“I saw the shock in his eyes. ‘This is the best birthday gift I’ve ever received,’ he said, sobbing in my arms. We were together again for the first time in years.”
‘For 23 years, he wrote letters expressing deep remorse. ‘He is the most impeccable inmate,’ the district attorney said. I had to do something I struggled with for decades: forgive him.’
‘Inside I was screaming, ‘I am your aunt!’ We waited in the school office. One by one, our kids walked into the room. We didn’t have a plan, but I knew my suspicions were right.’
“We spent the rest of that night carrying people out, and sending them to the emergency room. I said to myself, ‘I shouldn’t be here. I have children.’ I called my husband, worried about what he would say. My palms were sweating. ‘Go get your kids,’ he responded.”
‘I had one job: protect my children. The next day he was gone and there was no way to get him back. I felt myself slipping away from reality.’
“On my son’s birthday, I laid on the floor, belly-down, with my hands on my chest to force myself not to hyperventilate. Minutes later, I rejoined the party with a smile on my face. ‘I am fine,’ I told myself.”
‘Boys, go to your room. I need to talk to mom.’ I knew the look of anguish, though I’d never seen it on his face. I’ll never forget the phone call that changed his world.’
“My (now) ex-husband took the call. ‘Bam, that was your sister. Your mom found him in the driveway in front of the garage. He had been out messing around in the yard.’”
‘It’s Mom, she’s gone.’: For the motherless on Mother’s Day
“I was sitting in my car in the parking garage, getting ready to leave work.”