Chapter 14 - THE LAST CHANCE PATRICIA HAD TO CALL IT LOVE
Grace was seven months old when Patricia requested mediation with Alyssa and Derek.
She had not seen her granddaughter in person.
She had received photographs through Derek.
Alyssa did not enjoy that separation.
She knew Patricia loved babies. She had watched her hold Lauren’s children for hours.
But loving a child did not automatically make an adult safe around the child’s parents.
Patricia arrived wearing pale blue and carrying nothing.
No gifts.
The absence felt deliberate.
“I’m not asking to babysit,” she said.
Alyssa waited.
“I’m asking to meet her.”
“Before that,” Alyssa said, “I need to know whether you understand why you haven’t.”
Patricia looked toward Derek.
He did not rescue her.
She took a breath.
“I held money for my son because I believed you might leave him.”
“That explains the first decision.”
Patricia’s mouth tightened.
“I accepted money you thought was for emergencies.”
“Yes.”
“You knew I was reducing work.”
“Yes.”
“You took my delivery fund.”
“Derek gave it to me.”
“And you kept it.”
Patricia looked down.
“Yes.”
“Why?”
“Because I thought his future mattered more than one expensive hospital bill.”
Alyssa felt the old pool water around her for one second.
Not literally.
Memory.
Patricia continued before she could respond.
“That was wrong.”
Derek looked at his mother.
It was the first clean sentence she had offered in almost a year.
“No ‘but’?” Alyssa asked.
Patricia shook her head.
“No.”
“Do you still believe I was trying to ruin Derek?”
“I think I wanted to believe it because then helping him felt noble.”
Silence settled over the room.
Patricia began crying.
Not theatrically.
Quietly.
“My husband controlled our money for thirty-five years. After he died, I promised myself my children would never be trapped like I was. I taught Derek to hide money because I confused having an escape with deceiving the person beside you.”
Alyssa looked at Derek.
He was crying too.
Patricia was not absolved.
She was finally accurate.
The mediator asked Alyssa what boundary she wanted.
“One supervised meeting,” she said. “Derek present. Neutral place. No discussion of the divorce. No telling Grace stories about who hurt whom. And no assumption that one visit guarantees another.”
Patricia nodded.
“When?”
“When Grace’s schedule allows.”
Patricia almost asked again.
May you like
She stopped herself.
That mattered.
