Marilyn also sent an apology, although her first letter focused mainly on regretting that Eli had overheard her conversation. Only later did she acknowledge that she had treated him differently because he was adopted, and I decided that any future contact would need to be approached carefully.
One Saturday, I noticed Eli struggling with his undersized baseball shoes and suggested visiting the sporting goods store. Before leaving, I retrieved the envelope containing the $146 he had offered me three months earlier.
“I thought you used it for the babies, Mom.”
“No, sweetheart. That money was always yours, and you never needed it to pay for your place in this family.”
Eli smiled and began discussing whether he could buy a lighter baseball bat. For a little while, our conversation was simply about sports rather than hospital bills, adoption, or whether he was welcome in his own home.
As we prepared to leave, he paused beside the twins and asked whether he would still be allowed to live with us when they grew older. I knelt in front of him and explained that his place in our family would never depend on his age, behavior, or ability to help.
