Chapter 12 - THE FATHER BEHIND THE GLASS
Adrian’s first prison visit with Lily occurred six months later.
She wore the yellow coat from the botanic garden.
Adrian wore a plain uniform.
A low table separated them.
No glass stood between their hands.
Lily climbed onto the chair.
“Do you have your heart machine?”
“Yes.”
“Do they charge it at night?”
“It charges itself.”
“Do you have a job?”
“I work in the library.”
“Do you tell people to be quiet?”
“Sometimes.”
“That sounds like you.”
Adrian laughed.
Sarah sat nearby.
The visits were supervised but gentle.
Lily brought drawings.
Adrian read books aloud.
He never described prison as something done unfairly to him.
When Lily asked why he could not come home, he answered:
“I broke serious laws.”
“The judge decided I have to stay here while I accept the consequences.”
“Did you hurt people?”
“Yes.”
“Did you mean to?”
“Sometimes.”
The honesty frightened Sarah.
It also protected Lily from discovering a prettier lie later.
“Are you a bad daddy?” Lily asked.
Adrian thought carefully.
“I made bad choices before I became part of your life.”
“I am trying to make safer choices now.”
“Can I love you?”
“Yes.”
“Do I have to forgive everything?”
“No.”
“Good.”
“Because I don’t know everything.”
Adrian smiled sadly.
“You should learn it slowly.”
“As you grow.”
“Your mother will help decide what is right for you to know.”
Lily reached across the table.
“Can I hold your hand again?”
Adrian placed his palm upward.
She held it.
This time, he did not break down.
He breathed.
The defibrillator remained quiet beneath his uniform.
Sarah watched him practice the kind of fatherhood that did not require possession.
Presence within limits.
May you like
Truth without burdening the child.
Love without asking it to erase consequences.
