Chapter 1 - The Gift Arthur Wouldn’t Let Gigi Touch
My brother Arthur nearly knocked over the birthday cake trying to keep my two-year-old daughter from touching one tiny gift.
Gigi had only reached for the gold ribbon.
Arthur snatched the box from the table and threw it behind him.
“Keep her away from that.”
Gigi burst into tears.
I immediately lifted her into my arms.
“What are you hiding, Arthur?”
Before he answered, Mom stepped between us.
“Drop it, Clara. You’re embarrassing this family.”
Dad moved beside Arthur.
That was when I noticed every adult relative in the room had stopped talking.
Arthur suddenly grabbed my beige baby bag and shoved it toward the doorway.
“You should go.”
I ripped it back.
The zipper opened.
A sealed hospital envelope and an old gold baby bracelet slid across the floor.
Mom froze.
Arthur’s face changed.
Dad looked away.
I picked up the bracelet.
A date was engraved inside.
April 17, 1994.
My birthday.
“Mom... why was this hidden in Arthur’s gift?”
May you like
Nobody answered.
And for the first time, I realized the birthday present had never been meant for Gigi.
