Don Joseph looked out the window and said, “I still do not know, but forgiving does not mean pretending nothing happened.”
Almost a year after his return, Shawn arrived back home on December 23rd, and this time his parents knew he was coming.
They had a quiet dinner together, enjoying punch and sweet pastries while looking at an old photograph of Shawn and Brenda as children.
“Why did you put that photo there?” Shawn asked gently.
Doña Maria replied, “Because remembering the bad things does not force us to erase all the good things that existed before.”
Later that night, Don Joseph stood outside on the patio with Shawn, looking at the lights of the town.
“I used to think I raised my children badly,” Don Joseph admitted. “But adults decide what to do with the values they are given, and you also have something to learn from this.”
“I know,” Shawn said.
“I do not want you to abandon your life because of guilt,” his father said. “I just want you to truly listen when you call us.”
Shawn felt his eyes welling up and whispered, “That I can do.”
From the kitchen, Doña Maria shouted happily, “And you can also come and get your sweets before I eat them all!”
They both laughed together.
Shawn learned that family is not taken care of solely by paying for its needs, but by being present, listening, and being vigilant.
THE END.
