Part 25: Thomas’s Apology
Thomas came to see Maya three weeks after Edward’s surgery.
He looked thinner, and there were dark circles under his eyes. He had been working harder than ever to prove himself after the failed investment.
He stood awkwardly on her doorstep.
Thomas
“Can I come in?”
Maya stepped aside.
They sat in the living room. Thomas stared at his hands for a long time before speaking.
Thomas
“I was an asshole. To you. To Dad. To everyone.”
Maya waited.
Thomas
“When he got sick, I realized… I’ve spent so much time being angry at you that I almost missed the chance to actually know him while he’s still here.”
He looked up.
Thomas
“I’m sorry. For everything I said. For how I treated you.”
Maya studied him.
Maya
“I don’t need you to like me, Thomas. But I do need you to stop punishing me for something that wasn’t my fault.”
Thomas nodded.
Thomas
“I know. I’m working on it.”
He hesitated, then added:
Thomas
“Dad asked me to take care of you if anything happens to him. I told him I would. I meant it.”
Maya’s throat tightened.
Maya
“He’s going to be okay.”
Thomas
“I hope so. But if he’s not… I don’t want to lose the chance to know my sister too.”
It was the first time Thomas had ever called her his sister.
Maya didn’t say anything. She just nodded, her eyes stinging.
May you like
It wasn’t a perfect reconciliation.
But it was a beginning.
