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"Andrew, this isn't your fault. She had lots of problems and she brought them on herself. There is a lot about her since the divorce that you don't know. She left a sealed letter for you. I hid it from the police. No one knows it exists but you and me. What do you want me to do with it honey?"
"Just keep it to yourself for now and let me think about it. Can you do that for me?"
"Of course honey. Andrew I need you to be with me, can you come?"
"I will be there as soon as I can Mom. I am going to bring my whole family with me. I want you to meet them; I know you will like them. I'll call you back tomorrow and we will make plans. Is there anyone with you right now? You shouldn't be alone."
"Yes honey, my friend Joyce is staying with me. I can't wait to meet your family. I will talk with you tomorrow," and the phone went dead.
Epilogue:
Kourtney's private service was held 7 days later on a cold but clear fall afternoon, and as promised Drew and his family were there. There were only a few other family friends in attendance. Apparently although a very competent attorney, Kourtney had no real friends. She was cremated and her ashes would be scattered at the park that she and Drew used to frequent when they were dating. Angela said that was the happiest time of Kort's life.
The loss of her daughter by her own hand was an almost unbearable burden for Angela. But she quickly came to like Celia and especially the three girls. By the end of the week the girls were calling her Grammy Angie.
Angela explained what had happened to Kort's life after Drew left. He was shocked at the revelations of risky behavior, substance abuse, and mental health related issues that followed the divorce. She even relayed the reason that Kourtney was in the same hotel as Drew. She had disappeared with two men she met at a nightclub and was gone for over a week. When she returned, well she had bruises on her. According to Angela it wasn't all that unusual. She was about to lose her partnership too.
He was staggered by how one bad, spur of the moment decision, spiraled Kort's life out of control. It would take some time before he would come to grips with that.
The night before Drew's family was supposed to go home he and Celia talked long into the night and came to some decisions.
The next morning Drew pulled Angela aside while Celia kept the girls occupied.
"Mom, we need to talk about a couple of things. First of all, Celia and I want you to come live with us. There is nothing to keep you here now. You don't need to decide right away. We want you to think very strongly about it though. We all would love to have you with us. If you decide to come we will be there to help you with the move every step of the way. We would also like to be with you when you scatter her ashes. Please think about it will you?"
"Oh honey that is so sweet of you. I promise I will consider it carefully. But I am going to miss her so much." And she broke down again. Drew took her in his arms to comfort her while she tried to compose herself.
When she had calmed down he continued. "We have to talk about the letter. I think the best thing for us to do is to take the letter and throw it unopened into that fireplace."
"It's your letter Andrew."
"I know, but I am never going to read it. If you give it to me, I will burn it. I want to give you the option of keeping it though. I don't know about you but I want my memories of Kort to be of before the divorce. Your memories should be of that time also, and I am worried that if we read that letter we will only remember things about her after the divorce. I want nothing to do with that damn letter. I am giving it to you. If you decide to read it, the only thing I would ask is that you never, and I mean never mention anything in it to me."
Angela was shocked by his response, but began to understand Andrew's reasoning. She desperately wanted to remember her daughter as she was before her actions that ended her marriage. Maybe there was genuine contrition and acknowledgement of how hurtful her decision was, but maybe there was only more pain inside? Andrew had told her about how the meeting with Kort went a few weeks ago. What if Kort had only more anger and blame to throw at Andrew? She wasn't mentally in a good place especially since she bumped into Andrew. Angela was torn.
Before they left for home Celia also talked privately with Angela. "Please, please come live with us. We really want you to be a part of our family's life. I don't think you realize how important you are to Drew."
"I promise honey that I will think about it. It would be nice to be around young people again." Angela responded wistfully.
As Drew and his family were leaving for home along with more tears and hugs there were pleas for Angela to choose to come with them. After they were gone Angela collapsed into her chair in the living room across from the fireplace. She pulled the letter from her dress pocket and stared at it intently. She knew she had decisions to make.
