My Elderly Neighbor Died — After His Funeral, I Received a Letter From Him Revealing He’d Buried a Secret in His Backyard 40 Years Ago 2

“I wish you’d told me sooner,” I whispered. “All these years, you were right there. We could have had more time.”

***

The next Saturday evening, my house was full of voices and clinking dishes, our regular family dinner, only bigger, with neighbors drifting in like they had a right to the story.

Aunt Linda set down a casserole a little too hard and said, loud enough for the table to hear, “Your mother did what she o,  Tanya. Get over it.”

“We could have had more time.”

The room went quiet. Even the forks paused.

I looked at her, then at my mother. “No. She did what was easiest for her, and he paid for it every day. I’m allowed to be upset. I’m allowed to be hurt,” I said.

Mom’s face crumpled, and for the first time she didn’t rush to fix it.

She just nodded, small and shaking, and whispered, “I’m sorry.”