ELLA
One afternoon, I found my mother writing at the kitchen table.
"What are you doing?"
She quickly covered the paper.
"Nothing."
I laughed.
"You're terrible at secrets."
She smiled sheepishly.
Then she held up an envelope.
"For Ella."
I sat beside her.
"What kind of letter?"
She looked at the envelope for a long time.
"The kind people leave behind."
My chest tightened.
"Mom..."
She reached for my hand.
"It's okay."
Neither of us spoke.
After a while, she continued.
"I want her to know who I was."
I nodded.
"The good parts."
A small smile.
"And the bad parts too."
I looked at her.
"Why?"
"Because nobody should spend their life believing they need to be perfect."
Tears filled my eyes.
She had spent her entire life chasing perfection.
Now she was writing about letting it go.
When she finished, she sealed the envelope.
On the front she wrote:
For Ella. Open when you need a reminder that you are loved.
She handed it to me.
"Keep it safe."
I held the letter carefully.
"I will."
That night, I placed it inside my grandmother's wooden box.
Three generations.
May you like
Three letters.
Three women trying to love each other a little better than before.
