The past was complicated.
And nobody could undo what had happened.
One afternoon, after Sophie left to meet a friend, Emma finally made the call.
The telephone rang several times.
Then a woman answered.
“Hello?”
Emma's mouth went dry.
“My name is Emma,” she began. “I'm not sure whether you remember me.”
There was silence.
A long, heavy silence.
Then the woman spoke.
“Emma?”
“Yes.”
Another pause.
When Helena spoke again, her voice trembled.
“I've thought about you for so many years.”
Emma closed her eyes.
She had expected many possible responses.
But hearing her name spoken with such emotion unsettled her.
“My father left me a letter,” she explained. “He told me you came to our house after Sophie was born.”
Helena began crying.
“I did.”
“He said you wanted to meet her.”
“Yes.”
“Then why didn't you do anything more?”
The question came out more sharply than Emma intended.
